UK Sponsor Licence Register: Companies Sponsoring Visas

The official UK sponsor licence register is the Home Office's published list of every organisation licensed to sponsor migrant workers or students. It is updated daily, downloadable as a spreadsheet from GOV.UK, and is the only authoritative source of which UK employers can issue Certificates of Sponsorship on a given date. Any third-party "list" claiming to be more current is, at best, a copy.

The official UK sponsor licence register

The UK Home Office publishes the register of licensed sponsors as part of its commitment to transparency in the points-based immigration system. The register is the definitive answer to the question "can this employer sponsor a UK visa?". If an organisation does not appear on the register on the day a sponsorship is needed, it cannot issue a valid Certificate of Sponsorship, and any visa application relying on a CoS from an unlicensed organisation will be refused.

The register exists in two parts, published separately. The Workers register covers organisations licensed to sponsor under the Worker and Temporary Worker categories (which includes Skilled Worker, Senior or Specialist Worker, Scale-up, Minister of Religion, International Sportsperson, Charity Worker, Creative Worker, Religious Worker, Government Authorised Exchange, Seasonal Worker, and others). The Students register covers organisations licensed under the Student route (formerly Tier 4), and includes universities, colleges, and accredited independent schools.

Both registers are available without charge or registration. They are downloaded as CSV (comma-separated values) files that open in any spreadsheet program. The download links and the dates of the most recent update are published at GOV.UK: UK visa sponsorship for employers.

How to download and search the register

The Workers register is downloaded from GOV.UK: register of licensed sponsors (workers). The page shows the date of the latest update; click the linked file (typically a CSV) to download. The Students register is downloaded the same way from its own GOV.UK page.

Once downloaded, open the CSV in any spreadsheet program (Microsoft Excel, Apple Numbers, Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc). The columns are:

• Organisation Name: the legal name as registered with UKVI.
• Town/City: the town or city of the sponsor's registered address.
• County: the county or administrative area.
• Type & Rating: the route(s) the sponsor is licensed for and the current rating.
• Route: the specific Worker or Temporary Worker category.
• Sub-rating: where applicable, a more specific sub-category.

The register contains tens of thousands of entries. To find a specific employer, use the spreadsheet's Find function (Ctrl+F on Windows, Cmd+F on Mac). Searching by exact name often misses entries because UKVI records the registered legal name, which can differ from the trading name. Try variations: with and without "Limited" or "Ltd", with and without "PLC" or "LLP", and by partial name.

What the columns mean: route, sub-rating, A or B status

The "Route" column tells you which Worker or Temporary Worker category the organisation can sponsor. The most common route entries are:

• Worker: covers Skilled Worker, Senior or Specialist Worker, Scale-up, Minister of Religion, and International Sportsperson sponsorships. A licence in this column means the organisation can sponsor for long-term work.
• Temporary Worker: covers the various Temporary Worker sub-categories (Charity Worker, Creative Worker, Religious Worker, Government Authorised Exchange, Seasonal Worker, International Agreement, Graduate Trainee, Service Supplier, Secondment Worker, UK Expansion Worker).

The "Sub-rating" column gives the specific category, for example "Skilled Worker" or "Senior or Specialist Worker - Global Business Mobility". An organisation may hold multiple routes and sub-ratings on a single licence.

The "Type & Rating" column shows the licence rating. The two ratings are:

• A-rating: the sponsor is in full compliance with UKVI duties. It can issue Certificates of Sponsorship for new and continuing workers as normal. The vast majority of entries on the register are A-rated.
• B-rating: UKVI has identified compliance issues. The sponsor cannot issue Certificates of Sponsorship for new workers (it can still issue them for continuing workers in some cases). The sponsor must follow a UKVI action plan to return to A-rating within a defined period; failure leads to revocation.

A B-rated sponsor is still on the register, but a worker considering sponsorship by a B-rated employer should understand that the licence is at risk. Revocation would usually trigger curtailment of any sponsored leave.

Sectors with the most sponsor licences

The Workers register breaks down across most sectors of the UK economy. Without listing specific employers, the broad sector pattern as of recent registers includes:

• Health and social care: hospitals, NHS trusts, GP practices, care home operators (subject to the 2024-2025 changes affecting overseas recruitment for care workers).
• Higher education: most universities hold both a Worker licence (for academic and professional staff) and a Student licence (for sponsored students).
• Information technology and software: a large block of registered sponsors across consultancies, product companies, and IT services groups.
• Financial and professional services: banks, insurers, accountancy firms, law firms, and management consultancies.
• Engineering and manufacturing: aerospace, automotive, energy, and infrastructure firms.
• Hospitality, food, and retail: hotel groups, restaurant chains, food manufacturers (with sector eligibility now narrower than it was pre-2024).
• Construction and trades: civil engineering firms, housebuilders, and trades subcontractors, particularly where the role meets the SOC code list.
• Charities and faith organisations: registered under Temporary Worker sub-categories.

The relative size of each sector on the register changes with policy: the 2024 closure of overseas care worker recruitment for new applicants reduced new entries in the social care segment, while the introduction of the Scale-up visa increased entries in fast-growth tech firms.

Workers vs Students register: which one you need

The choice of register depends on what visa is being applied for:

• For a sponsored work visa (Skilled Worker, Senior or Specialist Worker, Scale-up, and the Temporary Worker sub-categories), use the register of licensed sponsors (workers).
• For a Student visa, use the register of licensed sponsors (students). This register shows education providers approved to issue a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), and includes their student sponsor track record rating.

The Students register has additional columns specific to education sponsors, including the type of institution (Higher Education Institution, Further Education College, Independent School) and the Basic Compliance Assessment status. A university may also appear on the Workers register because it sponsors academic staff under the Worker route.

How often the register updates

UKVI publishes a new version of each register on most working days. New licences granted that morning typically appear the next working day. Licences that have been revoked, surrendered, or downgraded are removed or updated. The publication date is shown at the top of the GOV.UK page; the file inside has its own internal version date.

A licence that is on the register on Monday might not be there on Tuesday, if it has been revoked. Conversely, a newly granted licence appears within a working day or two. Anyone relying on the register for a specific sponsorship arrangement should download a fresh copy on the day it matters, not rely on a copy from a week earlier.

Third-party websites sometimes republish the register or offer "premium" search interfaces. These can be useful for navigation, but they are always second-hand. The data is only as fresh as the operator's last download. For any decision with legal or financial consequences, the GOV.UK download is the source of truth.

What a sponsor licence does not guarantee

Presence on the register confirms only one thing: the organisation holds a current UKVI sponsor licence. It does not confirm:

• That the organisation currently has an open vacancy.
• That the organisation is willing to sponsor a specific candidate.
• That the organisation has unused Certificate of Sponsorship allocation in the current year. Each sponsor has an annual CoS allocation that can be used up.
• That a role within the organisation meets the Skilled Worker or other route eligibility tests (skill level, SOC code, salary).
• That the organisation has any track record of sponsoring overseas workers (some licences are granted but never used).

For job-seekers, the register is a starting point: it identifies which UK employers can sponsor, narrowing the field for an outbound job search. It does not replace the normal hiring process. Securing sponsorship still requires an interview, an offer, a Certificate of Sponsorship, and a successful visa application. The register is also no substitute for the right-to-work check by the eventual employer, which uses the GOV.UK online checking service and a share code rather than the register itself.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find the official list of UK companies that can sponsor visas?

The Home Office publishes the register of licensed sponsors (workers) at GOV.UK. It lists every UK organisation licensed to sponsor migrant workers, with the route, sub-rating, and A or B status for each entry. A separate register covers student sponsors. Both are downloaded as CSV files and updated on most working days.

How often is the UK sponsor register updated?

UKVI publishes new versions on most working days. The publication date is shown at the top of each GOV.UK register page. New licences typically appear within one or two working days of being granted. Revoked or surrendered licences are removed or updated. Always download a fresh copy on the day you need it.

What does A-rated mean on the sponsor register?

An A-rating means the sponsor is in full compliance with UKVI duties and can issue Certificates of Sponsorship as normal. A B-rating means UKVI has identified compliance issues, the sponsor is on a time-limited action plan, and it cannot issue Certificates of Sponsorship for new workers. Most sponsors on the register are A-rated.

Does being on the register mean the company will sponsor my visa?

No. The register confirms only that the organisation holds a sponsor licence. It does not confirm any open vacancy, any willingness to sponsor a specific candidate, or any unused Certificate of Sponsorship allocation. Securing sponsorship still requires an interview, a job offer, and a CoS issued by the sponsor for the specific role.

Can I search the register by sector or city?

Indirectly. The register's columns include town or city and the sponsor's name. The downloaded CSV can be sorted and filtered in a spreadsheet program by any column. To filter by sector, you can sort by name and check each entry against company information from a separate source (such as Companies House). The register itself does not categorise by industry.

Is there a sponsor licence list for student visas?

Yes. The register of licensed sponsors (students) is published separately at GOV.UK and covers Student route sponsors, including universities, further education colleges, and independent schools. Each entry shows the type of institution and its Basic Compliance Assessment status.

What happens if a sponsor's licence is revoked while I work for them?

Revocation of a sponsor licence usually triggers curtailment of any sponsored worker's leave. The Home Office typically gives the worker 60 days to find a new sponsor and apply for a fresh Certificate of Sponsorship, or to leave the UK. Time on the original sponsored visa still counts towards the qualifying period for settlement, but continuity matters and qualified advice is sensible.