Before you believe any UK job offer — from an agency, a WhatsApp forward, or a cousin of a cousin — there is one free check that settles the matter: the register of licensed sponsors. Five minutes on the official file, and you know whether the company can sponsor at all.
What the register actually contains
The register is published by the Home Office on GOV.UK under the title "Register of licensed sponsors: workers". It lists every organisation licensed under the Worker and Temporary Worker routes, together with the categories of workers each one may sponsor. It is a document you download — free, no account, no agent.
How to check an employer, step by step
- Get the register from GOV.UK (search "register of licensed sponsors workers gov.uk")
- Search the company's name EXACTLY — spelling, punctuation, everything
- Check the town matches the job you were offered
- Check the licence category covers the route you were promised
Two traps catch most victims: names one letter off the real company, and city names that do not match the offer. Both die against the register in seconds.
What the register cannot do
It confirms a licence, not a job. Being on the list does not mean the company is hiring, and it does not mean your specific role qualifies — since 22 July 2025, most Skilled Worker jobs must be degree-level with a GBP 41,700 standard threshold, and new overseas recruitment of care workers has ended. The register tells you who CAN sponsor; GOV.UK's eligible occupations and visa pages tell you WHAT can be sponsored.
Use it as a weapon
Send the register to the family group where the "UK sponsor, pay me for processing" agent operates. Ask one question in public: which letter of this company's name appears on the official list? The scam ends where the checking starts — and checking is free, official, and takes five minutes.