Construction covers main contractors, civil engineering firms, housebuilders and specialist trades, from site engineers and quantity surveyors to project managers. Most sponsorship in this section runs through the Skilled Worker route, and demand is strongest for engineering and surveying roles rather than trade positions.
There are 5,687 licensed visa sponsors in construction, with 3,388 live jobs between them. Sponsor figures come from the official Home Office register and are updated daily.
This list puts the sponsors most likely to hire first. To see which of them had the most certificates of sponsorship, read the top visa sponsors in construction.
In the year to June 2026, the Home Office granted 2,130 work visas to people applying from outside the UK for jobs with sponsors in construction. Mechanical engineers (SOC 2122) had the most, with 288.
Main contractors, civil engineering firms, housebuilders and consultancies all hold sponsor licences. The live register filter shows every sponsor under construction, and which of them are hiring right now.
Most construction professionals use the Skilled Worker visa, which needs a job offer from a licensed sponsor at the required salary and skill level. Several construction trades have also been added to the eligible occupation list, though professional roles like engineers and surveyors are sponsored most often.
Some construction trades, including bricklayers, roofers, plasterers and carpenters, have been made eligible for the Skilled Worker route to ease shortages. Eligibility still depends on the job meeting the salary rules and the employer holding a licence, so check the current occupation list for your trade before you apply.
| 2121 Civil engineers |
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| 108 |
| 7 | 5223 Metal working production and maintenance fitters | 84 |
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| 8 | 3113 Engineering technicians | 82 |
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| 9 | 8232 Marine and waterways transport operatives | 82 |
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| 10 | 2127 Engineering project managers and project engineers | 73 |
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These figures cover every sponsored work route, including seasonal and creative workers. They count the workers themselves, not their dependants, and only people who applied from outside the UK.
The sponsor chooses its own industry, so it may not match the work the visa was for.
Figures from January 2026 onwards are provisional and may still change.
Source: Home Office immigration system statistics, year ending June 2026, table Occ_D02 (not accredited official statistics).