Banks and finance companies that sponsor visas in the UK

On 5 October 2026, 3,120 finance and insurance employers held a Skilled Worker licence on the Home Office register. That is 2.6% of the 121,996 Skilled Worker sponsors, matched to Companies House by registered name.

Home Office register, 5 October 2026. Companies House data, 1 October 2026.

Finance and insurance employers hold a Skilled Worker licence: 3,120
of them are in London: 69%

Where finance and insurance sponsors are

London has 69% of them. Outside London, the largest groups are in Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol.

Finance and insurance Skilled Worker sponsors by town, Home Office register, 5 October 2026
Town or city	Sponsors	Share of the sector
London	2,145	68.8%
Manchester	44	1.4%
Birmingham	39	1.3%
Bristol	28	0.9%
Edinburgh	21	0.7%
Glasgow	19	0.6%
Harrow	17	0.5%
Milton Keynes	17	0.5%
Leeds	15	0.5%
Cambridge	14	0.4%

Examples on the register

Some well-known finance and insurance employers that held a Skilled Worker licence on 5 October 2026.

Examples, not a ranking. Not affiliated with Visavi.

Barclays Bank UK PLC

London. A rating.
Check Barclays Bank UK PLC on the register
Lloyds Bank plc

London. A rating.
Check Lloyds Bank plc on the register
NatWest Group PLC

Edinburgh. A rating.
Check NatWest Group PLC on the register
Goldman Sachs International

London. A rating.
Check Goldman Sachs International on the register
Morgan Stanley UK Limited

London. A rating.
Check Morgan Stanley UK Limited on the register
Santander UK PLC

Milton Keynes. A rating.
Check Santander UK PLC on the register
Nationwide Building Society

Swindon. A rating.
Check Nationwide Building Society on the register
Aviva plc

London. A rating.
Check Aviva plc on the register
Monzo Bank Ltd

London. A rating.
Check Monzo Bank Ltd on the register
Wise Payments Limited

London. A rating.
Check Wise Payments Limited on the register

Each name is checked against the register published on 5 October 2026, every time this page is built.

What the finance and insurance sponsors do

Companies House records what each company does as a SIC 2007 code. These are the codes that placed the most sponsors on this page, in Companies House's own words.

Finance and insurance Skilled Worker sponsors by SIC 2007 code, Home Office register, 5 October 2026, matched to Companies House
Activity	Sponsors	Share of the sector
Financial intermediation not elsewhere classified SIC code 64999	841	27.0%
Activities of other holding companies n.e.c. SIC code 64209	657	21.1%
Fund management activities SIC code 66300	332	10.6%
Activities auxiliary to financial intermediation n.e.c. SIC code 66190	181	5.8%
Activities of financial services holding companies SIC code 64205	155	5.0%
Activities of insurance agents and brokers SIC code 66220	153	4.9%
Non-life insurance SIC code 65120	124	4.0%
Activities of venture and development capital companies SIC code 64303	104	3.3%

Contains Companies House data.

Roles typically hired in finance and insurance

Each role page shows the going rate the Home Office sets for that job and how the salary rules work.

Going rates from Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Occupations, checked on gov.uk on 6 October 2026
Role	Occupation code	Going rate	New-entrant rate
Financial analyst	2422	£45,800	£33,400
Actuary	2433	£55,100	£38,600
Accountant	2421	£49,200	£34,500
Relationship manager	3534	£44,700	£33,400
Business analyst	2431	£50,200	£35,100
Data analyst	3544, 2433, 2133	Varies by code	Varies by code
Software engineer	2134	£54,700	£38,300

In the year to June 2026, the Home Office granted 5,933 Skilled Worker entry clearance visas to main applicants applying from outside the UK for jobs in the "Financial and Insurance Activities" industry.

Home Office immigration statistics, published 27 August 2026. Employers choose their own industry when they sponsor, and figures from 2026 are provisional. Immigration system statistics data tables (gov.uk)

How to check a finance and insurance employer

Search the employer in the sponsor check, or on gov.uk.
Match the exact registered name and the town. Big groups often hold the licence in one company's name, which can differ from the brand on the advert.
Read the route and the rating. You need the route "Skilled Worker", and an A rating.

What to know before you apply

The job has to meet the salary rules. Usually that is the higher of £41,700 a year and the going rate for the job. Some people, for example those under 26 or switching from a Student or Graduate visa, can be paid 70% of the going rate, as long as it is at least £33,400. gov.uk
From 22 July 2025, a Skilled Worker job must normally be at graduate level (RQF 6), unless it is on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List.
Read the advert's sponsorship line. "Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK" is a no, even from a licensed employer.
A licence means they can sponsor. It is not a promise that they will. Visavi shows you the evidence per job.

How we sort sponsors into sectors

We match each sponsor's registered name to Companies House data from 1 October 2026, keep only names that match exactly one active company, and read that company's industry codes (SIC 2007: divisions 64 to 66). 85.9% of Skilled Worker sponsors matched. Sponsors we could not match are not counted here, and nor are any that joined the register after 5 October 2026, the copy we matched.

Contains Companies House data.

See every sector: Companies that sponsor visas in the UK

Questions about finance and insurance sponsors

Do banks and finance companies sponsor visas?

Many do. On 5 October 2026, 3,120 finance and insurance employers held a Skilled Worker licence on the Home Office register.

Which banks and finance companies sponsor visas?

Examples on the register on 5 October 2026 include Barclays Bank UK PLC, Lloyds Bank plc, NatWest Group PLC and Goldman Sachs International. Search any other employer by name in the sponsor check.

Where are most finance and insurance sponsors?

By the register's own town column, the largest groups are in London (2,145), Manchester (44), Birmingham (39), Bristol (28) and Edinburgh (21).

How many Skilled Worker visas went to the Financial and Insurance Activities industry?

Do any finance and insurance sponsors hold a B rating?

On 5 October 2026, 1 of the 3,120 finance and insurance sponsors counted here held a B rating. None of the examples named on this page did. A B-rated sponsor generally cannot sponsor new workers until it is back to an A rating.

Is this immigration advice?

No. General information only. For advice, talk to a regulated immigration adviser.

Sources

General information, not immigration advice. Rules change: always check gov.uk.

For advice about your own situation, talk to a regulated immigration adviser. Find a regulated adviser on gov.uk.