Finding a UK employer willing to sponsor your visa is the most important step in your Skilled Worker visa journey. Thousands of companies hold a Home Office sponsor licence — from the NHS and global tech giants to financial institutions and engineering firms. This guide lists the major employers currently sponsoring international workers, explains the £38,700 salary threshold, and walks you through exactly how to land a sponsored job in 2026.
- ✓Over 74,000 UK organisations hold an active sponsor licence from the Home Office
- ✓The standard salary threshold for a Skilled Worker visa is £38,700 per year (or the going rate for the role, whichever is higher)
- ✓Healthcare workers, teachers, and engineers are among the most in-demand sponsored roles
- ✓You can search the official UK government register of licensed sponsors before applying
- ✓Employers cover the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) cost — you pay the visa application fee
What is Skilled Worker visa sponsorship?
UK visa sponsorship means a Home Office-licensed employer agrees to hire you from overseas and takes legal responsibility for your visa compliance. Without a sponsor, you cannot apply for a Skilled Worker visa. The employer first issues a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) — a unique reference number that confirms the job offer. You then use that CoS to apply for your visa online.
Sponsors must be on the official UK government register of licensed sponsors. You can search this register at gov.uk — it lists every organisation currently approved to hire international workers. This is the single most useful tool for your job search: if a company is on the list, they can legally sponsor you.
💡 Tip
Search the Home Office register of licensed sponsors at gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-licensed-sponsors-workers. Download the spreadsheet and filter by sector, city, or company name to find employers near your target location.
The £38,700 salary threshold explained
Since April 2024, the minimum salary for most Skilled Worker visa roles is £38,700 per year. This replaced the previous £26,200 threshold. There are lower rates for specific shortage occupations — nurses, social workers, and certain teaching roles can qualify at around £23,200–£30,960 depending on the role code. Your employer must pay at least the higher of: the general threshold (£38,700) or the "going rate" for your specific job code.
- ✓£38,700 — standard minimum for most Skilled Worker roles
- ✓£30,960 — new entrant rate (under 26, recent graduate, or switching from a student visa)
- ✓£23,200 — certain health and education shortage occupations (nurses, social care workers)
- ✓Going rate — for some professions (doctors, vets, pilots) the going rate exceeds £38,700 and that becomes the floor
- ✓London weighting — many London-based roles pay 10–20% more to reflect cost of living
Healthcare and social care companies sponsoring visas
Healthcare is the single largest sector for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship in the UK. NHS trusts, private hospitals, and social care providers have sponsored tens of thousands of international workers in recent years — particularly nurses, doctors, pharmacists, and allied health professionals.
- ✓NHS (National Health Service) — over 200 NHS trusts individually hold sponsor licences; search by trust name
- ✓Bupa UK — one of the largest private healthcare providers, regularly hires international nurses and clinical staff
- ✓Spire Healthcare — private hospital group with sites across England and Wales
- ✓Care UK — residential and nursing care homes, one of the largest social care sponsors
- ✓Four Seasons Health Care — care homes across the UK, frequent sponsor of nurses from Asia and Africa
- ✓HCA Healthcare UK — private hospitals in London including The Harley Street Clinic and The Wellington
- ✓Nuffield Health — fitness and healthcare provider, sponsors physiotherapists and clinical roles
💡 Tip
NHS jobs are advertised at jobs.nhs.uk — you can filter by "overseas" or look for the sponsorship statement in the job description. Many NHS trusts specifically state they welcome international applicants.
Technology and IT companies sponsoring visas
The UK tech sector faces persistent skills shortages, particularly in software engineering, data science, cybersecurity, and cloud architecture. Most major global tech companies have UK offices with active sponsor licences and regularly hire from international talent pools.
- ✓Google UK — offices in London (King's Cross), Cambridge, and Manchester; sponsors software engineers, PMs, researchers
- ✓Amazon (AWS and retail) — large hiring across software development, operations, and logistics tech roles
- ✓Microsoft UK — sponsors for Azure engineering, sales, and consulting roles
- ✓Meta UK — London-based engineering and product teams, competitive salary well above the threshold
- ✓Accenture — one of the largest tech consulting sponsors in the UK; offices in multiple cities
- ✓Capgemini — IT services and digital transformation, sponsors developers and data engineers
- ✓Cognizant — IT outsourcing with large UK operations, frequent Skilled Worker sponsor
- ✓Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) — Indian tech giants with major UK presences; sponsor extensively
- ✓IBM UK — sponsors for AI, cloud, and enterprise tech roles
- ✓HSBC Technology — tech arm of HSBC bank; sponsors software engineers and data specialists
Search thousands of UK jobs that offer visa sponsorship — filter by role, salary, and location.
Browse sponsored jobs →Engineering and construction companies sponsoring visas
Major infrastructure projects — HS2, offshore wind farms, water network upgrades — are creating sustained demand for civil, structural, and mechanical engineers. The UK's engineering skills gap makes this sector one of the more straightforward routes to sponsorship.
- ✓Arup — global engineering consultancy headquartered in London; sponsors across structural, civil, and environmental engineering
- ✓Mott MacDonald — infrastructure and management consultancy; active sponsor across the UK
- ✓Balfour Beatty — construction and infrastructure; sponsors engineers and project managers
- ✓Jacobs Engineering — global engineering firm with strong UK presence; sponsors technical roles
- ✓WSP — environmental and engineering consultancy; regular sponsor across UK offices
- ✓Atkins (SNC-Lavalin) — engineering consultancy working on major UK infrastructure programmes
- ✓Turner & Townsend — project management and consultancy; sponsors cost managers and engineers
- ✓Rolls-Royce — aerospace and defence engineering; sponsors highly skilled engineers from overseas
Finance, banking, and professional services sponsors
London's position as a global financial centre means banks, asset managers, and the Big Four accountancies are consistently among the UK's most active visa sponsors. Roles in investment banking, compliance, audit, and technology pay well above the £38,700 threshold.
- ✓HSBC — one of the UK's largest employers overall; sponsors analysts, tech roles, and relationship managers
- ✓Barclays — investment bank and retail bank; sponsors finance, risk, and technology professionals
- ✓JPMorgan Chase — investment banking and asset management; London office is their EMEA hub
- ✓Goldman Sachs UK — high salaries, active sponsor for analysts and technology staff
- ✓Deloitte — Big Four professional services; sponsors accountants, consultants, and tech specialists
- ✓PwC UK — sponsors across audit, tax, consulting, and technology practices
- ✓Ernst & Young (EY) — active sponsor especially for data analytics and consulting roles
- ✓KPMG UK — sponsors across advisory, audit, and technology consulting
- ✓Lloyds Banking Group — one of the UK's largest banks; sponsors across tech and operations
- ✓Standard Chartered — international bank headquartered in London with global hiring
Education and universities sponsoring international staff
UK universities and research institutions sponsor lecturers, researchers, and professional services staff under the Skilled Worker visa. Academic salaries have increased significantly — senior lecturers and professors comfortably exceed the £38,700 threshold. Postdoctoral researchers sometimes qualify at lower rates under shortage occupation provisions.
- ✓University of Oxford — sponsors researchers, academics, and professional staff across all departments
- ✓University College London (UCL) — one of the most internationally diverse universities in the UK
- ✓University of Manchester — large research university; active sponsor across STEM and humanities
- ✓Imperial College London — STEM-focused; sponsors researchers and engineers heavily
- ✓King's College London — sponsors academic and professional roles across its medical and arts faculties
- ✓University of Edinburgh — Scotland's leading research university; sponsors internationally
- ✓University of Cambridge — colleges and departments each hold separate licences
- ✓London School of Economics (LSE) — sponsors academics and research staff
Logistics, supply chain, and retail sponsors
Logistics and supply chain roles have become increasingly well-paid and technically demanding. Data analysts, warehouse operations managers, and supply chain engineers at large logistics companies often exceed the Skilled Worker threshold.
- ✓DHL — global logistics giant with large UK operations; sponsors across operations and tech roles
- ✓Amazon Logistics — operations management, data engineering, and supply chain roles
- ✓GXO Logistics — contract logistics; sponsors operations management and tech roles
- ✓Wincanton — UK supply chain company; sponsors across management and operations
- ✓FedEx UK — logistics and delivery; sponsors technical and management roles
- ✓Marriott Hotels — sponsors chefs, hotel managers, and hospitality professionals
- ✓Hilton Hotels — active sponsor for hotel operations, F&B, and management
- ✓Compass Group UK — large catering company; sponsors for hospitality management roles
How to find companies that sponsor visas in the UK
You do not need to rely on job boards alone. The most reliable approach is to use multiple sources together: the official sponsor register, targeted job searches, and direct company career pages.
- ✓Download the Home Office register of licensed sponsors — updated monthly at gov.uk; filter by region, sector, or company name
- ✓Use LinkedIn with filters "visa sponsorship" or "sponsorship available" in the job description
- ✓Search jobs.nhs.uk for NHS roles (the largest single employer of sponsored workers)
- ✓Use Indeed, Reed, and Totaljobs with the keyword "Skilled Worker visa" or "sponsorship provided"
- ✓Apply directly on company career pages — most large employers mention sponsorship eligibility in their FAQ
- ✓Work with specialist international recruitment agencies (Michael Page, Hays, Robert Half) who handle sponsored placements
- ✓Check Glassdoor reviews — current and former employees often confirm whether a company sponsors
💡 Tip
When you apply, add a brief line to your cover letter: "I would require Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. I hold [current visa/status] and would be available to start from [date]." This saves time for both parties and shows you understand the process.
The visa sponsorship process step by step
Once you have a job offer from a licensed sponsor, the process is straightforward — but there are strict deadlines. Your employer leads the first step; everything else is your responsibility.
- ✓1. Secure a formal job offer from a Home Office licensed UK employer
- ✓2. Employer assigns a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) — you receive a unique CoS reference number
- ✓3. Apply for the Skilled Worker visa online at gov.uk within 3 months of the CoS being assigned
- ✓4. Pay the visa application fee (£827–£1,639 depending on length) and the Immigration Health Surcharge (£1,035 per year)
- ✓5. Submit supporting documents: CoS number, valid passport, proof of English (if required), TB test results (certain countries), proof of maintenance funds
- ✓6. Attend a biometrics appointment at a visa application centre
- ✓7. Await decision — typically 3–8 weeks, or 5 working days for priority service
- ✓8. Once approved, travel to the UK and collect your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) or access your eVisa
💡 Tip
You do not need to show maintenance funds if your sponsor confirms on the CoS that they will cover your first month's accommodation costs. Ask your employer's HR team to include this on your CoS — it removes the need to show £1,270 in your bank account.
Salary, benefits, and long-term prospects
Sponsored roles are full-time, permanent or fixed-term positions with the same employment rights as UK workers. Employers cannot pay sponsored workers below the going rate for their role, which provides strong salary protection.
- ✓Minimum £38,700 per year for most roles — many sponsored jobs pay considerably more
- ✓Full UK employment rights from day one: paid holidays (5.6 weeks minimum), statutory sick pay, maternity/paternity pay
- ✓NHS healthcare at no cost (you pay the Immigration Health Surcharge upfront)
- ✓Workplace pension contributions — employers must auto-enrol you at minimum 3% of your salary
- ✓After 5 years on a Skilled Worker visa, you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)
- ✓ILR → British citizenship available 1 year after ILR in most cases
Use Relocly's job search to find UK roles actively offering Skilled Worker visa sponsorship right now.
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