Free resource
Sponsorship scam warning
By Nancy Osazee, Founder
A real sponsor does not need you to pay them for the job. They do not need your passport in the post. They do not message you from a free email account with a certificate attached as a Word file.
Check the register yourself, from GOV.UK. If you want advice, use an adviser you found on the official finder, not one the recruiter insisted on.
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.
Stop if you see these
- A fee to the employer or the recruiter for 'processing your sponsorship'. The visa fee is paid to the Home Office in the application, and the amount is shown there.
- A Certificate of Sponsorship as a PDF or a Word document that you are told to forward. The real certificate is a reference number in the sponsor's system.
- Pressure to resign, or to transfer money, before you have checked the register.
- A request for your passport, BRP, or bank login.
What to do instead
Download the register from GOV.UK and search the legal name. Read the Skilled Worker page for the real application steps. To report a suspicious approach, use the contacts on GOV.UK rather than a number in the suspicious message.
Download it now
No email. No account.
Or leave your email
Optional. The downloads stay available either way. We do not send a separate file from this form yet.
On CareerPilot
Start from the jobs list and the register, not from an unsolicited message.
Questions
Is it normal to pay an immigration adviser?
A regulated adviser can charge you for advice. An employer should not charge you for the job. Check the adviser on the GOV.UK finder.
The message uses the CareerPilot name. Is it you?
CareerPilot does not ask for a fee to unlock a sponsor, and we do not ask for your passport. The jobs are on this website.
What if I already paid?
Stop sending money. Keep the messages. Contact your bank, and use the official reporting routes on GOV.UK rather than a link in the scam.
Sources
- Register of licensed sponsors: workers
- Find an immigration adviser (GOV.UK)
- Skilled Worker visa (GOV.UK)
Last checked 10 October 2026.