> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://blog.visajobshub.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # How to Check If a UK Company Has a Sponsor Licence - URL: https://blog.visajobshub.com/check-if-company-has-sponsor-licence/ - Published: 2026-09-28T09:15:33.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-28T09:29:05.000Z - Author: Fayez Bin Khalid When I was job hunting as an international student, I made the same mistake most people make. I applied to anything that looked like a good fit, wrote a tailored cover letter every time, and waited. Then I found out half of those companies had never sponsored anyone and had no plans to start. If you need a Skilled Worker visa, the first question isn't "am I right for this job?" It's "can this employer legally sponsor me?" If the answer is no, nothing else matters. The good news is that checking takes about two minutes once you know how. ### What is a sponsor licence? A UK employer can only hire someone on a Skilled Worker visa if they hold a sponsor licence from the Home Office. Without one, they can't issue the Certificate of Sponsorship you need to apply for your visa. It doesn't matter how much they like you or how badly they need the role filled. Every company with a licence appears on a public list published by the government. ### Step 1: Find the register Search for **"Register of licensed sponsors: workers"** on gov.uk. It's a free document from the Home Office listing every organisation currently licensed to sponsor workers, and it's updated regularly. You can view it online or download it as a spreadsheet. Download it. Searching a spreadsheet is much faster than scrolling through thousands of names on a webpage. ### Step 2: Search for the company Open the file and search for the company name. This is where most people slip up, because **the name on the register is the company's legal name, which is often different from the brand you know.** A few tips: - **Try shorter versions of the name.** Search "Deloitte" rather than "Deloitte UK Consulting", and you'll catch every entry. - **Check the legal name on Companies House.** If you can't find a company, look it up on Companies House (also free on gov.uk). The registered name there is usually what appears on the sponsor register. - **Big groups often have several entries.** Large organisations may hold separate licences for different subsidiaries. Make sure the one you find matches the entity actually hiring for the role. - **Check the town.** The register lists a town or city for each sponsor, which helps when several companies share a similar name. ### Step 3: Check the rating Each entry shows a rating next to the company name: - **A rating:** the company is in good standing and can sponsor new workers. - **B rating:** the Home Office has flagged problems with how the company handles its sponsorship duties. B-rated sponsors can face restrictions on sponsoring new hires until they fix those problems. Be cautious, and ask the employer directly before investing time in an application. ### Step 4: Check the route The register also shows which visa routes each sponsor is licensed for. You're looking for **Skilled Worker**. Some companies only hold licences for other routes, such as Global Business Mobility, which moves staff between international offices, or temporary work routes. Those won't help you if you're applying from outside the company. ### Having a licence doesn't mean they'll sponsor you This is the part nobody tells you. A company being on the register means it **can** sponsor. It doesn't mean it **will** sponsor for the role you're applying for. Before you apply, check three more things: 1. **Does the role qualify?** Only certain occupations are eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship, based on the role's SOC code. A licensed employer still can't sponsor you for a job that isn't on the eligible list. 2. **Does the salary meet the threshold?** Skilled Worker roles have minimum salary requirements. If the advertised pay falls below them, the employer can't sponsor you for that job, however keen they are. 3. **What does the job advert say?** If it says "no sponsorship available" or "must have the right to work in the UK", take it at face value, even if the company holds a licence. Some employers only sponsor for specific, hard-to-fill roles. ### A faster way Checking the register works, but doing it for every single job gets slow, especially when you're applying to dozens of roles a week. That's why I built [Visa Jobs Hub](https://visajobshub.com/?ref=blog.visajobshub.com). It scores UK job listings by how likely they are to offer sponsorship, combining sponsor licence data with the details of the role, so you can focus on the jobs worth your time instead of checking each one by hand. Whichever way you do it, make checking a habit. Five minutes of checking saves weeks of applications that were never going anywhere.