UK Council Jobs
204 of the 285 UK councils on the Home Office Register of Licensed Sponsors have sponsored overseas workers in the last three years, issuing 5,071 Certificates of Sponsorship for Skilled Worker visas. The biggest sponsors are Nottinghamshire County Council, Derbyshire County Council, Surrey County Council. Most of the volume goes to qualified social workers (SOC 2461), town planners (SOC 2452), civil engineers (SOC 2121), and environmental health officers (SOC 2483). These roles are hard to fill from the UK labour market, which is why councils recruit overseas.
Top 10 UK councils by sponsor activity
Latest council jobs
Most recent live openings at the councils tracked on this page. For every live vacancy, open a council profile below.
Compliance and Enforcement Officer The Planning and Infrastructure Service are seeking an enthusiastic professional to join its busy Planning Compliance and Enforcement Team. The main purpose of the role is to support the delivery of an effective compliance and enforcement service covering all types of unauthorised developments relating to the Planning Acts and to ensure that development is carried out in accordance with approved plans. You will be responsible for proactively managing a caseload
Directorate: Adult Social Care Pay Level: £30,160 fully inclusive of Local Weighting Allowance Contract Type: Permanent Working Hours: 37 hours per week Location: Observatory House/ Slough Hybrid (minimum 2 days per week in the office) DBS requirement: Enhanced The closing date for applications is midnight on 3rd May 2026 Interviews will be held week commencing 11th May 2026 What You’ll Be Doing You’ll play a central role in keeping Adult Social Care and Commissioning running smoothly, working c
How You'll Make a Difference As Deputy Registration Manager, you will be part of the Registration team, helping to lead and develop the service. Guiding the public through some of life's biggest moments, you will support with the registering of births, deaths, marriages, civil partnerships and the final stages of becoming a British citizen. You will also be responsible for the day to day functions of the office, providing expert advice and guidance and managing the team. What You Will Be Doing I
Reference: REQ7333 Description: Full & Part Time / 32.5 & 26 Hours Per Week / Permanent / Term Time Are you looking for an exciting new opportunity? Are you passionate about supporting all children and young people to fulfil their full potential? Do you have a strong commitment to promoting inclusion for all children and young people including those with SEND, and hold Qualified Teacher Status? If so, we have a fantastic opportunity for a Quality Inclusion Teacher. About us: The Quality
Closing date: 31 May 2026 Are you a committed and reflective practitioner with a passion for helping children thrive academically, socially, and emotionally during their Key Stage 2 journey? Are you looking to join a supportive and ambitious team where Early Career Teachers are genuinely nurtured, valued, and encouraged to develop their practice? The children, staff, and Governing Body at Holmgate Primary School and Nursery are seeking an enthusiastic, motivated, and inspiring Year 5 Class Teach
Closing date: 🌟 Come Join Our Team as a Relief Catering Supervisor at Whitestones Care Home! 🌟 Whitestones Care Home is entering an exciting new chapter under new management, bringing a renewed focus on quality, teamwork, and providing a warm, welcoming environment for our residents. Are you dependable, team‑focused, and proud to lead by example while supporting others? 💙 Do you enjoy working in a fast‑paced kitchen environment where your leadership and contribution truly matter? If so, we would
Closing date: 10 May 2026 An exciting opportunity has arisen at South Wingfield Primary School for a forward‑thinking, passionate and inspirational Key Stage 2 (Year 3) teacher . South Wingfield is a popular village school where children are at the heart of everything we do . We are at a very exciting stage in our school journey and are seeking a teacher who will contribute positively to our vibrant, supportive staff team and help us continue to move forward. We can offer: A supportive and commi
Closing date: 01 May 2026 We are looking to appoint a caring and enthusiastic person to join our fantastic and friendly team. We are a small infant school based in the beautiful village of Newton Solney. We are proud of our warm, welcoming ethos and strong sense of community, where every child is supported to achieve their very best. This position is Monday to Thursday 12pm till 1.10pm. Please contact Sasha in the school office on 01283 703461 or info@newtonsolney.derbyshire.sch.uk if you have a
Closing date: 11 May 2026 PLEASE DO NOT APPLY USING THE DERBYSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL WEBSITE, PLEASE SEE DETAILS BELOW. We are looking for a dynamic and enthusiastic individual to join our Senior Leadership Team who will be instrumental in supporting the Headteacher to lead us in the next exciting stage of our journey. It is an exciting time in education and as a non- class SENDCo you will be instrumental in leading our schools inclusive approach. We offer a school full of hard working and imaginat
Closing date: 26 April 2026 The Governors wish to appoint new enthusiastic and caring individuals to join our friendly team to supervise children during lunchtimes, both in the dining hall and the play areas. This is a happy, caring school with friendly, hardworking children and staff. The post is for 5 lunch times per week. The working pattern will be Monday to Friday 11.55 - 13.20 Provisional Interview Date: Week commencing 4 May 2026
Which council roles get sponsored?
Sponsorship clusters around a few shortage occupations the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has flagged for years. The ones that actually get sponsored:
- Qualified social workers (SOC 2461). By far the biggest category. Children’s services and adult safeguarding teams hire from overseas to meet statutory caseload ratios. Social work is on the Immigration Salary List, so it qualifies at a lower salary floor. See live social worker vacancies.
- Town planners (SOC 2452). Planning departments are stretched by housing targets. Senior planners and conservation officers are sponsored regularly.
- Civil and structural engineers (SOC 2121). Highways, flood, and transport teams sponsor engineers on infrastructure projects. See live civil engineer vacancies.
- Environmental health officers (SOC 2483). Food safety, housing standards, pollution control. The profession is qualified-entry only, so the candidate pool is small and councils end up bidding against each other.
- Educational psychologists (SOC 2226). Councils need them for SEND statutory assessments and often sponsor them on fixed-term contracts. See live educational psychologist vacancies.
- Cyber security professionals (SOC 2135). Councils are digitising services while losing staff to the private sector. See live cyber security engineer vacancies.
The general Skilled Worker salary floor is £38,700 a year, or the going rate for the occupation if that’s higher. Immigration Salary List roles (social work included) qualify at a lower floor. That’s why entry-level council admin jobs basically never sponsor: the salary doesn’t meet the going rate.
Frequently asked questions
Do UK councils sponsor Skilled Worker visas?
Yes. County, city, district, and borough councils all hold Home Office sponsor licences and recruit from overseas for hard-to-fill roles: social workers, planners, environmental health officers, senior engineers. Any council with an active licence can issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for the Skilled Worker route.
Which council roles are eligible for sponsorship?
The role has to be on the Home Office eligible occupations list and meet the salary threshold. In practice, sponsored council jobs are almost all in the shortage occupations listed above: social work, planning, engineering, environmental health, educational psychology, and senior IT or cyber security. Admin and entry-level posts rarely qualify because their salaries sit below the Skilled Worker threshold.
What is the minimum salary for a council Skilled Worker visa?
Since April 2024 the general threshold is £38,700 a year, or the going rate for the occupation if that's higher. Immigration Salary List jobs and some eligible public-sector roles (social work being the obvious one) use lower thresholds. Check the current going rate for the occupation code before you apply.
How do I find councils currently hiring sponsored workers?
Start with the councils listed above. Each links to its live job postings. For a wider search, use the jobs page with your occupation and filter for licensed sponsors. The full job description usually lives on the council's own careers portal, so read it there: check for explicit sponsorship wording, or a note saying 'we welcome applications from overseas candidates'.
Can I switch from another visa to a Skilled Worker visa at a council?
Usually yes. If you’re in the UK on a visa, a Student visa (with an eligible job offer), or most other work visas, you can switch to a visa without leaving the country, as long as the council issues a valid . You can’t switch from a Visitor visa.
Data from the UK gov.uk Register of Licensed Sponsors, refreshed daily. Sponsorship eligibility depends on the specific role and the council’s current licence status.