What are the most common jobs nigerian nationals get sponsored for?

Home Office data shows the top occupations for nigerian nationals on Skilled Worker or Health & Care Worker visas are: Generalist medical practitioners, Other registered nursing professionals, Care workers and home carers. Full breakdown in the table above.

Can nigerian nationals apply for the Skilled Worker visa?

Yes. Nationality doesn't affect Skilled Worker eligibility. Nigerian nationals qualify if they have a job offer from a Home Office licensed sponsor, the role is on the eligible occupations list, and the salary meets the threshold (usually £41,700 or the going rate for that SOC code, whichever is higher).

Which UK companies sponsor nigerian nationals?

Any UK employer with a Home Office sponsor licence can hire nigerian nationals. Every company listed on Hunt UK Visa Sponsors holds one. Search jobs or browse the sponsor directory below.

UK Visa Sponsorship for Nigerian Nationals

1,843visas in 2025-49.5% vs 202483%via Health & Care Worker

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, 1,843 Nigerian nationals were granted UK work visas on the Skilled Worker or Health & Care Worker routes, down 49% on 2024. About 83% came through the Health & Care Worker route, mostly NHS and social-care roles.

The most common occupation for Nigerian nationals in 2025 was Generalist medical practitioners (599 grants), followed by Other registered nursing professionals (281) and Care workers and home carers (194). 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 Nigerian nationals. Filter by sponsor licence, visa route, or occupation.

Top occupations for Nigerian nationals

#	Occupation	Grants
1	Generalist medical practitioners	599	H&CHealth & Care
2	Other registered nursing professionals	281	H&CHealth & Care
3	Care workers and home carers	194	H&CHealth & Care
4	Specialist medical practitioners	78	H&CHealth & Care
5	Registered mental health nurses	65	H&CHealth & Care
6	Registered nurse practitioners	51	H&CHealth & Care
7	Nursing auxiliaries and assistants	35	H&CHealth & Care
8	Programmers and software development professionals	30	SWSkilled Worker
9	Medical radiographers	30	H&CHealth & Care
10	Optometrists	21	H&CHealth & Care

Full occupation distribution for Nigerian 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: 1,812 grants across 130 occupations.

YoY change:Strong declineDeclineStableGrowthStrong growthNew this year

Frequently asked questions

In 2025, 1,843 nigerian nationals were granted UK work visas: 318 via Skilled Worker and 1,525 via Health & Care Worker.

Keep exploring

Search sponsored jobs

Current openings from Home Office licensed sponsors. Filter by visa route, salary, and occupation.

Compare other nationalities

Visa trends and top occupations for every nationality, browsable by region.

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.