UK Work Visa Sponsorship for US Citizens
Planning a move to the UK from the US? For most Americans the route is the Skilled Worker visa, which needs a job offer from a licensed sponsor first. The numbers below show how many US citizens get one each year and which jobs they're sponsored for.
Grants by year
Data starts in 2020. The Skilled Worker route launched in December 2020 and the Health & Care Worker visa in August 2020, replacing earlier Tier 2 categories.
In 2025, 3,256 American nationals were granted UK work visas on the Skilled Worker or Health & Care Worker routes, about the same as 2024. About 96% came through the Skilled Worker route, spanning professional, technical, and managerial jobs.
The most common occupation for American nationals in 2025 was Finance and investment analysts and advisers (239 grants), followed by Management consultants and business analysts (218) and Programmers and software development professionals (204). Other eligible Skilled Worker occupations are sponsorable too, as long as the employer holds a Home Office sponsor licence and the role clears the salary and skill-level thresholds for its SOC code.
Search the roles below to see who's currently hiring American nationals. Filter by sponsor licence, visa route, or occupation.
Top occupations for American nationals
| # | Occupation | Grants | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance and investment analysts and advisers | 239 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 2 | Management consultants and business analysts | 218 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 3 | Programmers and software development professionals | 204 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 4 | Chief executives and senior officials | 190 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 5 | Financial managers and directors | 160 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 6 | Marketing, sales and advertising directors | 154 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 7 | Sales accounts and business development managers | 153 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 8 | IT business analysts, architects and systems designers | 127 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 9 | Business and financial project management professionals | 91 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 10 | Natural and social science professionals n.e.c. | 68 | SWSkilled Worker |
Full occupation distribution for American nationals
Each rectangle is one occupation, sized by grant count and grouped by SOC major category. Color shows year-over-year change vs 2023. Total: 3,236 grants across 176 occupations.
Frequently asked questions
Can US citizens work in the UK? Yes, but not visa-free. Any paid job in the UK needs a work visa. For most Americans that means the Skilled Worker visa, which requires a job offer from an employer holding a Home Office sponsor licence. In 2025, 3,256 US citizens got a UK work visa.
How do I move to the UK from the US? For most Americans it's job first, visa second. Find a role at a company with a sponsor licence, get a Certificate of Sponsorship from them, then apply for the Skilled Worker visa. There's no general work permit you can apply for on your own. The main exceptions are the Global Talent visa, the High Potential Individual visa if you graduated from a university like Harvard, MIT or Stanford in the last five years, and a family visa if your partner is British or settled.
How many US citizens got UK work visas in 2025? 3,256: 3,130 through the Skilled Worker route and 126 through Health & Care Worker. Grants have stayed between roughly 3,100 and 4,000 a year since 2021.
What jobs can Americans get in the UK? Any role on the Skilled Worker eligible occupation list, as long as the employer holds a sponsor licence and the pay clears the threshold for that occupation code (usually £41,700 or the going rate, whichever is higher). The jobs Americans actually got sponsored for most in 2025: Finance and investment analysts and advisers, Management consultants and business analysts, and Programmers and software development professionals.
Which UK companies sponsor Americans? Any employer with a Home Office sponsor licence can hire a US citizen. Nationality doesn't affect eligibility. Every company on Hunt UK Visa Sponsors holds a licence; use the search below to see who's hiring now. Judging by the occupation data, banks, consultancies, and software companies sponsor the most Americans.
Keep exploring
Current openings from Home Office licensed sponsors. Filter by visa route, salary, and occupation.
Visa trends and top occupations for every nationality, browsable by region.
See what a UK salary is really worth compared with United States — tax, purchasing power and visa costs.