How to Check If a UK Company Is a Licensed Visa Sponsor, Step by Step

Go to gov.uk, search "register of licensed sponsors," download the CSV file, and search for the company by name. That is the entire process. It takes about three minutes. The Home Office publishes a free, publicly accessible spreadsheet listing every employer in the UK that holds an active licence to sponsor overseas workers. If a company is not on that list, they cannot legally sponsor you, regardless of what a recruiter tells you.

This article walks you through exactly how to do the check, what the results mean, and how to avoid wasting weeks applying to companies that were never able to sponsor you in the first place.

Why This Check Matters So Much

Most job boards do not filter by sponsor licence. When you search for jobs on Indeed, LinkedIn, or Reed, you are looking at every job posted, whether the employer can sponsor a visa or not. For international students and graduates on a Student visa, that creates a painful situation where you spend time tailoring a CV, writing cover letters, and sometimes going through multiple interview rounds, only to be told at the offer stage that the company does not hold a sponsor licence. This happens constantly. The register exists precisely to prevent this, but almost nobody knows it is there or how to use it. The three-minute check described in this article should become a habit before you apply to any role.

Where the Register Lives and What Is In It

The register is published and maintained by the UK Home Office. You can find it by going to gov.uk and searching for "register of licensed sponsors workers." The official page gives you a link to download the register as a spreadsheet, usually in CSV or ODS format. The file is updated every working day. At the time of writing, the register contains well over 100,000 employers across the UK, ranging from large multinationals to small independent businesses, NHS trusts, universities, and charities. Each entry in the spreadsheet shows the organisation name, the town or city, the route they are licensed for, and their licence rating. This is the full picture of who can legally hire overseas workers in the UK right now.

The Step-by-Step Check

Here is exactly how to verify any employer.

• Open a browser and go to gov.uk. • In the search bar, type "register of licensed sponsors workers." • Click the first official result. The page title will include "Register of licensed sponsors: workers." • On that page, click the download link for the current version of the register. The file is usually labelled with the current month. • Open the file in Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet tool. • Use the search function (Ctrl + F or Cmd + F) and type the company name exactly as it appears on their website or Companies House listing. • Check the "Route" column to confirm they hold a Skilled Worker licence. • Check the "Rating" column to see whether their licence is listed as A-rated or B-rated.

If the company does not appear in the file, they are not currently licensed.

What "Skilled Worker" Licence Means Compared to Other Types

The register lists employers across several immigration routes, not just Skilled Worker. You will also see entries for the Health and Care Worker route, the Global Business Mobility route, the Seasonal Worker route, and others. For most international graduates looking for a standard professional job in the UK, the route that matters is Skilled Worker. A company holding a Health and Care Worker licence, for example, can only use that licence to sponsor roles in health and social care. They cannot use it to sponsor a software engineer or a marketing manager. Always check that the specific route listed says "Skilled Worker" and not just that the company appears on the register at all.

A-Rating Versus B-Rating, What It Means

When you find a company on the register, you will see a rating next to their name. An A-rating means the employer is fully compliant with Home Office sponsor duties. A B-rating means the Home Office has identified concerns about how the employer manages their sponsorship responsibilities, and the employer is working through an action plan to return to A-rating. As a sponsored worker, a B-rated sponsor is a yellow flag, not a definitive red flag, but you should ask questions. The vast majority of employers on the register are A-rated.

A Licence Does Not Mean They Are Actively Hiring You Right Now

This is a distinction that catches a lot of people out. Being on the register means the company has the legal ability to sponsor overseas workers. It does not mean they are currently recruiting, that they are open to sponsoring new hires, or that the specific role you are applying for is eligible for sponsorship. Some companies hold a licence because they have a few existing sponsored employees, but their current hiring is UK-only. Being on the register is a necessary condition for sponsorship, not a guarantee that they will sponsor you for the role you want.

Licences Can Be Suspended or Revoked

The register is updated every working day, and employers can be removed from it. The Home Office can suspend or revoke a sponsor licence if an employer fails to meet their compliance obligations. Because the register updates daily, the most reliable way to check current status is to download the latest version of the file on the day you want to verify, rather than relying on a check you did a few weeks ago.

The Red Flags You Should Not Ignore

One of the most common traps for international job seekers is an employer who says "we may be able to look into sponsorship" or "we have never sponsored before but we are open to exploring it." If the company is not already on the register, they cannot sponsor you. Getting licensed is not a quick process. An employer who is not already on the register cannot promise sponsorship as a realistic near-term option. If you receive this kind of response from a recruiter, check the register immediately.

How Cafy Removes This Problem Entirely

The manual register check works, but it still requires you to do it for every single company, every single time. Cafy cross-references the Home Office register automatically for every job on the platform, so every listing you see at cafy.careers has already been verified against the current register. You do not need to download a spreadsheet or run a manual search. Beyond the sponsorship filter, Cafy also includes an AI CV optimiser, cover letter writer, and application tracker. You can explore it at cafy.careers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the register of licensed sponsors free to access?

Yes. The register is published by the Home Office on gov.uk and is completely free to download. No account or subscription is needed. It is updated every working day.

What if the company I am looking for does not appear in the register?

If a company does not appear in the register under the Skilled Worker route, they are not currently licensed to sponsor Skilled Worker visa applications. They cannot sponsor you for a standard professional role without a Skilled Worker licence in place.

Can a company apply for a sponsor licence quickly if they want to hire me?

Not reliably. Applying for a sponsor licence takes time, involves a fee, and requires the employer to pass a compliance check. The process can take several weeks. Treating an employer's intention to apply as equivalent to holding an existing licence is a common mistake.

Does the register show companies that used to be licensed but are no longer?

No. The register only shows employers who currently hold an active licence. Employers who have had their licence revoked are removed from the register. This is why it matters to download the latest version rather than relying on an outdated copy.

How often should I check the register during a job search?

If you are applying to companies found through a general job board, check before applying to each one. If you are using Cafy, the platform handles this automatically.