How to check a UK sponsor licence

Before you accept a sponsored job, check that the employer is really licensed. It takes less than a minute and it is free.

  1. Search the official register. The Home Office publishes the Register of Licensed Sponsors as a large spreadsheet that is updated most working days. Our free sponsor licence check searches the same list instantly by company name or town.
  2. Match the exact legal name and town. Scammers use names that are one word different from real companies. Compare the name on your offer letter with the register and with Companies House.
  3. Read the rating. “A rating” is a normal licence. “B rating” means the Home Office has put the sponsor on an action plan to fix compliance problems.
  4. Check the route. The register lists the routes a sponsor can use, for example “Skilled Worker”. Care workers are sponsored under the Skilled Worker route (Health and Care visa).
  5. Contact the employer yourself. Use the phone number or email on the company’s own website, not the details given by the person who approached you.
Never pay for a CoS. Home Office sponsor guidance (paragraph S2.13) says a sponsor must not recover any part of the Certificate of Sponsorship fee or its admin costs from a Skilled Worker assigned a CoS on or after 31 December 2024, and (S5.7) must never pass on the Immigration Skills Charge.

Check a sponsor now, free Test an offer for scams

Questions

Is the sponsor licence check free?

Yes. The official register is public and our checker is free for everyone.

How often is the register updated?

GOV.UK updates the Register of Licensed Sponsors on most working days. We compare each new version with the last one and list added and removed sponsors.

The company is not on the register. What does that mean?

If a company says it can sponsor you but is not on the register, treat it as a serious warning sign and do not pay or send documents.

Does being on the register mean the job offer is real?

No. Scammers often use the names of real licensed companies. Always contact the employer directly through its own website.

Last checked 12 November 2026. Independent service, not part of the Home Office or GOV.UK. General information, not immigration advice: for your own case use an IAA-regulated adviser or a solicitor.