If you’ve been offered a job in the UK and told that you’ll be sponsored for your visa, it’s important that you double check that your employer can actually sponsor you before quitting your current job, paying for any medical tests or booking a flight.
The best thing is that it’s free and only takes a couple of minutes. The Home Office publish a list of all organisations with a Sponsor Licence so anyone can look this up. This guide will take you through all the steps to check, what to look out for and what to do if you can’t find them.
Please note: This is general information and not legal advice. If your situation is complex, please speak with a regulated immigration adviser.
What is a Sponsor Licence?
A UK employer will need a Sponsor Licence from the Home Office to employ someone on a Skilled Worker visa, Health and Care Worker visa or most other work routes. They can issue you with a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) which you’ll need the reference number for to apply for your visa.
If the company does not have a licence then they will not be able to provide you with a valid CoS and you will not be able to get your visa.
Where to Find the Official List
The official list is called the Register of licensed sponsors: workers and can be found on GOV.UK. It is regularly updated by the Home Office as new sponsors are added and those that lose or surrender their licence are removed.
It is a huge spreadsheet containing over 100,000+ rows. Whilst you can download it and search manually, most people find it easier to use a search tool. We use the official register so it is updated every time a new version is published.
Step 1: Find out the exact name of the company
Use the name given on your offer letter/contract. Many companies will operate under a different name to what they’re registered under. For example, if the care home is called ‘Rose Gardens’ it may be owned by ‘RG Healthcare Ltd’. Most of the time the register will show the official legal name.
If you’re unsure, search the company on Companies House. This is free to do on GOV.UK and will tell you the official name, company number, address and if it is active. Take note of the official name and town.
Step 2: Search for the company
Type the name of the company into the search box. Try to use one or two unique words. If the company is ‘RG Healthcare Ltd’, try just searching ‘RG Healthcare’. Don’t include words such as Limited/Ltd/UK as they don’t always appear consistently on the register.
If you get a long list of results, filter by town. The register will show you what town/city the sponsor is based in. This makes it easy to differentiate between companies with the same name but in different towns such as London and Leeds.
Step 3: Check Licence Type and Rating
When you find the company, look at the licence type and rating. You’ll see something like "Worker (A rating)".
- A rating means the sponsor is in good standing and can issue new Certificates of Sponsorship. You may also see ‘A (Premium)’ or ‘A (SME+)’ which both mean they have an A rated licence.
- B rating means the licence has been downgraded by the Home Office, usually for issues with how they meet their sponsor duties. A B rated sponsor cannot issue a CoS to a new worker until they’ve resolved their issues and regained their A rating.
Offered a job by a B rated sponsor? Ask them directly how they plan to sponsor you.
You’ll also want to check what type of licence they have:
- Worker means they can sponsor for longer term routes such as Skilled Worker.
- Temporary Worker means they can sponsor for temporary roles such as seasonal or creative roles.
If they only have a Temporary Worker licence they cannot sponsor you for a permanent role such as Skilled Worker.
Step 4: Check They Can Sponsor for Your Route
Every sponsor will have a licence to sponsor for one or more specific routes. These will be listed on the register. For example:
- Skilled Worker
- Health and Care Worker
- Global Business Mobility: Senior or Specialist Worker
Make sure your visa route is listed. If you’ve been offered a Care Worker role but they only have a Skilled Worker licence, ask them which route they’re using. In recent years Care Worker roles have had specific rules which have changed a few times. They should be able to explain clearly.
Step 5: Check Their History
A company can have their licence upgraded/downgraded, suspended, revoked or surrendered. The official spreadsheet will only show the most up to date status. Once a sponsor has been removed from the register they will no longer appear in the file.
This is why we have a page for every sponsor, including those that have been removed. Every company page will show the status of the licence, when we first saw them on the register and if there have been any changes. This may include their rating changing or them being removed.
Recently removed? If they were recently removed, think carefully. Ask them what happened.
Step 6: Check It’s a Real Company
Just because they’re on the register does not mean the offer you’ve been given is genuine. Often scammers will mimic the name of a real licensed sponsor and send you fake offers from a similar email address.
To help identify if they’re genuine:
- Check the email address matches the official website. A genuine employer won’t usually use a free email address such as Gmail or Outlook.
- Check Companies House. If they’re dissolved, in liquidation or have overdue accounts this is a red flag.
- Check the role appears on their official careers page. Or call their main phone number (found on their website) and ask if the role exists.
- Check the company name and add ‘scam’ or ‘review’. Often other candidates will leave reviews.
Step 7: Be wary of anyone asking for money
Most people fall into this trap. A licensed sponsor should never ask you to pay for your Certificate of Sponsorship or ask you to pay their sponsorship fees such as the Immigration Skills Charge. These are costs for the employer.
Warning: If anyone asks you to pay for a CoS, ‘sponsorship fee’ or ‘job guarantee’, stop! This could be a fraudster using the name of a real company or the company may be breaching their sponsor duties. Either way, this is not a safe job to take. You can report them to the Home Office using the immigration crime reporting page on GOV.UK.
You will pay for your visa application, Immigration Health Surcharge and any required tests (such as TB) but this is to the official bodies.
What if they aren’t on the register?
Don’t panic! There are a few common reasons they may not appear:
- They have a different legal name. Go back to step 1 and search for the official name from Companies House.
- They’re part of a group. Sometimes licences will be held by either the parent company or another company within the group. The company employing you and paying your salary should be the one sponsoring you. Ask them which entity holds the licence.
- It’s very new. If the licence was issued in the last few days they may not appear on the latest version of the register. Ask the employer when it was issued and check again in a week.
- Different spelling. Sometimes the register will use ‘St.’ or ‘Saint’ and ‘&’ or ‘and’. Try both versions.
If you’ve tried all of the above and still can’t find the company, ask the employer for details of their Sponsor Licence. A genuine sponsor should have no issues confirming this. If they’re not specific, defensive or tell you not to worry, this is not a safe offer.
Alternatively, if they were previously on the register but aren’t anymore, it’s likely their licence has been revoked/surrendered.
Quick Checklist
Before accepting a sponsored job offer you should be able to answer yes to all of these:
- The company (official name) is on the licensed sponsors register.
- They have an A rating.
- They have a ‘Worker’ licence for your visa route.
- No recent issues with them being removed/downgraded or the employer can explain.
- They’re active on Companies House and the role exists on their official channels.
- No-one has asked you to pay for your CoS or sponsorship.
If you can’t answer yes to all of these, take your time and ask questions.
Looking for a new sponsor?
You can search the register by town, route and sector to find employers who can sponsor you.
Sources
- Register of licensed sponsors: workers (GOV.UK)
- Skilled Worker visa (GOV.UK)
- Sponsorship information for employers (GOV.UK)
- Search the register of companies (Companies House)
- Report immigration crime (GOV.UK)
Last checked November 2026. Immigration rules can change so always check the latest guidance on GOV.UK.
This guide is general information, not legal or immigration advice. Rules change, so check the official GOV.UK guidance for sponsors and take advice from a regulated adviser before acting. SponsorCheck is not connected to the Home Office.