The Home Office has published its latest Register of Worker and Temporary Worker Licensed Sponsors, revealing that 87,132 organisations now hold permission to hire non-UK nationals – up 12 % year-on-year. The CSV file, updated on 23 January 2026, lists every employer authorised under the Skilled Worker, Global Business Mobility, Scale-up and seasonal schemes. (gov.uk)
Growth has been driven by sectors facing acute domestic labour shortages. Health and social-care sponsors increased by 19 %, hospitality by 17 % and construction by 14 %. Tech and financial-services licences also expanded, but at a slower 8 % as firms digest higher salary thresholds introduced in July 2025. London and the South-East still account for 53 % of all sponsors, yet regions such as the West Midlands and Scotland posted the fastest growth, reflecting regional investment incentives. (gov.uk)
![Number of UK licensed work sponsors tops 87,000 as Home Office updates register]()
Employers exploring sponsorship for the first time, or looking to expand into new visa categories, can save valuable time by working with a specialist service such as VisaHQ. The company’s UK platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) pre-screens eligibility, highlights compliance pitfalls and handles submissions end-to-end, helping HR teams secure Certificates of Sponsorship more smoothly and avoid costly delays.
For global mobility teams, the swelling register means fiercer competition for sponsored talent but also longer UKVI processing times when assigning Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS). HR should check that their licence rating (A or B) remains clean; an unexpected downgrade can now take eight weeks to rectify, jeopardising start dates. The update is also a compliance reminder: licence renewal fees and key-person details must be kept current to avoid suspension. (gov.uk)
Immigration lawyers expect the sponsor count to plateau later this year if planned fee rises – including a proposed jump in the CoS fee from £239 to £525 – are approved by Parliament. Companies considering first-time sponsorship are therefore advised to apply before cost increases and ETA enforcement combine to raise the administrative bar. (gov.uk)
Growth has been driven by sectors facing acute domestic labour shortages. Health and social-care sponsors increased by 19 %, hospitality by 17 % and construction by 14 %. Tech and financial-services licences also expanded, but at a slower 8 % as firms digest higher salary thresholds introduced in July 2025. London and the South-East still account for 53 % of all sponsors, yet regions such as the West Midlands and Scotland posted the fastest growth, reflecting regional investment incentives. (gov.uk)
Employers exploring sponsorship for the first time, or looking to expand into new visa categories, can save valuable time by working with a specialist service such as VisaHQ. The company’s UK platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) pre-screens eligibility, highlights compliance pitfalls and handles submissions end-to-end, helping HR teams secure Certificates of Sponsorship more smoothly and avoid costly delays.
For global mobility teams, the swelling register means fiercer competition for sponsored talent but also longer UKVI processing times when assigning Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS). HR should check that their licence rating (A or B) remains clean; an unexpected downgrade can now take eight weeks to rectify, jeopardising start dates. The update is also a compliance reminder: licence renewal fees and key-person details must be kept current to avoid suspension. (gov.uk)
Immigration lawyers expect the sponsor count to plateau later this year if planned fee rises – including a proposed jump in the CoS fee from £239 to £525 – are approved by Parliament. Companies considering first-time sponsorship are therefore advised to apply before cost increases and ETA enforcement combine to raise the administrative bar. (gov.uk)
