UK Work Visa Sponsorship for German Citizens
Moving from Germany to the UK for work now means a visa first. For most Germans that's the Skilled Worker route: a job offer from a licensed sponsor, then the application. The data below shows how many make it each year and into which jobs.
Grants by year
Of the 2,020 grants in 2025, 1,179 went to people applying from outside the UK and 841 to people already here who switched route or extended (42%).
| Year | Outside the UK | Inside the UK | Skilled Worker | Health & Care Worker | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 858 | 24 | 882 | ||
| 2022 | 1,298 | 181 | 1,479 | ||
| 2023 | 1,188 | 303 | 1,491 | ||
| 2024 | 1,195 | 624 | 1,819 | ||
| 2025 | 1,179 | 841 | 2,020 |
† 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 German applicants in 2025
Of the 1,145 Skilled Worker decisions on applications German main applicants made from outside the UK in 2025, 5 (0.4%) were refusals, against 20% across all nationalities. Inside the UK, 1 of 778 (0.1%) was a refusal, against 2.1%.
Fewer than 50 Health and Care Worker decisions were made on applications German main applicants made from outside the UK in 2025, so no share is shown for that side. Inside the UK, 0 of 64 (0%) were refusals, against 2.1%.
Show the numbers for German applicants
| Route | Granted outside | Refused outside | Withdrawn outside | Share outside | Granted inside | Refused inside | Share inside |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker | 1,140 | 5 | 34 | 0.4% | 777 | 1 | 0.1% |
| Health and Care Worker | 39 | 1 | 1 | n/a | 64 | 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
In 2025, 2,020 UK work visas on the Skilled Worker or Health & Care Worker routes went to German nationals, up 11% on 2024. About 95% came through the Skilled Worker route, spanning professional, technical, and managerial jobs.
1,179 of those went to people applying from outside the UK. The other 841 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 German nationals in 2025 was Finance and investment analysts and advisers (222 grants), followed by Programmers and software development professionals (106) and Management consultants and business analysts (86). 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 German nationals. Filter by sponsor licence, visa route, or occupation.
Top occupations for German nationals
Visas granted outside the UK only: 1,179 of the 2,020 granted to German nationals in 2025 (58%). The Home Office publishes no job breakdown for the visas granted inside the UK.
| # | Occupation | Grants | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance and investment analysts and advisers | 222 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 2 | Programmers and software development professionals | 106 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 3 | Management consultants and business analysts | 86 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 4 | Chief executives and senior officials | 46 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 5 | Sales accounts and business development managers | 44 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 6 | Other researchers, unspecified discipline | 43 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 7 | Natural and social science professionals n.e.c. | 29 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 8 | Financial managers and directors | 27 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 9 | Marketing, sales and advertising directors | 26 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 10 | Business sales executives | 25 | SWSkilled Worker |
Full occupation distribution for German 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: 1,177 grants across 129 occupations, counting visas granted outside the UK only. That is 58% of the 2,020 granted to German nationals in 2025. The Home Office publishes no job breakdown for the visas granted inside the UK.
Frequently asked questions
Do German citizens need a visa to work in the UK?
Yes. Brexit ended freedom of movement on 1 January 2021, and with it the right of Germans to work in the UK without a visa. Unless you have status under the EU Settlement Scheme from living in the UK before 2021, you need a work visa, and in practice that means Skilled Worker sponsorship by a licensed employer. In 2025, 2,020 German citizens got a UK work visa.
How do I move to the UK from Germany?
Sort the job before the move. UK work visas are employer-led, so the sequence is: role at a licensed sponsor, Certificate of Sponsorship from them, Skilled Worker visa application, then relocation. If you're a recent graduate of TU Munich, LMU Munich or Heidelberg, the High Potential Individual visa gives you two years in the UK without needing a sponsor first. The Global Talent visa and family routes cover most other cases.
How many German citizens got UK work visas in 2025?
2,020: 1,917 through the Skilled Worker route and 103 through Health & Care Worker. 1,179 were granted outside the UK and 841 to people already here, switching route or extending. Grants have stayed between roughly 900 and 2,000 a year since 2021.
What jobs do Germans get sponsored for?
In 2025 the top three were Finance and investment analysts and advisers, Programmers and software development professionals, and Management consultants and business analysts. Sponsorship works for any occupation on the Skilled Worker eligible list, as long as 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 German citizens?
Any employer with a Home Office sponsor licence, and every company listed on Hunt UK Visa Sponsors holds one. For Germans the demand concentrates in finance and software, much of it in London. Use the search below for live roles.
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 Germany — tax, purchasing power and visa costs.