Guides for getting hired when you need visa sponsorship

Getting hired when you need sponsorship

How to answer the sponsorship question, when to raise it, what to ask an employer and what to put on your CV.

• How to mention visa status and sponsorship on a UK CV

  How to say you need visa sponsorship on a UK CV and cover letter, with wording for Skilled Worker, Graduate, HPI, Student and working holiday visas.

• How to answer "Do you need sponsorship?" on a UK job application

  What the two sponsorship questions on UK job forms mean, the answer for each visa situation, the Graduate visa case and wording you can copy.

• Job ad says "must have the right to work in the UK": can you still apply?

  What the phrase usually means, how to tell whether the employer can sponsor you and when it is worth applying anyway.

• When to tell an employer you need visa sponsorship

  When to raise visa sponsorship at each stage of hiring, what the employer has to do and when, plus scripts you can copy for a message, an email or a call.

• Questions to ask in an interview when you need visa sponsorship

  Three checks before the interview and 18 questions about the licence, the certificate, costs and settlement, each with a good and a weak answer.

Tools and data

• Sponsor licence checker

  Check whether an employer can sponsor you before you apply.

• Register of licensed sponsors

  Search every employer on the Home Office register.

• Occupation eligibility

  Find your occupation code and its going rate.

• Graduate visa planner

  Work out your Graduate visa timeline.

• New entrant salary threshold

  See the lower salary rates for new entrants.