If you're looking for a job with visa sponsorship, location matters. Some cities have tens of thousands of licensed sponsors, others only a few hundred. Knowing where the sponsors are helps you focus your search and your applications.
This guide shows how many licensed sponsors there are in the UK's biggest cities, and how to search the register for any town.
The figures below come from the Home Office register of licensed sponsors published on 9 November 2026. They change every time the register is updated.
The cities with the most sponsors
Here are the towns and cities with the most active sponsors on the 9 November 2026 register:
- London: about 36,600 sponsors
- Birmingham: about 3,100
- Manchester: about 2,850
- Leicester: about 1,400
- Glasgow: about 1,370
- Bristol: about 1,300
- Edinburgh: about 1,180
- Leeds: about 1,080
In total, the register held about 127,700 active sponsors across the UK.
London is far ahead of everywhere else. Almost three in ten UK sponsors list London as their town.
Why the town on the register can be misleading
The register shows the town each sponsor gave the Home Office. That's usually the head office or registered address, not necessarily where you'd work. Keep these points in mind:
- Head office vs workplace. A national retailer or care group might be listed in one city but have sites all over the UK.
- Boroughs and suburbs. Some London businesses list a borough or district, such as Ilford, Croydon or Harrow, instead of "London". Search nearby place names too.
- Spelling and format. Towns are typed by the sponsors themselves, so you'll see variations like "Newcastle", "Newcastle upon Tyne" and "Newcastle-upon-Tyne".
So when you search by town, check a few nearby names as well.
Sponsors in London
With more than 36,000 sponsors, London covers almost every sector: finance, technology, hospitality, health, education, construction and many more. The challenge in London isn't finding a sponsor. It's narrowing the list.
Ways to narrow it:
- Combine London with a sector, such as technology and software or finance and professional services.
- Focus on your route. Most London sponsors hold the Skilled Worker route, but many larger firms also hold Global Business Mobility: Senior or Specialist Worker.
- Search for employers you already know, and check their status.
Sponsors in Birmingham
Birmingham has the second-largest number of sponsors. There's a strong mix of health and care providers, restaurants and food businesses, retail, logistics and professional services.
The wider West Midlands also has many sponsors listed under nearby towns, such as Coventry, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Solihull. Search those too if you can commute.
Sponsors in Manchester
Manchester has around 2,850 sponsors, with technology, professional services, hospitality and health well represented. Nearby towns such as Salford, Stockport, Oldham and Bolton add many more.
How to search sponsors in any town
You don't need to download the 100,000-row spreadsheet. Here's how to search any town on our site:
- Go to the Browse page and pick a town, or type the town name into the search box.
- Look through the list. Each sponsor shows its rating and routes.
- Filter by your route, such as Skilled Worker.
- Open a company page to see its full details and history.
We only list towns with at least 25 sponsors as separate pages. For smaller places, search the town name directly.
Turning a list into job applications
A list of sponsors is a starting point, not a list of jobs. Being on the register means a company can sponsor, not that it's hiring or that it will sponsor you. To turn the list into real applications:
- Check the company is hiring. Visit its careers page or search job sites for its name.
- Check the job is eligible. Skilled Worker jobs must meet skill and salary rules. See the Skilled Worker visa page for the current requirements.
- Check the employer is healthy. An A rating, an active Companies House record and no recent removals are good signs. Read A-rated vs B-rated sponsors.
- Apply through official channels. Use the company's own website, or a recruiter you've verified.
Be careful with "sponsor lists" for sale
Some websites and social media accounts sell "verified lists of visa sponsors". The register is free and public, and our search is free too. You never need to pay for a list of sponsors.
And never pay for a job offer or a Certificate of Sponsorship. Our guide to fake visa sponsorship job offers explains the warning signs.
Frequently asked questions
Which UK city has the most visa sponsors? London, by a long way, with about 36,600 sponsors on the 9 November 2026 register.
Does a sponsor in London only hire for London jobs? No. The town is usually the head office. Many sponsors have workplaces across the UK.
Can I see which sponsors are hiring right now? The register doesn't show vacancies. Use it to find licensed employers, then check their careers pages and job sites.
How often do these numbers change? Whenever the Home Office publishes a new version of the register. Sponsors are added and removed with almost every update.
Sources
Figures from the register published on 9 November 2026. Last checked November 2026.
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.