UK Sponsor Licence Register: How to Check Licensed Sponsors

UK Sponsor Licence Register: At a Glance

The UK sponsor licence register is the official Home Office list of organisations authorised to sponsor overseas workers under eligible UK immigration routes.¹ It allows employers, workers, recruiters and other interested parties to check whether an organisation appears on the published list of licensed sponsors and which sponsorship routes its licence covers.

The register is maintained by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and is publicly available through GOV.UK. It identifies licensed organisations by name and location and includes information about their sponsorship routes and published licence ratings. The register is an important reference point for verifying sponsorship status, although the information it contains has limitations.

For employers, the register can be used to check how their organisation’s sponsorship status is publicly recorded, verify the licensing position of other businesses and support immigration due diligence. It can also help identify discrepancies between an organisation’s published details and its own Home Office records.

However, appearing on the register does not necessarily mean that an organisation can sponsor any overseas worker for any role. A sponsor must hold permission for the relevant immigration route, and the proposed employment and worker must satisfy the applicable immigration requirements. Equally, an organisation’s absence from the published register should not automatically be interpreted as evidence that its licence has been revoked or that it has breached its sponsorship duties.

This guide explains how to access and search the UK sponsor licence register, how to interpret the information it contains and what employers should consider when relying on the register for recruitment, compliance or commercial purposes.

 

Section A: What Is the UK Sponsor Licence Register?

 

The UK sponsor licence register, officially known as the Register of Licensed Sponsors: Workers, is a publicly available Home Office dataset identifying organisations that hold sponsor licences under the UK’s Worker and Temporary Worker immigration routes.

Most UK employers wishing to recruit overseas nationals who require sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route must first obtain a sponsor licence from the Home Office.² A licence allows an approved organisation to assign Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) to eligible workers, subject to the conditions of its licence and the requirements of the relevant immigration route.³

The sponsor register provides a public record of organisations holding this permission. It is published by the Home Office and updated periodically to reflect changes in the population of licensed sponsors.

The register includes organisations authorised to sponsor workers under different immigration categories, including the Skilled Worker route and certain specialist or temporary work routes.

It does not provide a comprehensive record of every organisation employing foreign nationals in the UK. Many individuals have immigration status that permits employment without employer sponsorship, including those with indefinite leave to remain, settled status or permission under immigration routes that do not require sponsorship.

The register should therefore be understood as a record of licensed sponsors, rather than a list of all UK employers permitted to employ overseas nationals.

 

1. What information does the sponsor register contain?

 

The Home Office publishes the worker sponsor register as a downloadable dataset. Its principal fields identify the licensed organisation, its recorded location, the sponsorship route and its published rating.

 

Register field	What it means
Organisation Name	The name under which the licensed sponsor is recorded.
Town/City	The town or city associated with the sponsor’s published entry.
County	The county recorded for the organisation, where provided.
Type & Rating	The sponsor category and published licence rating.
Route	The immigration route under which the organisation is licensed to sponsor workers.

 

An organisation may appear more than once where it holds permission under multiple sponsorship routes. For example, an employer licensed for both Skilled Worker and Global Business Mobility sponsorship may have separate entries reflecting those permissions.

The register does not ordinarily provide the organisation’s sponsor licence reference number, details of individual sponsored workers, the number of available Certificates of Sponsorship or the outcome of previous compliance inspections.

It also does not provide a complete history of an organisation’s sponsorship status.

Assessing whether an employer can sponsor a worker or presents immigration compliance risks may require information beyond the published register.

 

2. Who can use the UK sponsor licence register?

 

The register is publicly accessible and can be used without creating an account or paying a fee.

Different users may consult it for different reasons.

Employers can check whether their organisation appears on the register and whether the published information reflects their understanding of their licence permissions.

Recruitment agencies and businesses engaging international workers may use it to verify whether an organisation appears to hold sponsorship permission for the relevant immigration route.

Corporate purchasers, investors and professional advisers may consult the register when undertaking due diligence on businesses employing sponsored workers.

Prospective employees can use it to establish whether an organisation appears on the official list of licensed sponsors before pursuing an opportunity involving visa sponsorship.

However, the register is not a directory of vacancies or employers currently recruiting international workers. A company may hold a sponsor licence without having any immediate intention or capacity to sponsor additional employees.

 

3. Is the sponsor licence register the same as the list of approved UK employers?

 

The sponsor licence register is sometimes described as the UK approved employers list, UK visa sponsorship companies list or Skilled Worker sponsor list.

These descriptions generally refer to the same Home Office worker sponsor dataset, although they can create misunderstandings about its purpose.

An organisation’s inclusion on the register means that it is recorded as holding sponsorship permission under the specified route. It does not constitute a general endorsement of the organisation by the Home Office, guarantee that it is actively recruiting or establish that it meets every immigration compliance requirement at the time of a particular enquiry.

The Home Office separately publishes a register of licensed student sponsors⁴. This identifies education providers authorised to sponsor eligible international students and should not be confused with the worker sponsor register.

For employment-related sponsorship checks, the relevant starting point is the Register of Licensed Sponsors: Workers.

 

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Section B: How to Check if a Company Has a Sponsor Licence

 

The most reliable starting point for checking whether a UK company holds a sponsor licence is the official Home Office register published on GOV.UK.

The register can be downloaded and searched using spreadsheet software. The search should be carried out against the latest available version because sponsorship permissions and published ratings can change.

 

1. Access the official Home Office sponsor register

 

The official register is available at:

Home Office Register of Licensed Sponsors: Workers.

The GOV.UK publication page provides access to the current worker sponsor dataset, together with its publication and update information.

Users should check that they are consulting the worker sponsor register rather than the separate student sponsor register.

Third-party websites also provide searchable versions of sponsor data. While these services may offer convenient search functions, their information may not reflect the latest Home Office publication. Where the accuracy of sponsorship status is important, the official register should be used as the primary reference.

 

2. Download and search the sponsor list

 

To check whether a company appears on the register:

 

1. Open the official Register of Licensed Sponsors: Workers page on GOV.UK.
2. Access the latest published register and download the CSV file where available.
3. Open the file using Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets or another compatible spreadsheet application.
4. Use the search or filter function to locate the organisation’s name.
5. Check the location details to help distinguish between organisations with similar names.
6. Review the sponsorship route and published rating associated with the relevant entry.
7. Record the date of the register used, particularly where the check forms part of a formal compliance or due diligence process.

 

Searching by the organisation’s precise legal name is generally preferable to relying solely on a brand or trading name.

For example, a business operating under a well-known commercial brand may hold its sponsor licence through a differently named legal entity. A search using only the trading name may therefore fail to identify the relevant entry.

Where the organisation’s legal identity is uncertain, Companies House records and information supplied by the organisation may assist in establishing the correct entity to search for.⁵

 

3. Check the sponsorship route

 

Finding an organisation’s name on the register is only the first part of the verification process.

The relevant entry should also be checked to establish which immigration route the organisation is licensed to use.

An employer holding permission under one sponsorship route is not automatically authorised to sponsor workers under every other route.

For example, an organisation licensed under a Global Business Mobility route should not be assumed to hold Skilled Worker sponsorship permission unless that route is also covered by its licence.

A prospective employee who requires Skilled Worker sponsorship needs an employer with permission under that route.

Check the route entry against the permission required for the proposed sponsorship.

 

4. Check the sponsor rating

 

The register also provides information about the organisation’s published sponsorship rating.

An A-rating generally indicates that the sponsor holds the standard rating associated with approved sponsorship permission. A B-rating indicates that the sponsor has been downgraded and is subject to restrictions and an action plan intended to address compliance concerns.⁶ UK Expansion Worker sponsors may instead hold a Provisional rating under the route-specific arrangements.

A B-rated sponsor cannot assign Certificates of Sponsorship to new workers while subject to the relevant restrictions. The exception for an existing sponsored worker requires an application from within the UK for permission to stay on the same route as in the worker’s last grant, the sponsor to have assigned the CoS leading to that grant, and continuing sponsorship by that sponsor, subject to the Home Office’s conditions and any permitted CoS allocation. This exception does not apply to Scale-up or Seasonal Worker sponsorship, for which an A-rating is required.

A published rating should not be treated as a comprehensive assessment of the organisation’s compliance history or its current ability to sponsor a particular individual.

A B-rated sponsor retaining its licence must follow the paid action-plan process. The payment deadline is 10 working days from the notification requesting payment, and action plans are set for three months. Section J7 explains the implications.

Where a sponsorship decision depends on the organisation’s precise current permissions, the sponsor should verify its position against its Home Office records and Sponsor Management System.

For further information, see the DavidsonMorris guide to Sponsor Licence Ratings.

 

5. What if the company does not appear on the register?

 

If a company cannot be found, the first step is to check whether the search has been carried out using the correct organisation name and latest dataset.

There are several possible explanations for a missing entry.

The organisation may operate under a trading name different from the legal entity holding the licence. The relevant entry may also be affected by the timing of the latest publication.

Alternatively, the organisation may not hold a sponsor licence, its application may still be pending, or its sponsorship permission may have ended or been withdrawn.

Where the Home Office has suspended a sponsor licence, the organisation is removed from the public register for the duration of the suspension. However, absence from the register alone does not establish that suspension has occurred.

A missing entry should therefore be investigated rather than treated as conclusive evidence of a particular Home Office decision.

Where an employer believes it holds a valid licence but cannot locate its organisation on the register, it should review its Home Office correspondence and Sponsor Management System records and seek clarification where necessary.

An organisation should not rely on an old register entry as proof that it retains sponsorship permission.

 

 

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Section C: How to Read the Register of Licensed Sponsors

 

The Home Office sponsor register provides an initial check of an organisation’s published sponsorship permissions. A full assessment of its immigration compliance position requires additional records.

Employers, recruiters and professional advisers may need to verify information held by UKVI that is not published in the register before making a decision.

 

1. Organisation name and legal identity

 

The organisation name identifies the sponsor as recorded in the Home Office’s published dataset.

The recorded name may belong to a limited company, partnership, educational institution, charity or other organisation authorised to sponsor workers.

However, the name appearing on the register may not correspond exactly with the commercial name used by the business.

A company may trade under a brand name while holding its sponsor licence through a separate legal entity. A corporate group may also operate through several subsidiaries, each with a distinct legal identity and sponsorship arrangements.

Consequently, a search that identifies a familiar brand or group company does not necessarily establish that the specific legal entity proposing to employ a worker holds the required sponsorship permission.

Where the identity of the sponsor matters, the register should be considered alongside other records, including Companies House information, contractual documentation and the employer’s own Home Office records.

For example, where a worker is offered employment by a subsidiary, the fact that its parent company appears on the sponsor register should not be taken as confirmation that the subsidiary is independently authorised to sponsor the worker.

The relevant licensing arrangements need to be established, including whether the employing entity is covered by the sponsor licence and whether the proposed sponsorship complies with the applicable Home Office requirements.

 

2. Town, city and county information

 

The register includes geographical information associated with the licensed sponsor.

The location can help distinguish between organisations with similar names, particularly where several unrelated businesses operate under comparable trading or corporate identities.

However, the location shown should not be assumed to represent every premises, branch or workplace operated by the organisation.

A sponsor may operate across multiple locations, while the register may identify a particular address or location associated with its licence record.

Likewise, a worker may be employed at a location different from the town or city appearing in the published entry.

The geographical fields are therefore useful identifiers, but they do not provide a complete picture of an organisation’s operational structure or the locations at which sponsored workers may lawfully work.

Where the proposed employment involves multiple sites, remote working, client locations or corporate group arrangements, the employer must consider the applicable sponsorship requirements separately.

 

3. Sponsorship route

 

The route field is one of the most important elements of the register.

It identifies the immigration route under which the organisation holds sponsorship permission.

The worker sponsor register includes licences covering relevant Worker and Temporary Worker routes. These may include Skilled Worker, Global Business Mobility and other eligible sponsorship categories.

An organisation can hold permission under more than one route, with separate entries identifying the relevant permissions.

The same organisation may consequently appear several times in the dataset.

These entries should not automatically be interpreted as duplicate records or separate sponsor licences. They may instead reflect the different routes under which an organisation is authorised to sponsor workers.

Employers and recruiters should check whether the organisation’s published permission covers the immigration route needed for the proposed worker.

A business licensed only under a specialist temporary work route should not be assumed to have Skilled Worker sponsorship permission.

Equally, a business holding a Skilled Worker sponsor licence may need additional authorisation before sponsoring workers under a different route.

The register provides an indication of the organisation’s published route permissions. It does not determine whether an individual job, worker or proposed assignment satisfies the requirements of that route.

 

4. Sponsor licence ratings

 

The register also identifies the published rating associated with the sponsor’s permission.

A-rated and B-rated sponsors have different permissions and restrictions. UK Expansion Worker sponsors may hold a Provisional rating, which cannot be downgraded to B.

An A-rated sponsor holds the standard rating associated with the sponsorship system. A B-rating is generally imposed where the Home Office identifies compliance concerns that it considers capable of being addressed through an action plan.

A B-rated sponsor cannot assign Certificates of Sponsorship to new workers while subject to the relevant restrictions. The exception for an existing sponsored worker requires an application from within the UK for permission to stay on the same route as in the last grant, the sponsor to have assigned the CoS leading to that grant, and continuing sponsorship by that sponsor, subject to the applicable Home Office conditions. This exception does not apply to Scale-up or Seasonal Worker sponsorship, for which an A-rating is required.

The rating therefore provides information about the sponsor’s published licensing position, but it should not be interpreted as a complete compliance assessment.

An A-rating does not guarantee that an employer has complied with every sponsorship duty or that the Home Office has recently inspected its operations.

Similarly, a B-rating does not necessarily mean that the sponsor licence has been revoked or that every existing sponsored worker has lost immigration permission.

Employers should distinguish between licence ratings, suspension, revocation and other Home Office enforcement measures. These are separate regulatory concepts with different legal and practical consequences.

For further information, see the DavidsonMorris guide to sponsor licence ratings.

 

5. Why one organisation may have multiple register entries

 

Multiple entries for the same organisation can arise because sponsorship permission is recorded by immigration route.

For example, an international business may be authorised to sponsor Skilled Workers and also hold permission under one or more Global Business Mobility routes.

The register may consequently display several entries using the same organisation name and location but different route descriptions.

Register analysis needs to account for these route-based entries.

Counting every row as a separate licensed employer can overstate the number of distinct organisations represented in the dataset.

Equally, counting only unique organisation names may understate the number of separately licensed entities where unrelated organisations share similar names.

The public register is therefore not, by itself, a reliable basis for calculating the precise number of unique legal entities holding sponsorship permission without appropriate data cleaning and qualification.

For organisations using register data for market research, competitor analysis or compliance intelligence, the methodology used to identify and classify sponsors should be documented.

 

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Section D: What Does Being on the Sponsor Register Mean?

 

An organisation’s inclusion on the Home Office sponsor register indicates that it is recorded in the published dataset as holding sponsorship permission under the immigration route shown.

It is evidence of the organisation’s published licensing position at the time reflected by that version of the register.

Sponsoring a particular worker requires the appropriate licence permission and compliance with the requirements applying to the role and individual.

Sponsorship involves several separate legal requirements, and the register addresses only part of that process.

 

1. Does appearing on the register mean a company can sponsor a Skilled Worker?

 

Not necessarily.

An organisation must hold sponsorship permission under the Skilled Worker route before it can sponsor an individual under that route.

An entry showing permission under a different immigration route is not sufficient.

Even where the organisation holds Skilled Worker sponsorship permission, the proposed role and worker must satisfy the relevant immigration requirements.

These include the applicable occupation eligibility, skill and salary requirements, together with the rules governing Certificates of Sponsorship and the worker’s immigration application.

The employer must also comply with its sponsorship duties and any restrictions affecting its licence.

As a result, the presence of an organisation on the Skilled Worker register is an important initial check, but it does not establish that a particular proposed sponsorship arrangement is permissible.

 

2. Does a sponsor licence mean an employer is recruiting overseas workers?

 

No.

A sponsor licence gives an organisation permission to sponsor eligible workers within the scope of its licence. It does not oblige the employer to recruit overseas nationals or issue Certificates of Sponsorship.

Some organisations maintain sponsor licences because they expect to require international recruitment in the future.

Others may hold licences primarily to continue sponsoring existing employees.

An employer may also decide not to recruit internationally because of commercial conditions, workforce requirements or the costs associated with sponsorship.

The register should therefore not be treated as a list of current vacancies or as confirmation that an employer is willing to sponsor new applicants.

For prospective workers, identifying a licensed sponsor is only the first stage of establishing whether a realistic sponsored employment opportunity exists.

 

3. Does appearing on the register mean the employer has Certificates of Sponsorship available?

 

No.

The public register does not disclose the number of Certificates of Sponsorship available to an organisation.

It also does not identify whether an employer has requested or obtained a Defined Certificate of Sponsorship for a particular overseas applicant.

An employer’s ability to assign a Certificate of Sponsorship depends on the relevant immigration route, its current licensing position and the applicable Home Office processes.

The existence of a sponsor licence does not guarantee that the employer has an immediately available Certificate of Sponsorship or that it can obtain one for a particular role.

Employers should check their Sponsor Management System records and applicable allocation or request requirements before making commitments to prospective workers.

 

4. Does inclusion on the register mean the Home Office endorses the company?

 

No.

A sponsor licence is a regulatory permission granted under the UK’s immigration sponsorship system.

Although the Home Office assesses organisations against applicable licensing requirements, inclusion on the register should not be interpreted as a commercial endorsement, guarantee of financial stability or assurance of the employer’s general business practices.

The register does not certify an organisation’s recruitment standards, employment conditions, financial performance or suitability as a commercial counterparty.

Nor does an A-rating amount to confirmation that the organisation is free from immigration compliance risks.

Businesses considering contractual relationships, acquisitions or recruitment arrangements should therefore avoid treating register inclusion as a substitute for broader legal, financial or operational due diligence.

 

5. Does a sponsor licence cover every company in a corporate group?

 

Not automatically.

Corporate groups frequently operate through several legal entities, subsidiaries, branches or associated businesses.

The fact that one company within a group holds a sponsor licence does not necessarily mean that every other group entity can sponsor workers independently.

The relevant position depends on the sponsor’s approved organisational structure, the entities and branches covered by its licence and the Home Office requirements applicable to the proposed employment.

During acquisitions, restructurings and employee transfers, the parties need to confirm which entities the licence covers.

For example, an acquiring company should not assume that it can sponsor the target company’s workers merely because another entity within the enlarged group appears on the register.

The parties need to establish which organisation holds the relevant sponsorship permission, which entity will employ the workers and whether any changes to sponsorship arrangements must be reported or separately authorised.

Where a transaction affects sponsored workers, the public register should form only one component of a more detailed sponsor licence due diligence exercise.

 

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Section E: Why Is a Company Missing from the Sponsor Register?

 

An organisation’s absence from the published sponsor register can have several explanations.

Some relate to how the organisation is recorded or how the search has been carried out. Others may reflect the fact that the organisation does not currently hold the relevant sponsorship permission.

A missing entry should therefore prompt further verification rather than an immediate conclusion that the organisation has breached immigration law or lost its licence.

 

1. The organisation is registered under a different name

 

One of the first issues to investigate is whether the organisation is searching under the correct name.

A business may use a trading name, brand or shortened corporate name that differs from the name recorded by the Home Office.

For example, a recruitment business may advertise vacancies under a group brand while its sponsorship arrangements are administered through a particular subsidiary.

Searching only for the trading name may not identify the relevant licence entry.

The organisation’s legal identity should be established and the register searched again using the appropriate name.

Companies House records may assist with this exercise, although a Companies House entry does not itself prove that an organisation holds sponsorship permission.

 

2. The sponsor licence application has not yet been approved

 

An organisation that has submitted a sponsor licence application is not necessarily authorised to sponsor workers.

The submission of an application does not confer sponsorship permission.

The Home Office must determine the application and grant the relevant licence before the organisation can exercise sponsorship functions.

Accordingly, an employer awaiting a decision should not expect its name to appear on the register merely because it has submitted its application and paid the applicable fee.

Employers should avoid offering unconditional assurances about sponsorship availability before the necessary licence permission has been granted.

 

3. The register has not yet reflected a recent change

 

The published register is updated periodically rather than functioning as a live public interface to the Home Office’s internal licensing systems.

This creates a potential difference between an organisation’s current Home Office records and the information visible in the latest published dataset.

For example, a recently granted licence or an approved change to an organisation’s details may not immediately be reflected in a published version.

Conversely, an older downloaded copy may contain information that has subsequently changed.

Where a discrepancy arises, the date of the dataset should be checked.

A sponsor should then compare the published information with its current Home Office correspondence and Sponsor Management System records.

For important compliance or commercial decisions, the absence of an entry should not be resolved solely by consulting an older register or an unverified third-party database.

 

4. The organisation does not hold a sponsor licence

 

A straightforward explanation for a missing entry is that the organisation has not obtained sponsorship permission.

Not every UK employer needs a sponsor licence.

The requirement depends on the immigration status of the individual and the type of work or immigration route involved.

For example, employers can generally employ individuals who already hold unrestricted permission to work in the UK without obtaining sponsorship permission for those individuals.

An organisation may therefore lawfully employ foreign nationals while having no sponsor licence and no entry on the register.

However, where a proposed worker requires employer sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route, the employer must hold the necessary licence permission before assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship.

The absence of the relevant sponsorship permission cannot be remedied simply by issuing an employment contract or describing the vacancy as eligible for visa sponsorship.

 

5. The sponsor licence has been surrendered or ceased to be valid

 

An organisation may previously have held a sponsor licence but no longer retain that permission.

For example, an employer may voluntarily surrender its licence where it no longer requires sponsorship arrangements.

A licence may also cease to be valid in circumstances involving business closure, changes to the sponsoring organisation or other events affecting the licence.

The precise consequences depend on the circumstances and applicable Home Office rules.

An older copy of the register may therefore show an organisation that no longer appears in the latest publication.

Historic register inclusion therefore provides no assurance of current sponsorship permission.

 

6. The sponsor licence has been revoked

 

Revocation is a serious Home Office enforcement measure that terminates the organisation’s sponsorship permission.

The Home Office may revoke a licence where the relevant grounds under its sponsor guidance are met, including serious failures to comply with sponsorship requirements.

A revoked sponsor cannot continue to exercise the sponsorship permission that has been withdrawn.

Revocation can also have significant implications for workers sponsored by the organisation, subject to the relevant immigration rules and individual circumstances.

However, the public register does not provide a complete explanation of why an organisation has disappeared from the dataset.

An organisation’s removal from the register should not automatically be described as evidence of revocation.

A missing entry may have other explanations, and the published dataset does not function as a comprehensive register of enforcement decisions.

Where revocation is suspected, the organisation’s Home Office correspondence and other authoritative information should be examined before reaching a conclusion.

 

7. The sponsor licence has been suspended

 

Suspension is distinct from revocation.

Where the Home Office suspends a sponsor licence, the organisation is removed from the public register of licensed sponsors for the duration of the suspension.

The suspension applies across all routes covered by the licence, and the sponsor cannot assign Certificates of Sponsorship while suspended.

If the Home Office subsequently lifts the suspension without revoking the licence, the organisation’s entry is reinstated on the register. An A-rating or B-rating may apply where permitted by the route-specific arrangements; a Provisional rating cannot be downgraded to B.

However, an organisation’s absence from the register does not, by itself, prove that its licence has been suspended. Removal can also result from revocation, surrender or other changes to licensing arrangements.

The reason for the absence must be established through further evidence.

A sponsor facing suspension should rely on its formal Home Office correspondence to determine the restrictions and obligations applying to its organisation and existing sponsored workers.

For further information, see the DavidsonMorris guide to sponsor licence suspension.

 

8. Corporate changes have affected the licence arrangements

 

Changes in ownership, corporate structure or the employing entity may affect sponsorship arrangements.

These can include mergers, acquisitions, business transfers, restructuring, insolvency and changes to the organisation responsible for employing sponsored workers.

Sponsor licences are not transferable between companies. The Home Office rules determine the licensing and reporting steps required when a business changes ownership or workers move between organisations.

Depending on the circumstances, a corporate transaction may trigger reporting obligations, changes to existing sponsorship arrangements or a requirement for a new licence application.

Relevant reporting and incoming-sponsor application deadlines can be 20 working days. Section H4 explains the principal requirements; parties should not wait for the public register to change before taking the required action.

The register may consequently show a different organisation name, a changed entry or the absence of a previously listed entity.

Where sponsored workers are involved, employers should assess the relevant Home Office requirements before completing the transaction rather than waiting for a discrepancy to become apparent on the public register.

 

9. What should an employer do if its licence is missing?

 

Where an organisation believes it holds a valid sponsor licence but cannot find itself on the register, it should undertake a structured verification exercise.

 

Check	Action	Purpose
Organisation identity	Search the full legal name and relevant trading names.	Identify possible naming differences.
Dataset version	Check the publication date and use the latest Home Office register.	Exclude reliance on outdated information.
Sponsorship route	Check all relevant route entries.	Establish whether the expected route is recorded.
Home Office correspondence	Review the latest licence approval and subsequent notifications.	Identify the organisation’s formally communicated position.
Sponsor Management System	Check the sponsor’s accessible licence information and permissions.	Compare the public record with the sponsor’s operational records.
Corporate changes	Review recent acquisitions, restructuring and changes of employing entity.	Identify events potentially affecting licence arrangements.
UKVI clarification	Seek clarification through the appropriate Home Office channel where the discrepancy remains unresolved.	Establish the position before relying on the disputed information.

 

Where an employer is preparing to sponsor a worker, it should resolve any material uncertainty about its licence status before assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship or making representations that depend on the relevant permission.

Where a third party is conducting the check, the absence of a register entry should be recorded as an unresolved verification issue unless further evidence supports a more definite conclusion.

The public register will often reflect the organisation’s actual sponsorship permission. Any recruitment or compliance decision should account for gaps between what the public register shows and what can be established about the organisation’s actual sponsorship permission.

 

 

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Section F: How Often Is the Sponsor Licence Register Updated?

 

The Home Office updates the Register of Licensed Sponsors: Workers periodically to reflect changes in the organisations holding permission to sponsor overseas workers.

The register is published as a downloadable dataset through GOV.UK. Each published version represents a record of sponsorship information at a particular point in time rather than a live, continuously updated public record.

Sponsor licence decisions and changes to licensing arrangements can take effect before they appear in the public dataset.

Employers and third parties should therefore distinguish between the date on which a register was published and the date on which a particular sponsorship decision took effect.

 

1. Is the sponsor register updated daily?

 

The Home Office does not provide a guarantee that every change to sponsorship status will appear on the public register immediately.

The publication page identifies when the dataset was last updated, allowing users to establish the age of the information they are consulting.

Although the Home Office has published updated versions on successive working days during October 2026, this should not be interpreted as a guarantee of daily publication or immediate reflection of every licensing decision.

A recently approved sponsor licence, change to an organisation’s details or enforcement decision may not be reflected in the version available when a search is carried out.

Employers should not assume that the public register operates as a real-time verification system.

Where the current position is material to a recruitment or compliance decision, the organisation’s own Home Office records and relevant communications should be considered alongside the latest published dataset.

The latest register and its publication information can be accessed through the official Home Office register of licensed sponsors.

 

2. How can you check when the register was last updated?

 

The publication information is available on the official GOV.UK register page.

Users should check the latest update information and ensure they are accessing the current downloadable file rather than relying on a previously saved copy.

For an informal search, checking the current register may be sufficient.

However, where the result is being used in a corporate transaction, formal compliance review or recruitment decision, it is advisable to record the date of the dataset and the date on which the search was conducted.

These dates are not necessarily the same.

For example, a due diligence review carried out on 15 October may rely on a dataset published several days earlier. The review should identify the version used rather than implying that the register independently confirms the organisation’s sponsorship status on the date of the transaction.

Recording both dates preserves the evidence available when the assessment was made.

 

3. Can an employer rely on an old sponsor register?

 

An older register may be useful for historical analysis, but it should not be relied on as evidence of current sponsorship permission.

An organisation that appeared in an earlier publication may subsequently have surrendered its licence, undergone corporate changes or been subject to Home Office enforcement action.

Likewise, an organisation absent from an older publication may have obtained sponsorship permission since that version was released.

For current verification purposes, the latest official register should be used.

Where historical comparisons are required, older datasets can be retained and analysed separately, with the limitations of the information clearly identified.

 

4. Can historic sponsor registers show when a licence was granted or revoked?

 

Comparing successive versions of the sponsor register can help identify when an organisation first appeared or ceased to appear in the published data.

However, this does not necessarily establish the date on which the Home Office granted, suspended, surrendered or revoked a licence.

For example, if an organisation appears in one dataset but is absent from the next, the comparison identifies a change between two published records.

It does not establish the precise date of the underlying licensing event or explain why the change occurred.

Similarly, an organisation’s first appearance in an available dataset should not automatically be treated as the date on which its sponsor licence was granted.

Research, enforcement intelligence and corporate due diligence should identify whether a date comes from a published entry or a confirmed licensing decision.

A defensible analysis should separate observed changes in published register entries from confirmed Home Office decisions.

 

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Section G: How Employers Should Use the Sponsor Register

 

For employers, the sponsor register has practical value beyond checking whether an organisation holds sponsorship permission.

It can support recruitment planning, licence administration, compliance monitoring and the verification of sponsorship arrangements involving other businesses.

However, the register should be treated as one source of information within a broader compliance framework.

It does not replace the sponsor’s own licensing records, Sponsor Management System or obligations under the Home Office sponsor guidance.

 

1. Verify the employer’s published sponsorship status

 

An employer holding a sponsor licence should periodically check that its organisation appears on the latest published register under the expected name and immigration routes.

A check is particularly useful following a new licence approval, addition of a sponsorship route or material change to the organisation’s structure.

The employer should compare the public entry against its own licence records.

Relevant questions include whether the correct organisation is identified, whether the expected sponsorship routes appear and whether the published rating is consistent with the latest Home Office communications.

A discrepancy does not necessarily mean that the employer has lost sponsorship permission.

It should nevertheless be investigated, particularly where the organisation is actively recruiting sponsored workers or responding to questions from prospective employees.

 

2. Check sponsorship arrangements before recruiting overseas workers

 

Where an employer intends to recruit an overseas worker who requires sponsorship, it should first confirm that it holds the necessary licence permission.

The public register provides an initial means of checking the organisation’s published status and authorised routes.

However, the employer must also establish that the proposed role and worker satisfy the relevant immigration requirements.

For Skilled Worker sponsorship, this includes consideration of the applicable occupation code, salary requirements, genuine vacancy provisions and other route-specific conditions.

The employer must also establish that it can assign the appropriate Certificate of Sponsorship and that no restrictions affecting its licence prevent the proposed sponsorship.

A register entry cannot resolve these questions.

Employers should avoid treating an A-rated Skilled Worker entry as sufficient approval to sponsor a particular individual.

The relevant immigration requirements must be assessed independently.

 

3. Verify sponsorship claims made by other organisations

 

Businesses may encounter sponsorship claims when dealing with recruitment agencies, labour suppliers, contractors, group companies or potential commercial partners.

Where an organisation claims to hold a sponsor licence, the register can be used to check whether the named entity appears in the Home Office’s published records.

The result can help verify sponsorship claims made in a proposed recruitment arrangement.

However, the identity of the actual sponsor and employer must be established.

For example, a recruitment agency may advertise roles on behalf of a licensed employer without holding a sponsor licence itself.

Conversely, an agency’s appearance on the register does not authorise it to sponsor workers and supply them as labour to another organisation. The Home Office prohibits this even where a genuine contractual arrangement exists between the parties.

The Home Office rules governing sponsorship, employment relationships and the supply of labour must be considered separately.

An employment agency, employment business or intermediary may sponsor workers directly employed in connection with running its own business. Permitted arrangements for delivering a genuine contracted service must be distinguished from prohibited labour supply and assessed under the relevant route and sponsor guidance.

Where sponsored workers are involved, contractual arrangements should be examined to establish which organisation is responsible for sponsorship and whether the proposed working arrangements are permitted.

Sponsor licence verification must also be distinguished from right to work compliance. From 1 October 2026, the statutory Right to Work Scheme extends beyond traditional employment contracts to specified worker contracts, individual subcontractors and online matching services. Organisations must assess whether their working arrangements fall within these provisions and carry out the prescribed checks where required.⁷

For the newly covered direct arrangements, a civil penalty may be imposed only where the employment commenced on or after 1 October 2026. Extended contractual-chain liability instead concerns relevant contractual arrangements entered into on or after that date. Under those extended-liability provisions, an earlier contract is not brought into scope solely because the work or services continue afterwards.

Where extended contractual-chain liability applies, the statutory excuse depends on prescribed requirements for the contractual arrangements, including the relevant contractual terms, substitution controls and identity verification. An upstream organisation does not automatically have to repeat each individual right to work check. The statutory scope must be assessed: not every business-to-business purchase of services is covered.

Separately, licensed sponsors remain subject to Home Office right to work checking and record-keeping duties. Where a sponsored worker is employed or engaged by another organisation under an arrangement permitted by the sponsorship rules, the other organisation will normally be responsible for carrying out the right to work check. The sponsor must either obtain and retain evidence of that organisation’s check or carry out and retain evidence of its own separate check, including any necessary follow-up checks.⁸

Checking the public sponsor register does not satisfy these requirements.

Employers should refer to the current Home Office employer’s guide to right to work checks when determining the appropriate checking process.

 

4. Use the register to support sponsor compliance monitoring

 

A periodic check of the public register can form part of an employer’s wider sponsor licence governance arrangements.

For example, the organisation may include a register check within an annual compliance review or following a significant change to its sponsorship arrangements.

The purpose is to identify discrepancies that may require investigation.

However, the public register should not be the principal means by which an employer monitors its licence.

The sponsor’s compliance responsibilities extend well beyond the information published in the dataset.

These include maintaining prescribed records, reporting relevant changes through the Sponsor Management System, monitoring sponsored workers and complying with the conditions of sponsorship.

Licensed sponsors must also comply with their right to work checking duties under the Home Office sponsor guidance. These obligations may apply even where the sponsor is not the organisation required to establish a statutory excuse under the separate illegal working civil penalty regime.

The statutory Right to Work Scheme was expanded on 1 October 2026 to cover specified working arrangements beyond traditional employment, subject to the commencement and contractual-liability distinctions explained in Section G3. Employers should ensure that their procedures reflect the applicable requirements where those arrangements are relevant to their operations.

A search of the sponsor register does not constitute a prescribed right to work check and does not establish a statutory excuse against an illegal working civil penalty.

The register does not demonstrate whether these duties are being met.

A more comprehensive compliance review should examine the organisation’s internal systems, personnel responsibilities, worker records, right to work checking procedures, reporting processes and Home Office correspondence.

 

5. Check sponsorship arrangements after business changes

 

Corporate changes can affect an employer’s sponsor licence and the arrangements governing sponsored workers.

Relevant events may include changes in ownership, mergers, acquisitions, business transfers, restructuring, insolvency and changes to the entities employing sponsored workers.

The employer should assess the sponsorship implications of these events under the applicable Home Office guidance.

Where necessary, it must make the required notifications, seek relevant permissions or submit a new sponsor licence application.

The public register can be used to check how the organisation’s licensing position is subsequently reflected in the published data.

However, a change appearing on the register is not a substitute for meeting the underlying Home Office reporting or licensing requirements.

Equally, an employer should not wait for the register to change before considering whether a corporate event affects its sponsorship obligations.

 

6. Maintain an evidence trail of material sponsor checks

 

Where register checks are undertaken for compliance or commercial purposes, employers should retain an appropriate record of the exercise.

This may include the date of the search, the version of the dataset consulted, the organisation name searched, the relevant entries identified and any discrepancies requiring further investigation.

The record should also distinguish between information obtained from the public register and information verified through other sources.

For example, a compliance report might establish that a company appeared as an A-rated Skilled Worker sponsor in a particular published dataset.

It should not describe that result as conclusive confirmation that the company was fully compliant with all sponsorship duties.

Internal reports should state what the evidence reviewed establishes and which questions remain unresolved.

 

 

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Section H: Sponsor Register Checks for Corporate Due Diligence

 

The sponsor register can be an important source of information during corporate transactions involving businesses that employ sponsored workers.

Acquisitions, mergers, restructurings and business transfers can create significant immigration compliance risks, particularly where the target business relies on overseas workers to maintain its operations.

In these circumstances, a public register search is a useful preliminary check, but it is not sufficient to establish the full sponsorship position.

Corporate immigration due diligence should assess the licence holder, the sponsored workforce, relevant compliance obligations and the consequences of the proposed transaction.

 

1. Establish which legal entity holds the sponsor licence

 

The first question is which organisation holds the relevant sponsorship permission.

Identifying the licence holder can require further investigation where a target business operates through multiple subsidiaries, branches or trading entities.

The public register can help identify the organisation named as the licensed sponsor.

However, the parties should verify the relationship between the registered sponsor and the entities employing the relevant workers.

A corporate group may have centralised sponsorship arrangements covering permitted entities or branches, while other group companies may hold separate licences.

The precise arrangements must be assessed against the sponsor’s approved structure and applicable Home Office requirements.

It should not be assumed that a sponsor licence held by one group company automatically extends to every subsidiary or acquired business.

 

2. Identify the sponsorship routes and workforce dependencies

 

The register can help establish which sponsorship routes are publicly associated with the target organisation.

The route entries help identify the permissions to check where the business employs workers under different immigration categories.

However, the register does not disclose how many workers the organisation sponsors, which roles they perform or when their immigration permission expires.

The buyer will therefore need information from the target’s internal sponsorship and workforce records.

Relevant considerations include the number of sponsored workers, the immigration routes involved, the employing entities, the workers’ locations and the extent to which the business depends on continued sponsorship permission.

For example, a business that relies heavily on sponsored workers in operationally critical roles may face material disruption if its licence is revoked or if a transaction creates an interruption in sponsorship arrangements.

The public register cannot quantify that exposure.

Following the expansion of the statutory Right to Work Scheme on 1 October 2026, the due diligence assessment should also consider relevant working arrangements involving workers, individual subcontractors and online matching services where these fall within the revised statutory provisions. The employment-start and contract-date tests, and the separate requirements for extended liability, are explained in Section G3.

The relevant business must separately establish which right to work checking obligations apply to its arrangements and whether its procedures and records satisfy those requirements.

 

3. Assess the licence rating and compliance history

 

The register provides the sponsor’s published rating, which may identify an immediate issue requiring further investigation.

A B-rating can indicate that the Home Office has identified compliance concerns and imposed an action plan.

However, an A-rating does not establish that the organisation has a satisfactory compliance history.

The public register does not provide a complete record of previous compliance visits, enforcement correspondence, reporting failures or unresolved Home Office concerns.

Due diligence should therefore examine relevant sponsor licence documentation and compliance records.

Depending on the transaction, this may include Home Office correspondence, previous audit findings, internal compliance reviews, reporting records and evidence of the organisation’s systems for managing sponsored workers.

The review should also examine right to work checking procedures and supporting records. Where the target engages individuals through working arrangements brought within the statutory scheme from 1 October 2026, the assessment should establish whether the applicable prescribed checks or contractual requirements have been met and the required evidence retained, subject to the commencement provisions explained in Section G3.

These right to work obligations are distinct from the requirements governing sponsor licence status and should be assessed separately.

The objective is to identify potential liabilities and operational risks that may not be apparent from the published register.

 

4. Determine whether the transaction affects sponsorship permission

 

A sponsor licence is not transferable and does not automatically transfer with the sale of a business.

The immigration consequences of a transaction depend on its legal structure and the circumstances of the licensed organisation.

For example, a share acquisition may have different sponsorship implications from an asset purchase or transfer of a business to a different employing entity.

Changes in ownership, control or corporate structure may trigger Home Office reporting requirements or affect whether existing sponsorship permission can continue to be relied upon.

Relevant ownership changes, mergers, takeovers and de-mergers must be reported within 20 working days under Part 3, C4. A change in direct ownership can require a replacement licence even if the employing company remains the same legal entity.

In some circumstances, a new sponsor licence application may be required.

Where sponsored workers transfer between organisations, the relevant sponsorship and immigration requirements must also be considered.

Where workers move under TUPE or similar protection and the incoming organisation needs a sponsor licence or an extension of its existing licence to sponsor them, the relevant valid application must be made within 20 working days of the move. Sponsorship requirements must be assessed separately from employment-law protection under TUPE.

The buyer should establish these requirements before completion and ensure that responsibility for the necessary actions is clearly allocated.

A public register entry does not determine whether the proposed transaction preserves existing sponsorship arrangements.

 

5. Investigate discrepancies between public and internal records

 

Differences between the register and the target organisation’s internal records should be investigated before they are treated as evidence of a licensing problem.

For example, the register may identify an organisation under a name that differs from the target’s current trading name.

Alternatively, the target may claim to hold permission under a route that does not appear in the dataset being reviewed.

Such discrepancies may have an administrative or timing-related explanation, but they can also indicate a substantive issue requiring clarification.

The due diligence process should establish what the Home Office has formally authorised, rather than relying exclusively on the public record or the target’s own description of its licence.

Where the issue is material, appropriate evidence or clarification should be obtained before the transaction proceeds on an assumption about sponsorship permission.

 

6. Apply a structured sponsor licence due diligence framework

 

The following framework illustrates how public register information can be integrated into a wider corporate immigration review.

 

Due diligence question	What the register can establish	Additional verification required
Does the target appear as a licensed sponsor?	Whether the named organisation appears in the published dataset.	Legal identity, current Home Office records and scope of licence.
Which routes does the licence cover?	Published sponsorship route entries.	Current route permissions and any applicable restrictions.
What is the sponsor’s rating?	Published A-rating or B-rating, or other applicable route-specific rating.	Current Home Office communications, action plans and compliance history.
How many workers are sponsored?	Not disclosed.	Sponsor Management System and workforce records.
Are there outstanding compliance issues?	Not comprehensively disclosed.	Compliance audits, correspondence and internal records.
Will the licence continue after completion?	Not determined by the register.	Transaction-specific assessment under Home Office guidance.
Are sponsored workers affected by the transaction?	Not disclosed.	Employment, immigration and corporate transaction records.
Has the licence previously been suspended or revoked?	No complete historical enforcement record.	Home Office correspondence and other reliable evidence.
Are right to work checking obligations being met?	Not disclosed.	Applicable statutory requirements, checking procedures, retained evidence and sponsor record-keeping obligations.

 

The framework identifies which findings need evidence from the target’s own records or other sources.

Buyers need to determine whether the business can continue lawfully employing and sponsoring its workforce following completion, and whether historic or current compliance issues create material exposure.

 

 

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Section I: Limitations of the Public Sponsor Register

 

The UK sponsor licence register is an authoritative source of published Home Office sponsorship information, but it is not a comprehensive verification system.

Its principal purpose is to identify organisations recorded as holding sponsorship permission under specified immigration routes.

It does not provide all the information needed to assess an employer’s current immigration compliance position, its ability to sponsor a particular worker or the risks associated with its sponsorship arrangements.

Recruitment decisions, legal advice, compliance monitoring and corporate due diligence may require further evidence to address these gaps.

 

1. The register is not a real-time record of licensing decisions

 

The public dataset is updated periodically.

As a result, there may be a delay between a Home Office decision and the corresponding change appearing in the published register.

The dataset records the published position at a particular date, so an organisation’s status may have changed by the time of the search.

The more significant the decision being made, the greater the importance of verifying the position through additional authoritative information.

 

2. The register does not prove compliance with sponsor duties

 

A sponsor’s appearance on the register does not establish that it has complied with every obligation imposed by the Home Office.

Sponsor duties include record keeping, reporting relevant changes, monitoring sponsored workers and complying with the requirements governing sponsored employment.

The register does not disclose whether an organisation has maintained adequate personnel records, submitted reports on time or addressed compliance concerns identified by the Home Office.

Even an A-rated sponsor may be subject to compliance scrutiny or have weaknesses in its internal processes.

Inclusion on the sponsor register does not establish a statutory excuse against liability for an illegal working civil penalty. For direct responsibility, the excuse depends on prescribed right to work checks and any required follow-up checks. For extended contractual-chain liability, it depends on the prescribed requirements for the contractual arrangements, as explained in Section G3.

The statutory Right to Work Scheme was expanded from 1 October 2026 to include specified working arrangements beyond traditional employment, subject to the commencement provisions explained in Section G3. Businesses must assess their obligations under the current scheme independently of whether they hold or appear on a sponsor licence.

Licensed sponsors also remain subject to their separate Home Office record-keeping and right to work checking duties.

Sponsor licence status and individual right to work verification are therefore separate compliance matters.

The register should not be used as a substitute for a sponsor compliance audit or the prescribed right to work checking process.

 

3. The register does not confirm that a particular worker can be sponsored

 

A licence permits sponsorship within its authorised scope, but each proposed sponsorship arrangement must satisfy the relevant immigration requirements.

The register does not assess the eligibility of a particular vacancy, occupation code, salary or worker.

Nor does it confirm that a Certificate of Sponsorship is available or can lawfully be assigned in the circumstances.

Employers must carry out the relevant eligibility and sponsorship checks before proceeding.

 

4. The register does not provide a complete enforcement history

 

The public register does not explain every change to an organisation’s licensing status.

Under the Home Office sponsor guidance, an organisation whose licence is suspended is removed from the public register during the suspension period. If the suspension is lifted without revocation, the entry is reinstated.

However, an organisation’s disappearance from the dataset should not automatically be attributed to suspension, revocation or non-compliance.

Similarly, the presence of an organisation in the latest register does not provide a complete account of previous Home Office investigations or enforcement action.

Historical comparisons may reveal changes in published entries, but the reasons for those changes require separate verification.

Research into sponsor licence enforcement trends therefore requires evidence of the decisions behind changes to published entries.

 

5. The register does not establish the identity of every covered entity or workplace

 

The public record does not provide a complete map of every company, branch or workplace covered by a sponsor’s licensing arrangements.

A group structure may involve several entities with different roles in employing or sponsoring workers.

The register may help identify the licensed organisation, but additional evidence is needed to determine whether a particular employing entity or work arrangement falls within the permitted sponsorship structure.

Corporate groups, outsourcing arrangements and business transfers can require closer examination of which entities and working arrangements the licence covers.

 

6. The register is not a reliable standalone measure of recruitment demand

 

The number of organisations appearing on the sponsor register does not indicate how many employers are actively recruiting overseas workers.

A sponsor may hold a licence without recruiting, while another may sponsor a substantial workforce.

Likewise, the number of entries in the dataset does not necessarily correspond to the number of unique employers because organisations can appear under multiple routes.

Consequently, the register should not be used in isolation to estimate sponsored recruitment volumes, the number of available vacancies or the level of demand for overseas workers.

Such conclusions require additional evidence and a clearly defined methodology.

 

7. The register cannot replace formal sponsor licence verification

 

The practical value of the register depends on using it for the questions it can answer.

It can establish whether an organisation appears in a particular published Home Office dataset, identify the route and rating recorded and provide a reference point for further checks.

It cannot independently establish every aspect of the organisation’s current licensing position.

For employers, the most reliable approach is to use the register alongside current Home Office correspondence, Sponsor Management System information and the relevant sponsor guidance.

For third parties, the appropriate level of verification will depend on the purpose of the enquiry and the consequences of relying on the result.

A routine preliminary search may require little more than checking the latest register and confirming the organisation’s identity.

A corporate acquisition involving a substantial sponsored workforce, by contrast, will usually require a much more detailed examination of licensing records, compliance history and transaction-specific immigration obligations.

Use the register for an initial sponsorship check, supported by the licensing evidence and compliance assessment appropriate to the decision.

 

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Section J: UK Sponsor Licence Register FAQs

 

How do I check if a company has a UK sponsor licence?

You can check whether a company appears on the official Home Office Register of Licensed Sponsors: Workers, available through GOV.UK.

Download the latest published register and search for the organisation’s name. Check the location, sponsorship route and published licence rating to ensure you have identified the correct organisation.

Where a business operates under a trading name, you may need to search using the legal name of the entity holding the licence.

The register is an official source of published sponsorship information, but it should not be treated as a real-time guarantee of the organisation’s current permissions. Where the result is important to a recruitment or commercial decision, further verification may be necessary.

 

Is there an official list of UK companies that sponsor visas?

Yes. The Home Office publishes the Register of Licensed Sponsors: Workers, which identifies organisations authorised to sponsor eligible overseas workers under specified immigration routes.

The register includes employers licensed under the Skilled Worker route and other Worker and Temporary Worker categories.

However, it is not a list of companies currently offering visa sponsorship vacancies. Holding a sponsor licence does not mean that an organisation is recruiting, willing to sponsor new applicants or able to issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for a particular role.

 

Is the UK sponsor licence register free to use?

Yes. The official register is publicly accessible through GOV.UK without payment or registration.

The Home Office makes the worker sponsor dataset available for users to download and search.

Some third-party websites offer additional search tools, filters or commercial services based on sponsor information. These services are separate from the official Home Office publication.

For authoritative verification, users should consult the latest GOV.UK sponsor register.

 

Can I search the sponsor register by company name?

Yes. The register can be searched using the organisation name recorded in the dataset.

When using the downloadable file, spreadsheet search and filtering functions can help locate relevant entries.

It is advisable to check variations of the organisation’s name where appropriate, particularly if the business operates through a corporate group or uses a trading name different from its registered legal identity.

A name match should also be checked against the published location and sponsorship route to reduce the risk of confusing separate organisations.

 

How do I find companies with a Skilled Worker sponsor licence?

Access the official worker sponsor register and filter the dataset for entries under the Skilled Worker route.

This will identify organisations recorded as holding sponsorship permission under that route in the relevant published version.

However, the results should not be interpreted as a list of employers currently recruiting Skilled Workers.

The register does not disclose vacancies, available Certificates of Sponsorship or whether an organisation is willing to sponsor a particular applicant.

 

What does an A-rating mean on the sponsor register?

An A-rating is the standard sponsor licence rating associated with approved sponsorship permission.

It identifies the organisation’s current rating, rather than establishing that it has never been downgraded. A sponsor may regain an A-rating after a B-rating. UK Expansion Worker sponsors may instead hold a Provisional rating, which cannot be downgraded to B.

However, an A-rating does not guarantee that the sponsor has complied with every immigration requirement, that it has recently passed a compliance inspection or that it can sponsor any proposed worker.

The employer must still meet the relevant route requirements and comply with its ongoing sponsor duties.

 

Can a B-rated sponsor employ overseas workers?

A B-rated sponsor may continue to have responsibilities towards existing sponsored workers, but its sponsorship activities are restricted.

In particular, a B-rated sponsor cannot assign Certificates of Sponsorship to new workers while subject to the relevant restrictions.

The exception for an existing sponsored worker requires an application from within the UK for permission to stay on the same route as in the last grant, the sponsor to have assigned the CoS leading to that grant, and continuing sponsorship by that sponsor, subject to the applicable Home Office conditions. This exception does not apply to Scale-up or Seasonal Worker sponsorship, for which an A-rating is required.

To retain its B-rated licence, the organisation must accept and pay for the Home Office action plan within 10 working days of the notification requesting payment. Action plans are set for a fixed period of three months. Failure to pay within the required period or to meet the applicable improvement requirements can result in revocation.

The precise implications depend on the applicable sponsor guidance and the organisation’s circumstances.

A B-rating is not the same as revocation, but it can materially affect recruitment and workforce planning.

 

Why is my employer not on the sponsor licence register?

There are several possible explanations.

The organisation may be recorded under a different legal name, the latest published dataset may not yet reflect a recent approval or the employer may not hold sponsorship permission under the relevant route.

Alternatively, the licence may have ceased to be valid, been suspended or been revoked.

An employer’s absence from the register does not, by itself, establish why the entry is missing.

If the organisation believes it holds a valid sponsor licence, it should check its current Home Office correspondence and Sponsor Management System records and seek clarification where necessary.

 

Does a company disappearing from the register mean its sponsor licence has been revoked?

Not necessarily.

An organisation may disappear from the published register for reasons other than revocation, including licence suspension, surrender, corporate changes or changes in the underlying licensing arrangements.

The Home Office removes suspended sponsors from the public register for the duration of the suspension. If the suspension is subsequently lifted without revocation, the sponsor’s entry is reinstated.

The public dataset does not provide a comprehensive explanation of every removal.

Comparing historic versions may show that an organisation was present in one publication and absent from another, but it does not establish the reason for the change.

Where the cause is material, it should be verified using appropriate authoritative evidence.

 

Does the sponsor register show suspended licences?

No. Under the Home Office sponsor guidance, an organisation whose sponsor licence has been suspended is removed from the public register during the suspension period.

The suspension applies across all routes covered by the licence, and the sponsor cannot assign Certificates of Sponsorship while the suspension remains in force.

If the Home Office lifts the suspension without revoking the licence, the organisation’s entry is reinstated on the register.

However, an organisation’s absence from the register does not conclusively establish that its licence has been suspended. There are other possible reasons for removal.

An employer that has received a suspension notice should rely on the formal Home Office decision and applicable sponsor guidance to establish its obligations and restrictions.

 

How often does the Home Office update the sponsor register?

The Home Office updates the worker sponsor register periodically and provides publication information on GOV.UK.

During October 2026, updated versions have been published on successive working days. However, there is no guarantee that the register will be updated every day or that each licensing decision will appear immediately.

Users should consult the latest available version and check when it was last updated.

The register is not a continuously updated public licensing system, so there may be a difference between the information in the dataset and an organisation’s current Home Office records.

For important decisions, the version used and the date of the check should be recorded.

 

Does being on the sponsor register guarantee a Certificate of Sponsorship?

No. Inclusion on the register does not guarantee that an organisation has an available Certificate of Sponsorship or can obtain one for a particular worker.

The employer must hold permission under the appropriate immigration route and satisfy the requirements governing the proposed sponsorship.

Depending on the route and circumstances, the employer may also need an available allocation or an approved request for a Certificate of Sponsorship.

The public register does not disclose an organisation’s Certificate of Sponsorship allocation or the status of individual requests.

 

Can a company sponsor a worker if it is not on the register?

An employer must hold the necessary sponsorship permission before assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship under a route that requires employer sponsorship.

However, an organisation’s absence from the published register should not automatically be treated as conclusive evidence that it lacks the required permission, particularly where there may be a publication delay or naming discrepancy.

The employer should establish its current licensing position through its Home Office records.

It must not assume that submitting a sponsor licence application is sufficient authority to sponsor a worker.

 

Is the sponsor licence register the same as Companies House?

No. The two sources serve different purposes.

Companies House maintains information about registered UK companies, including corporate identity, filings and certain details of company officers.

The Home Office sponsor register identifies organisations recorded as holding permission to sponsor overseas workers under specified immigration routes.

A company can be registered at Companies House without holding a sponsor licence.

Likewise, a Companies House record does not establish that a business is authorised to sponsor workers.

The two sources can be used together to help verify an organisation’s identity, but neither replaces the other.

 

Can I check when a company first received its sponsor licence?

The current public register does not ordinarily identify the original date on which a sponsor licence was granted.

Historic datasets may help establish when an organisation first appeared in the available published records.

However, the first observed appearance is not necessarily the actual licence grant date.

For example, the organisation may have received approval before the relevant publication, or the available historical records may not cover its full licensing history.

A confirmed grant date requires appropriate Home Office documentation or other reliable evidence.

 

Can employers use the sponsor register for due diligence?

Yes. The register can provide an initial check of an organisation’s published sponsorship status, authorised routes and rating.

It may be useful during acquisitions, corporate restructuring, recruitment arrangements and assessments of commercial counterparties.

However, the register does not disclose the number of sponsored workers, the organisation’s full compliance history or whether a proposed corporate transaction affects sponsorship permission.

Where sponsorship is material to a transaction, the register should be used alongside a more detailed review of Home Office correspondence, Sponsor Management System records, workforce information and the relevant sponsor guidance.

 

Does checking the sponsor licence register satisfy an employer’s right to work obligations?

No. The sponsor register identifies organisations recorded as holding sponsorship permission. It does not establish whether an individual has permission to undertake particular work in the UK.

Employers must carry out the prescribed right to work checks where required. Since 1 October 2026, the statutory scheme also covers specified working arrangements beyond traditional employment, including worker contracts, individual subcontractors and online matching services.

The newly covered direct arrangements concern employment commencing on or after 1 October 2026; extended contractual-chain liability concerns relevant contracts entered into on or after that date and has separate prescribed contractual requirements. Continuing earlier arrangements are not automatically brought into scope. Section G3 explains the applicable distinctions.

Licensed sponsors must also comply with their separate Home Office record-keeping and right to work checking duties. These obligations may apply even where the sponsor is not required to establish a statutory excuse under the separate illegal working civil penalty regime.

A sponsor register search does not replace either requirement and does not itself establish a statutory excuse against liability for an illegal working civil penalty.

Employers should follow the current Home Office right to work guidance and consider the specific legal and contractual arrangements under which individuals are employed or engaged.

 

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Section K: Sponsor Licence Register Glossary

 

The following terms are commonly used in connection with the UK sponsor licence register and the Home Office sponsorship system.

 

Term	Meaning
A-rated sponsor	A licensed sponsor holding the standard Home Office sponsorship rating, subject to its route permissions and ongoing compliance obligations.
B-rated sponsor	A sponsor downgraded following identified compliance concerns and subject to restrictions and an action plan.
Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)	An electronic sponsorship record assigned by an authorised sponsor to an eligible worker for the relevant immigration application.
Defined Certificate of Sponsorship	A type of CoS generally required for Skilled Worker applicants applying for entry clearance from outside the UK, subject to the applicable rules.
Home Office	The UK government department responsible for immigration policy and the administration and enforcement of the immigration system.
Licensed sponsor	An organisation granted Home Office permission to sponsor eligible individuals under one or more specified immigration routes.
Register of Licensed Sponsors: Workers	The official Home Office dataset identifying organisations recorded as holding permission to sponsor workers under eligible immigration routes.
Right to work check	A prescribed verification process used to establish whether an individual is permitted to undertake the relevant work in the UK.
Skilled Worker route	A UK immigration route allowing eligible workers to undertake qualifying sponsored employment, subject to the relevant requirements.
Sponsor compliance duties	Obligations imposed on licensed sponsors, including relevant record-keeping, reporting, monitoring and right to work checking requirements.
Sponsor licence	Home Office permission allowing an approved organisation to sponsor eligible workers under the immigration routes covered by its licence.
Sponsor licence revocation	A Home Office decision withdrawing an organisation’s sponsorship permission.
Sponsor licence suspension	A Home Office enforcement measure restricting sponsorship activity while concerns about the sponsor are considered. A suspended sponsor is removed from the public register during the suspension period.
Sponsor Management System (SMS)	The Home Office’s online system through which licensed sponsors administer specified sponsorship functions and report relevant changes.
Sponsor rating	The rating assigned under the Home Office sponsorship framework, principally distinguishing A-rated and B-rated sponsors, with a Provisional rating available under UK Expansion Worker arrangements.
Sponsorship route	The immigration category under which an organisation is authorised to sponsor eligible workers.
Statutory excuse	A defence against an illegal working civil penalty established through prescribed right to work checks and required follow-up checks for direct responsibility, or prescribed contractual requirements for extended liability, as applicable.
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)	The Home Office function responsible for administering UK visa and immigration services, including sponsor licensing.
Undefined Certificate of Sponsorship	A CoS used for Skilled Workers applying for permission to stay within the UK and workers on other sponsored routes applying for entry clearance, permission to enter or permission to stay, subject to the applicable allocation and assignment rules.

 

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Section L: Useful Links

 

The following official sources provide access to the sponsor register and the Home Office guidance governing sponsorship permission, compliance and right to work obligations.

 

Description	URL
Register of Licensed Sponsors: Workers The official publication containing the UK worker sponsor register. It provides access to the published dataset and information about updates.	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-licensed-sponsors-workers
Register of Licensed Sponsors: Students The separate Home Office register identifying education providers authorised to sponsor eligible international students.	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-licensed-sponsors-students
UK Visa Sponsorship for Employers9 Official guidance explaining the employer sponsorship system, including the requirement for a sponsor licence, eligibility and relevant employer responsibilities.	https://www.gov.uk/uk-visa-sponsorship-employers
Workers and Temporary Workers: Sponsor Guidance10 The official collection of sponsorship guidance covering licensing requirements, sponsor duties, route-specific requirements and Home Office compliance arrangements.	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sponsorship-information-for-employers-and-educators
Sponsor Licence Applications11 Official information about applying for a sponsor licence, including the application process and relevant requirements.	https://www.gov.uk/apply-sponsor-licence
Companies House The official UK company information service, which can assist in verifying the legal identity of an organisation appearing on the sponsor register. Companies House information does not itself establish that a company holds a sponsor licence.	https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/
Employer’s Guide to Right to Work Checks Official guidance on conducting prescribed right to work checks, including the requirements applying from 1 October 2026 and the circumstances in which employers may establish a statutory excuse against liability for an illegal working civil penalty.	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-work-checks-employers-guide
Right to Work Checklist12 The official checklist setting out the relevant right to work verification requirements and procedures for employers and other organisations within the statutory scheme.	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-work-checklist
Sponsor Guidance Appendix D: Record-Keeping Duties Official guidance identifying the documents and records licensed sponsors must retain, including evidence relevant to sponsored workers and right to work checking duties.	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keep-records-for-sponsorship-appendix-d
Avoiding Discrimination While Preventing Illegal Working13 The statutory code addressing how organisations should conduct right to work checks without unlawful discrimination. Employers should consult the version applicable to their checking arrangements.	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-work-checks-code-of-practice-on-avoiding-discrimination

 

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Section M: Source References / Legal Sources

 

Legal provisions and official guidance checked as at 22 October 2026.

 

1. Home Office, Register of licensed sponsors: workers, publication and current dataset; checked 22 October 2026. Official source.
2. Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors, Part 1: Apply for a licence; in particular L5.12–L5.14 (agencies and third-party employment) and L8.28–L8.32 (ratings and UK Expansion Worker). Official source.
3. Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors, Part 2: Sponsor a worker; in particular S2.8–S2.10 (Defined and Undefined CoS), S3.3 (the B-rated sponsor assignment exception and route exclusions), S1.40–S1.43 (right to work checking duties) and section S1 on permitted working arrangements. Official source.
4. Home Office, Register of licensed sponsors: students. Official source.
5. Companies House, Find and update company information; corporate identity information does not establish sponsor licensing. Official source.
6. Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors, Part 3: Sponsor duties and compliance; in particular C4 (corporate changes), C8, in particular C8.14–C8.17 (B-ratings, payment deadline, assignment restrictions and the three-month action plan) and C9.2–C9.6 (suspension and the public register). Official source.
7. Home Office, Employer’s guide to right to work checks, 1 October 2026; page 14 (commencement provisions) and pages 80–83 (contractual-chain requirements and explanations of extended liability and statutory excuses). Official source.
8. Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors, Appendix D: Record-keeping duties, section 1.1: where a sponsored worker is employed or engaged by another organisation under a permitted arrangement, the sponsor must retain evidence of the right to work check carried out by that organisation or carry out and retain evidence of its own separate check, including any necessary follow-up checks. Official source.
9. Home Office, UK visa sponsorship for employers: Overview. Official source.
10. Home Office, Sponsorship: guidance for employers and educators; official sponsor-guidance collection. Official source.
11. Home Office, Apply for a sponsor licence. Official source.
12. Home Office, Right to work checklist; consult alongside the applicable employer guidance. Official source.
13. Home Office, Avoiding discrimination while preventing illegal working: code of practice, 2026. Official source.

 

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