The ninety-second check
- 1Open the Register of licensed sponsors: workers and download the current spreadsheet, or use a search tool that reads from it.
- 2Search for the most distinctive word in the employer's name — “Northfield”, not “Northfield Care Services Limited”. Registered legal names rarely match trading names.
- 3Check the route column on any match. “Skilled Worker” is the one you need for a normal open-market hire.
- 4Check the rating. A-rated is the normal state; B-rated means the sponsor is on a Home Office action plan and is restricted while it runs.
- 5Check the town or city. A national chain may appear once under a head-office address — that's fine — but a completely unrelated location alongside a common company name usually means you've matched the wrong organisation.
This is the check our job search runs automatically on every listing. A Verified badge means the employer's name matched an organisation on the live register. Pre-Verified means the role's salary has been checked against current thresholds but we haven't been able to match the employer to a register entry — usually a name-matching problem rather than proof of absence.
Four claims that sound like sponsorship but aren't
- “We're in the process of applying for a licence.” Sometimes true, often indefinite. An employer cannot assign you a Certificate of Sponsorship until the licence is granted, and applications take time and can be refused. Never resign a job on this basis.
- “We sponsor for some roles.” Entirely plausible and entirely useless unless the role you're discussing is one of them. Ask which occupation code this specific role would be sponsored under.
- “We can sponsor if you cover the costs.” A serious warning sign. Sponsors cannot lawfully pass on the sponsor licence fee or the Immigration Skills Charge to the worker. An employer offering this arrangement is either uninformed about the rules or willing to break them.
- “Our partner company will sponsor you.” The entity that assigns your certificate must be the one you work for, and must hold the licence. Vague structures involving a third-party “employer of record” need very careful checking.
Questions that get a straight answer
Employers who sponsor routinely will answer all of these in one email. Employers who don't will go quiet — which is itself the answer, and far better received at week one than week nine.
- Which legal entity holds the sponsor licence, and what is its exact registered name?
- Which SOC 2020 occupation code would this role be sponsored under?
- Is the salary you're offering the guaranteed basic gross figure, excluding bonus and allowances?
- Have you assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship for a comparable role in the last twelve months?
- Who handles the sponsorship process internally — an in-house team, or an external immigration adviser?
What a genuine process actually looks like
Real sponsorship follows a recognisable sequence. You receive a written offer naming the sponsoring entity, the job title, the occupation code and the guaranteed base salary. The employer then assigns a Certificate of Sponsorship electronically — you'll be given a reference number, not a document to pay for. You use that reference in your own visa application, generally within three months of it being assigned, and you pay the application fee, the Immigration Health Surcharge where it applies, and provide your own supporting documents.
Anything that departs from that shape deserves scrutiny: a “certificate” you're asked to buy, a recruiter holding your documents, a fee for a “sponsorship slot”, or an offer that never names the legal entity.
When a licence is real but the role still won't work
Verification is necessary but not sufficient. Even with a valid A-rated Skilled Worker licence, the job itself has to be an eligible occupation at an eligible salary — the higher of the general threshold and the occupation's going rate. Our guide to the salary threshold walks through that calculation. A verified sponsor advertising a role below its own occupation's going rate cannot sponsor that role, however willing they are.
The other frequent disappointment: a licence limited to Global Business Mobility, which only covers moving existing employees between a group's international offices. Genuine licence, genuine register entry, no route to hiring you from the open market.
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