UK Work Visa Sponsorship for Italian Citizens
An Italian passport stopped being a UK work permit when Brexit took effect in 2021. The way in now is sponsorship: a job offer from a licensed employer, then a Skilled Worker visa. Here's what the Home Office data shows for Italians.
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, 1,540 Italian nationals were granted UK work visas on the Skilled Worker or Health & Care Worker routes, about the same as 2024. About 92% came through the Skilled Worker route, spanning professional, technical, and managerial jobs.
The most common occupation for Italian nationals in 2025 was Finance and investment analysts and advisers (313 grants), followed by Management consultants and business analysts (100) and Programmers and software development professionals (80). 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 Italian nationals. Filter by sponsor licence, visa route, or occupation.
Top occupations for Italian nationals
| # | Occupation | Grants | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance and investment analysts and advisers | 313 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 2 | Management consultants and business analysts | 100 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 3 | Programmers and software development professionals | 80 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 4 | Generalist medical practitioners | 64 | H&CHealth & Care |
| 5 | Natural and social science professionals n.e.c. | 60 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 6 | Sales accounts and business development managers | 60 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 7 | Mechanical engineers | 47 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 8 | Specialist medical practitioners | 45 | H&CHealth & Care |
| 9 | Other researchers, unspecified discipline | 42 | SWSkilled Worker |
| 10 | Solicitors and lawyers | 31 | SWSkilled Worker |
Full occupation distribution for Italian 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: 1,533 grants across 138 occupations.
Frequently asked questions
Do Italian citizens need a visa to work in the UK? Yes. Since Brexit took effect in January 2021, Italians need a work visa unless they already hold status under the EU Settlement Scheme, which was for people living in the UK before 2021. The main route is the Skilled Worker visa: a job offer from an employer with a Home Office sponsor licence. 1,540 Italian citizens got a UK work visa in 2025.
How do I move to the UK from Italy? Job first, then visa, then the move. Nearly all Italian work-visa grants come through employer sponsorship, so the realistic path is finding a role at a licensed sponsor and letting them issue your Certificate of Sponsorship. Doctors and nurses get a better deal through the Health & Care Worker route: lower fees and faster decisions. The High Potential Individual visa rarely helps here, since no Italian university is currently on its list.
How many Italian citizens got UK work visas in 2025? 1,540: 1,411 through the Skilled Worker route and 129 through Health & Care Worker. Grants have stayed between roughly 1,500 and 2,200 a year since 2021.
What jobs do Italians get sponsored for? In 2025 the top three were Finance and investment analysts and advisers, Management consultants and business analysts, and Programmers and software development professionals. Any occupation on the Skilled Worker eligible list qualifies, provided 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 Italian citizens? Any employer holding a Home Office sponsor licence, which is every company on Hunt UK Visa Sponsors. The occupation data for Italians skews to finance, consulting, and software. Use the search below to see current openings.
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 Italy — tax, purchasing power and visa costs.