UK Licensed Sponsor List 2026: Search 139,425+ Companies That Can Sponsor Your Visa
Unlike Australia, the UK makes this easy: the Home Office publishes an official Register of Licensed Sponsors — the complete list of companies that can sponsor a work visa. As of 2026 it contains 139,425+ organisations, and you can search all of them, with sponsorship history and live vacancies, in our UK sponsor database.
This page explains what the register is, how to search it, what A-ratings mean, and how to turn the list into actual job applications.
What Is the UK Licensed Sponsor List?
Any UK organisation that wants to employ workers from overseas must hold a sponsor licence. The Home Office publishes the full register and updates it regularly as companies gain, renew, or lose licences. Being on the list means the company can issue a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) — the document your Skilled Worker visa application requires.
The rule is absolute: if a company is not on the register, it cannot sponsor your visa. Checking the list before applying saves weeks of wasted effort.
Licensed Sponsors by Visa Route
Most sponsors are licensed for the Skilled Worker route, but the register covers several routes:
| Visa Route | Licensed Sponsors |
|---|---|
| Skilled Worker | 119,869 |
| Global Business Mobility: Senior or Specialist Worker | 10,249 |
| Tier 2 Ministers of Religion | 1,841 |
| Creative Worker | 1,558 |
| Charity Worker | 1,507 |
| International Sportsperson | 1,407 |
For most job seekers the Skilled Worker route (119,869 sponsors) is the relevant one — it covers everything from care workers and chefs to engineers, nurses, and software developers. See our complete Skilled Worker visa guide for salary thresholds and requirements.
Where UK Sponsors Are Located
Sponsors are concentrated in the big cities, but every region has them:
| City | Licensed Sponsors |
|---|---|
| London | 42,494 |
| Birmingham | 3,293 |
| Manchester | 3,082 |
| Leicester | 1,476 |
| Glasgow | 1,460 |
| Bristol | 1,432 |
| Edinburgh | 1,264 |
| Leeds | 1,158 |
Don't dismiss smaller cities and rural areas: care homes, farms, food processors, and logistics companies across the UK hold licences, often with less competition per vacancy than London employers.
How to Check If a Company Can Sponsor Your Visa
- Search the company name in our UK sponsor database — it mirrors the official register and adds sponsorship history and contacts
- Check the route — the licence must cover the route you need (usually Skilled Worker)
- Check the rating — A-rated sponsors can issue new Certificates of Sponsorship; B-rated sponsors are under a compliance action plan and usually cannot
- Check they're actually hiring — a licence doesn't mean open vacancies; on ApplyWave you can see current openings from licensed sponsors
A-Rating vs B-Rating: What It Means for You
Every sponsor on the register carries a rating. A-rated means the company is in good standing. B-rated means the Home Office found compliance problems — the sponsor must complete an action plan before it can sponsor new workers. As an applicant, treat a B-rating as a red flag: your Certificate of Sponsorship may be delayed or impossible until the rating is restored.
How to Use the List as a Job Seeker
- Filter to your profession first — whether you're a nurse, HGV driver, chef, accountant, or developer, target sponsors that have hired your occupation before
- Prioritise companies with recent sponsorship activity — a company that issued Certificates of Sponsorship last quarter has a working process and a willing HR team
- Apply with a tailored resume — UK employers sift hundreds of applications; tailoring your resume to each job is what gets you past the first screen
- Contact the hiring team directly — our company profiles include recruiter contacts, which beats waiting in the portal queue
Related Guides
- UK Skilled Worker visa: complete guide — points, salary thresholds, and settlement
- Top UK companies sponsoring Skilled Worker visas — ranked by volume
- NZ accredited employer list — the New Zealand equivalent
- List of accredited sponsors in Australia — how the AU system differs
- Compare all 6 countries for visa sponsorship
Take your job search to the next level
ApplyWave helps you tailor resumes, track applications, and find visa-sponsoring employers — all in one place.