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
Of the 7,304 grants in 2025, 3,247 went to people applying from outside the UK and 4,057 to people already here who switched route or extended (56%). For all nationalities together, the Skilled Worker visa statistics show grants outside and inside the UK each quarter.
| Year | Outside the UK | Inside the UK | Skilled Worker | Health & Care Worker | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3,149 | 3,223 | 6,372 | ||
| 2022 | 4,026 | 3,149 | 7,175 | ||
| 2023 | 3,437 | 3,389 | 6,826 | ||
| 2024 | 3,435 | 4,011 | 7,446 | ||
| 2025 | 3,247 | 4,057 | 7,304 |
† The Home Office published in-country grants for these years as one combined figure, so the route columns cover the visas granted outside the UK only. The combined amount is in the “inside the UK” column and in the total.
Select a Skilled Worker or Health & Care figure to see where those visas were granted. Grants to main applicants, not dependants. Counting starts in 2021, the first full year of these routes: the Skilled Worker visa opened in December 2020 and the Health & Care Worker visa in August 2020, replacing earlier Tier 2 categories. 2020 itself covers only those opening weeks, so it is left out rather than shown as a year.
Refusals and grants for American applicants in 2025
Of the 3,150 Skilled Worker decisions on applications American main applicants made from outside the UK in 2025, 30 (1%) were refusals, against 20% across all nationalities. Inside the UK, 10 of 3,728 (0.3%) were refusals, against 2.1%.
Of the 130 Health and Care Worker decisions on applications American main applicants made from outside the UK in 2025, 3 (2.3%) were refusals, against 17% across all nationalities. Inside the UK, 0 of 339 (0%) were refusals, against 2.1%.
Show the numbers for American applicants
| Route | Granted outside | Refused outside | Withdrawn outside | Share outside | Granted inside | Refused inside | Share inside |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker | 3,120 | 30 | 20 | 1% | 3,718 | 10 | 0.3% |
| Health and Care Worker | 127 | 3 | 12 | 2.3% | 339 | 0 | 0% |
This is what happened to decisions in 2025. It is not your chance of a visa. Counts are main applicants, not dependants.
See how often Skilled Worker visas are refused, for every nationality
American students: what happens after study
Of the 7,936 American students who arrived in 2020, 26% held a UK visa five years later and 7.4% were on a Skilled Worker visa.
Share holding a UK visa three years after arriving, including students still studying, by year of arrival. Years with fewer than 300 students are left out.
- American students
- All students
Show the numbers for American students
| Arrived | Students | Visa after 3 years | All students |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 13,783 | 19% | 43% |
| 2009 | 13,703 | 19% | 44% |
| 2010 | 14,135 | 20% | 41% |
| 2011 | 13,206 | 17% | 33% |
| 2012 | 12,542 | 17% | 33% |
| 2013 | 12,631 | 19% | 32% |
| 2014 | 12,956 | 19% | 32% |
| 2015 | 12,490 | 20% | 32% |
| 2016 | 12,610 | 22% | 34% |
| 2017 | 13,163 | 24% | 33% |
| 2018 | 13,013 | 26% | 34% |
| 2019 | 12,994 | 28% | 38% |
| 2020 | 7,936 | 44% | 56% |
| 2021 | 12,880 | 44% | 56% |
| 2022 | 13,267 | 36% | 58% |
In 2025, 7,304 UK work visas on the Skilled Worker or Health & Care Worker routes went to American nationals, about the same as 2024. About 94% came through the Skilled Worker route, spanning professional, technical, and managerial jobs.
3,247 of those went to people applying from outside the UK. The other 4,057 went to people already here, switching from a Graduate, Student or other visa, or extending a sponsored job they already had. That second group is the larger one for most nationalities, and it is worth knowing about: if you are already in the UK on another visa, you are on the more common path, not the rare one.
Among the visas granted outside the UK, 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 (219) and Programmers and software development professionals (205). The Home Office publishes no job breakdown for the visas granted inside the UK, so these counts cover the entry clearance half only. 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
Visas granted outside the UK only: 3,247 of the 7,304 granted to American nationals in 2025 (44%). The Home Office publishes no job breakdown for the visas granted inside the UK.
| # | Occupation | Grants | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance and investment analysts and advisers | 239 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 2 | Management consultants and business analysts | 219 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 3 | Programmers and software development professionals | 205 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 4 | Chief executives and senior officials | 190 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 5 | Financial managers and directors | 159 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 6 | Marketing, sales and advertising directors | 153 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 7 | Sales accounts and business development managers | 153 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 8 | IT business analysts, architects and systems designers | 128 | 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: 3,240 grants across 176 occupations, counting visas granted outside the UK only. That is 44% of the 7,304 granted to American nationals in 2025. The Home Office publishes no job breakdown for the visas granted inside the UK.
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, 7,304 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?
7,304: 6,838 through the Skilled Worker route and 466 through Health & Care Worker. 3,247 were granted outside the UK and 4,057 to people already here, switching route or extending. Grants have stayed between roughly 6,400 and 7,400 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.