Healthcare companies that sponsor visas in the UK

On 5 October 2026, 4,785 healthcare employers held a Skilled Worker licence on the Home Office register. That is 3.9% 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.

Healthcare employers hold a Skilled Worker licence: 4,785
of them are in London: 16%

Where healthcare sponsors are

London has 16% of them. Outside London, the largest groups are in Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.

Healthcare Skilled Worker sponsors by town, Home Office register, 5 October 2026
Town or city	Sponsors	Share of the sector
London	759	15.9%
Birmingham	102	2.1%
Manchester	86	1.8%
Leeds	72	1.5%
Leicester	70	1.5%
Nottingham	53	1.1%
Edinburgh	51	1.1%
Sheffield	50	1.0%
Glasgow	48	1.0%
Milton Keynes	46	1.0%

Examples on the register

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

Examples, not a ranking. Not affiliated with Visavi.

Bupa

London. A rating.
Check Bupa on the register
Spire Healthcare Ltd

London. A rating.
Check Spire Healthcare Ltd on the register
HCA International Ltd

London. A rating.
Check HCA International Ltd on the register
Ramsay Health Care UK

Bedford. A rating.
Check Ramsay Health Care UK on the register
Nuffield Health - Hospitals Division

Epsom. A rating.
Check Nuffield Health - Hospitals Division on the register
Boots Management Services

Nottingham. A rating.
Check Boots Management Services on the register
mydentist Group Limited

Kearsley. A rating.
Check mydentist Group Limited on the register

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

What the healthcare 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.

Healthcare Skilled Worker sponsors by SIC 2007 code, Home Office register, 5 October 2026, matched to Companies House
Activity	Sponsors	Share of the sector
Other human health activities SIC code 86900	2,599	54.3%
Dental practice activities SIC code 86230	916	19.1%
General medical practice activities SIC code 86210	376	7.9%
Specialists medical practice activities SIC code 86220	354	7.4%
Medical nursing home activities SIC code 86102	334	7.0%
Hospital activities SIC code 86101	206	4.3%

Contains Companies House data.

Roles typically hired in healthcare

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
Nurse	2231, 2232, 2233, 2234, 2235, 2236, 2237
Doctor	2211, 2212
Pharmacist	2251
Physiotherapist	2221
Radiographer	2254
Dentist	2253
Occupational therapist	2222

Going rate: Pay scale
New-entrant rate: Does not apply

In the year to June 2026, the Home Office granted 348 Skilled Worker entry clearance visas to main applicants applying from outside the UK for jobs in the "Human Health and Social Work Activities" industry. That industry also covers social care. It also granted 6,819 Health and Care Worker entry clearance visas to main applicants applying from outside the UK in the same 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 healthcare 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. Health and education jobs on national pay scales need at least £25,000 a year and the pay-scale rate for the job, whichever is higher. Other jobs usually need the higher of £41,700 a year and the going rate, and 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.

NHS trusts and other public bodies are not companies, so Companies House does not hold them and they are not in this count. 244 Skilled Worker sponsors have "NHS" in their registered name, most of them NHS trusts and health boards.

Doctors, nurses and many other health professionals are usually sponsored on the Health and Care Worker visa, which the Home Office describes as a special subcategory of the Skilled Worker route.

Guide: NHS visa sponsorship

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: division 86). 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 healthcare sponsors

Do healthcare companies sponsor visas?

Many do. On 5 October 2026, 4,785 healthcare employers held a Skilled Worker licence on the Home Office register.

Which healthcare companies sponsor visas?

Examples on the register on 5 October 2026 include Bupa, Spire Healthcare Ltd, HCA International Ltd and Ramsay Health Care UK. Search any other employer by name in the sponsor check.

Where are most healthcare sponsors?

By the register's own town column, the largest groups are in London (759), Birmingham (102), Manchester (86), Leeds (72) and Leicester (70).

Do any healthcare sponsors hold a B rating?

On 5 October 2026, 5 of the 4,785 healthcare 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.