Register of Licensed Sponsors
The Register of Licensed Sponsors is the UK Home Office's official list of companies approved to sponsor overseas workers on Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Global Business Mobility, and other sponsored work visa routes. It's published monthly on gov.uk and is the canonical source for whether an employer can legally sponsor your UK work visa.
In this article
- What is the Register of Licensed Sponsors?
- Where the register is published
- What the columns mean
- How to search the register
- What the register does not tell you
- Common mistakes when using the register
- Frequently asked questions
- Related terms
What is the Register of Licensed Sponsors?
The Register of Licensed Sponsors is the UK Home Office's official public list of every UK organisation that holds an active sponsor licence. Only employers on this register can legally assign a Certificate of Sponsorship and therefore only employers on this register can sponsor a Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, or other sponsored work visa.
If a company isn't on the register, it can't sponsor your visa. Any job offer that depends on sponsorship has to come from a company whose name appears on this list.
Where the register is published
The Home Office publishes the register on gov.uk under the title "Register of licensed sponsors: workers." It's a downloadable spreadsheet (CSV or Excel), not a searchable web tool. A fresh version goes up roughly once a month.
Because it's a raw spreadsheet, most job seekers and recruiters use third-party tools that mirror the data and let you filter it. Hunt UK Visa Sponsors syncs directly from the gov.uk source, so you can search and filter the same data by keyword, industry, visa route, and location.
What the columns mean
Each row on the register represents one sponsor licence. The columns are:
| Column | What it means |
|---|---|
| Organisation Name | The employer's legal name as registered with Companies House |
| Town/City | Primary business location for the licence |
| County | County or region within the UK |
| Type & Rating | Licence category (Worker, Temporary Worker) plus rating: A (fully active) or B (on a Home Office action plan, cannot take on new workers) |
| Route | The specific visa routes the licence covers, such as Skilled Worker, Global Business Mobility, Creative Worker, or Health and Care Worker |
A single employer can have multiple rows if it's licensed for more than one type. An employer licensed for both Worker and Temporary Worker will appear twice.
How to search the register
Type the employer's legal name into a register search. Use the name from Companies House, not the trading or marketing name. They can differ.
If the company appears in the search results, confirm:
- The licence is A-rated, not B-rated. B-rated sponsors cannot assign new Certificates of Sponsorship until they complete a Home Office action plan. See Sponsor Licence Rating for what this means in practice.
- The visa route you need is listed. A company licensed only for Temporary Worker routes cannot sponsor you for a Skilled Worker visa.
- The location makes sense. If the role is in Manchester but the licence only lists a London town, ask. Some employers operate from multiple sites under one licence; others don't.
What the register does not tell you
The register confirms that an employer is licensed. It does not tell you:
- Whether they are actively hiring from overseas. Many licensed sponsors hold the licence but rarely use it. You need to look at recent visa issuance volumes and live job postings to tell active sponsors apart from dormant ones.
- Whether they will sponsor you specifically. Holding a licence is a prerequisite. The actual decision depends on the role, your qualifications, and whether the salary meets the going rate for your SOC occupation code.
- Historical sponsorship volumes. The register is a snapshot of who holds a licence today. It does not show how many visas the sponsor has issued in the past or which nationalities they have sponsored.
That's why Hunt UK Visa Sponsors pairs register data with visa issuance numbers, industry classification, and live job postings. The register on its own won't tell you who's worth targeting.
Common mistakes when using the register
- Searching by trading name rather than legal name. Many companies trade under a brand that differs from the Companies House registration. If your search returns no matches, try the legal entity name (often ends in "Limited," "Ltd," or "PLC").
- Trusting an offer from a company not on the register. If the employer is not listed, any "sponsorship" they offer is invalid. This is a common scam pattern.
- Ignoring the licence rating. A B-rated sponsor can keep their existing workers but cannot take on new ones. Submitting a visa application on a CoS from a B-rated sponsor is a guaranteed refusal.
- Assuming the register is real-time. It's refreshed monthly. A sponsor whose licence was revoked yesterday might still show on the public register until next month's refresh. Always pair a register check with recent compliance data or salary history.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Register of Licensed Sponsors?
It is the UK Home Office's official list of companies approved to sponsor overseas workers on the Skilled Worker route and other sponsored work visa categories. Every entry names the organisation, its town, the visa routes its licence covers, and its current licence rating.
Where is the Register of Licensed Sponsors published?
On gov.uk, under the title "Register of licensed sponsors: workers," as a downloadable spreadsheet. It is refreshed roughly once per month.
How often is the Register of Licensed Sponsors updated?
Approximately monthly. New sponsors appear after they are licensed; sponsors whose licences are revoked or expired are removed.
What columns are on the Register of Licensed Sponsors?
Five: Organisation Name, Town/City, County, Type & Rating (e.g. "Worker — A-rated"), and Route (e.g. Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Creative Worker).
How do I check if a UK employer is on the register?
Search the register by the employer's exact legal name. If the company holds an active licence you will see a row listing its town, licence type, rating, and the visa routes it is approved for. If no row exists, the employer is not licensed and cannot sponsor your visa.
Is every employer on the register still actively hiring?
No. The register shows who is licensed, not who is sponsoring right now. Some licensed employers hire from overseas every month; others hold the licence but rarely use it. For an active view, pair the register with recent visa issuance data and live job postings.
Related terms
- Sponsor Licence
- Sponsor Licence Rating
- Certificate of Sponsorship
- Sponsor Compliance Visit
- Sponsor Licence Suspension