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How to check an employer is on the sponsor register
By Nancy Osazee, Founder
The register of licensed sponsors is a spreadsheet the Home Office publishes. An employer can recruit a Skilled Worker only if their legal name is on it for that route.
A trading name, a group company, or a recruiter is often a different legal name. Search the name that would go on the Certificate of Sponsorship.
Written by Nancy Osazee, Founder of CareerPilot. This is a practical note, not advice about your own visa, contract, or legal case. Read the official page linked on this sheet before you rely on a figure.
How to check the sponsor register
- Open the workers register. Use the GOV.UK page Register of licensed sponsors: workers. Download the current file rather than a copy someone emailed you.
- Search the legal name. Search the organisation name. Try the name without Ltd, and the name with it. A near miss is not a match.
- Read the route and the rating. The row should include the Worker route you need, such as Skilled Worker. Note whether the rating is A or B, and the town.
- Write down the date. The file is updated. A check from last month is not a check today. Keep the date with your application notes.
A match is not a job offer
Being on the register means the organisation may sponsor someone. It does not mean they will sponsor you, or that this vacancy is genuine. Read the advert, and ask which legal entity will assign the certificate.
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On CareerPilot
Where we have matched a board to the register, the job card says so. You should still check the current file yourself.
Questions
The company has a .co.uk website. Are they a sponsor?
A website does not put them on the register. Only the published register does.
What if the rating is B?
They are still on the register, but a B rating means the Home Office has action in hand. Read the register notes and ask the employer what that means for new certificates.
Can a recruitment agency sponsor me?
Only if that agency's legal name is on the register and they will be your employer. Many agencies find the job and the employer sponsors it. Check the name that will assign the certificate.
Sources
Last checked 10 October 2026.