What is visa sponsorship in the UK, and how does it work?

Key points

• Sponsorship has three parts: the employer's licence, the Certificate of Sponsorship it assigns for your job, and your own visa application, which the Home Office decides.
• gov.uk says the Skilled Worker visa has replaced the Tier 2 (General) work visa, which is why older adverts still say "Tier 2".
• The job usually has to be at graduate level and pay at least £41,700 or the going rate for the job, whichever is higher. New entrants can be paid less, but not below £33,400.
• Once you apply, gov.uk says a Skilled Worker decision usually takes 3 weeks from outside the UK and 8 weeks from inside it.
• A licence means an employer can sponsor. It is not a promise that it will sponsor you.

What does visa sponsorship mean?

When people talk about a job “with visa sponsorship”, they mean the employer is willing and able to support your application for a work visa. For most graduate jobs, that visa is the Skilled Worker visa. gov.uk says it has replaced the Tier 2 (General) work visa, which is why you still see “Tier 2” in older adverts and forum posts.

Sponsorship has three parts, and they happen in this order:

1. The licence. The employer applies to the Home Office for a sponsor licence. Once it is approved with an A rating, the employer appears on the public register of licensed sponsors and can assign certificates.
2. The Certificate of Sponsorship. When the employer offers you a job, it assigns you a Certificate of Sponsorship. gov.uk describes it as an electronic record, not a physical document, with its own reference number. It records the details of the job.
3. Your visa application. You apply for the visa yourself, using the certificate’s reference number. The Home Office decides the application.

So sponsorship is not a single document or a single decision. It is the employer’s licence, the employer’s certificate for your job, and your own application, which the Home Office decides.

Who can sponsor a visa in the UK?

Only an organisation with a sponsor licence. The Home Office publishes every licensed organisation in the register of licensed sponsors, a spreadsheet on gov.uk that lists each organisation’s name, town, licence type and rating, and the routes it can sponsor. On the copy published on 5 October 2026, 121,996 organisations held a Skilled Worker licence.

Two details on the register matter:

• The rating. gov.uk says an A-rated licence lets an employer assign certificates. A licence downgraded to a B rating cannot assign new certificates until it is upgraded again, although it can still issue them to workers it already employs who are extending their stay.
• The route. An organisation can be licensed for some routes and not others. For a Skilled Worker visa, the employer needs a Skilled Worker licence.

You can search the register yourself on gov.uk, or type a company name into the sponsor check, which searches the same data. The register uses legal names, so a well-known brand may appear under a different name ending in Limited, Ltd or LLP. The register is updated most working days, and new sponsor licences lists the latest additions.

What does the employer do, and what does it pay for?

The employer carries most of the paperwork and the costs of sponsorship:

• It gets a licence. gov.uk says a licence application usually takes around 8 weeks to process. An employer that has never sponsored anyone may need to do this before it can make you a sponsored offer.
• It assigns the Certificate of Sponsorship. For someone applying from outside the UK, the employer first requests a “defined” certificate, which gov.uk says is usually approved within one working day. For someone switching from inside the UK, the employer uses an “undefined” certificate from its allocation.
• It pays the sponsorship costs. The employer pays for the licence and the certificate, and for most Skilled Worker hires it also pays the Immigration Skills Charge. gov.uk says an employer’s licence may be revoked if it asks the sponsored worker to pay these costs.
• It keeps to its duties as a sponsor. These are set out in the Home Office guidance for sponsors.

Your own costs are separate: the visa application fee and, for most applicants, the immigration health surcharge. gov.uk lists the current amounts, and they change from time to time, so this guide does not quote them. gov.uk also says the Health and Care Worker visa is cheaper to apply for and has no health surcharge, which matters if you work in health or adult social care.

What do you need for a Skilled Worker visa?

gov.uk sets out four core requirements. In plain terms:

• A confirmed job offer from a licensed employer. gov.uk says you need a confirmed offer before you apply.
• A Certificate of Sponsorship for that job, from that employer.
• An eligible job. Each job is matched to a 4-digit occupation code. Since 22 July 2025, new applications generally need a “higher skilled” occupation, at graduate level (RQF level 6 or above). Some “medium skilled” occupations can still be sponsored while they are on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List. Our guide to those two lists explains how they work.
• A high enough salary. Usually at least £41,700 a year or the going rate for the occupation, whichever is higher. New entrants, including many people switching from a Student or Graduate visa, can be paid 70% of the going rate, but not less than £33,400. Health and education jobs on national pay scales follow those scales.

You also need to show you can speak, read, write and understand English. Your UK degree may count, and gov.uk explains how. The salary thresholds guide and the new-entrant guide work through the numbers.

How long does visa sponsorship take?

It is the most common question about sponsorship, and the honest answer has two parts. The hiring process (applications, interviews, an offer) depends entirely on the employer, and nobody publishes a reliable average. The steps after an offer have published timings on gov.uk:

These are the usual times, not promises. gov.uk says applications can take longer, for example when documents need to be verified. If you are switching from inside the UK, gov.uk also says the application will be withdrawn if you travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man before you get a decision.

Why do many employers not sponsor visas?

Many employers do not hold a sponsor licence, and most job adverts never say either way. The reasons are practical rather than personal:

• A licence takes time, money and ongoing duties. An employer has to apply, pay, and then keep to the sponsor rules for as long as it holds the licence.
• Each sponsored hire has its own costs. The certificate and, usually, the Immigration Skills Charge are paid per hire.
• Not every job qualifies. Even a licensed employer cannot sponsor a job below the skill level or salary the rules set.
• A licence does not cover every role. Many licensed employers sponsor some roles and not others, or only experienced hires.

That is why “a licence is not a promise” is worth remembering. The register tells you who can sponsor. The advert, and a direct question to the recruiter, tell you whether this employer will sponsor this job.

How do you find employers that can sponsor you?

Start with the employers that already hold a licence, then narrow down:

1. Check the licence first. Search the sponsor check. An employer needs a licence to sponsor a Skilled Worker visa. The register changes often and lists legal names, which can differ from a brand name. Check the latest register on gov.uk before you rule an employer out.
2. Browse by place, role and sector. Licensed employers cluster in big cities, and each town and city page shows the count from the register. Companies that sponsor visas groups them by sector.
3. Read the advert’s sponsorship line. A clear no is a no, even from a licensed employer.
4. Check the salary against the going rate for the occupation the job is likely to use. Each role page shows the rates.

• Tech
• Finance and insurance
• Accounting
• Law
• Consulting
• Engineering and architecture
• Science and research
• Marketing and media
• Healthcare
• Social care
• Education
• Construction and property
• Manufacturing
• Energy and utilities
• Transport and logistics
• Retail

Our guide to finding a job that sponsors your visa turns this into a routine, and the graduate jobs guide covers where graduate roles with sponsorship tend to be.

How Visavi helps

Visavi checks every employer against the Home Office register before a job reaches you, and leaves out adverts that say they will not sponsor. Each job shows its evidence: the register row, the employer’s own words about sponsorship, and the salary against the threshold. When you swipe right, Visavi tailors your CV and fills in the employer’s form. Review-before-send is on by default. It cannot promise you a job or a visa. Nothing honest can.