UK Work Visa Sponsorship for Chinese Citizens
Over 100,000 Chinese students are at UK universities, and plenty want to stay on afterwards. Staying long-term takes sponsorship: a job offer from an employer with a Home Office licence, usually lined up before the Graduate visa runs out. The numbers below show who gets sponsored and for what.
Grants by year
Of the 6,375 grants in 2025, 1,346 went to people applying from outside the UK and 5,029 to people already here who switched route or extended (79%).
| Year | Outside the UK | Inside the UK | Skilled Worker | Health & Care Worker | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,051 | 3,654 | 4,705 | ||
| 2022 | 1,197 | 4,381 | 5,578 | ||
| 2023 | 1,731 | 5,486 | 7,217 | ||
| 2024 | 1,726 | 5,606 | 7,332 | ||
| 2025 | 1,346 | 5,029 | 6,375 |
† 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 Chinese applicants in 2025
Of the 1,460 Skilled Worker decisions on applications Chinese main applicants made from outside the UK in 2025, 141 (9.7%) were refusals, against 20% across all nationalities. Inside the UK, 39 of 4,877 (0.8%) were refusals, against 2.1%.
Fewer than 50 Health and Care Worker decisions were made on applications Chinese main applicants made from outside the UK in 2025, so no share is shown for that side. Inside the UK, 2 of 193 (1%) were refusals, against 2.1%.
Show the numbers for Chinese applicants
| Route | Granted outside | Refused outside | Withdrawn outside | Share outside | Granted inside | Refused inside | Share inside |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker | 1,319 | 141 | 26 | 9.7% | 4,838 | 39 | 0.8% |
| Health and Care Worker | 27 | 1 | 6 | n/a | 191 | 2 | 1% |
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
Chinese students: what happens after study
Of the 54,505 Chinese students who arrived in 2020, 14% held a UK visa five years later and 3.1% 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.
- Chinese students
- All students
Show the numbers for Chinese students
| Arrived | Students | Visa after 3 years | All students |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 25,833 | 47% | 43% |
| 2009 | 33,605 | 44% | 44% |
| 2010 | 37,206 | 38% | 41% |
| 2011 | 41,471 | 30% | 33% |
| 2012 | 43,478 | 29% | 33% |
| 2013 | 46,016 | 28% | 32% |
| 2014 | 48,429 | 28% | 32% |
| 2015 | 50,806 | 28% | 32% |
| 2016 | 54,504 | 29% | 34% |
| 2017 | 63,315 | 25% | 33% |
| 2018 | 71,733 | 24% | 34% |
| 2019 | 87,849 | 23% | 38% |
| 2020 | 54,505 | 28% | 56% |
| 2021 | 90,380 | 29% | 56% |
| 2022 | 90,209 | 27% | 58% |
In 2025, 6,375 UK work visas on the Skilled Worker or Health & Care Worker routes went to Chinese nationals, down 13% on 2024. About 97% came through the Skilled Worker route, spanning professional, technical, and managerial jobs.
1,346 of those went to people applying from outside the UK. The other 5,029 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 Chinese nationals in 2025 was Programmers and software development professionals (119 grants), followed by Finance and investment analysts and advisers (117) and Management consultants and business analysts (93). 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 Chinese nationals. Filter by sponsor licence, visa route, or occupation.
Top occupations for Chinese nationals
Visas granted outside the UK only: 1,346 of the 6,375 granted to Chinese nationals in 2025 (21%). The Home Office publishes no job breakdown for the visas granted inside the UK.
| # | Occupation | Grants | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Programmers and software development professionals | 119 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 2 | Finance and investment analysts and advisers | 117 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 3 | Management consultants and business analysts | 93 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 4 | Natural and social science professionals n.e.c. | 82 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 5 | Advertising and marketing associate professionals | 70 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 6 | Sales accounts and business development managers | 58 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 7 | Other researchers, unspecified discipline | 55 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 8 | Marketing and commercial managers | 41 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 9 | Chefs | 41 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 10 | Business sales executives | 35 | SWSkilled Worker |
Full occupation distribution for Chinese 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: 1,345 grants across 135 occupations, counting visas granted outside the UK only. That is 21% of the 6,375 granted to Chinese nationals in 2025. The Home Office publishes no job breakdown for the visas granted inside the UK.
Frequently asked questions
Can Chinese citizens work in the UK?
Yes, with a visa. Any paid job in the UK needs one, and for Chinese nationals the main route is the Skilled Worker visa: a job offer from an employer holding a Home Office sponsor licence, a salary above the threshold for the role, and a Certificate of Sponsorship. In 2025, 6,375 Chinese citizens were granted UK work visas.
Can Chinese students stay in the UK to work after graduating?
Yes. Most switch to the Graduate visa, which currently gives two years of unsponsored work (three after a PhD). It doesn't lead to settlement though, so treat it as a runway: the durable move is switching to a Skilled Worker visa once an employer will sponsor you. Graduates of Tsinghua, Peking, Fudan and other listed universities can also apply for the High Potential Individual visa without having studied in the UK at all.
How many Chinese citizens got UK work visas in 2025?
6,375: 6,157 through the Skilled Worker route and 218 through Health & Care Worker. 1,346 were granted outside the UK and 5,029 to people already here, switching route or extending. In 2024 it was 7,332.
What jobs do Chinese citizens get sponsored for?
In 2025 the top three were Programmers and software development professionals, Finance and investment analysts and advisers, and Management consultants and business analysts. Any occupation on the Skilled Worker eligible list can be sponsored if the employer holds a licence and the pay clears the threshold for that occupation code, usually £41,700 or the going rate, whichever is higher.
Which UK companies sponsor Chinese citizens?
Any employer with a sponsor licence, and every company on Hunt UK Visa Sponsors holds one. Demand for Chinese applicants is strongest in finance, software, and consulting. Use the search below to see who's hiring right now.
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 China — tax, purchasing power and visa costs.