Licensed sponsor (register of licensed sponsors)

GOV.UK says an employer will usually need a sponsor licence to employ someone from outside the UK. Once licensed, the employer becomes a licensed sponsor: it can assign a certificate of sponsorship to a worker for a suitable job, and that worker can then apply for a visa such as the Health and Care Worker visa.

When the Home Office approves a licence, the employer receives an A rating and is listed on the register of licensed sponsors: workers. GOV.UK describes this register as the list of organisations licensed to sponsor workers on the Worker and Temporary Worker routes. It shows each organisation's name, town, county, type and rating, and the route it is licensed for, and it is updated very frequently.

For a sponsored visa, your employer must be a licensed sponsor. For the Health and Care Worker visa it must also be the NHS, an organisation providing medical services to the NHS, or an adult social care provider. NHS trusts and boards that recruit internationally already hold licences, but smaller private clinics, GP practices and care providers may not.

Checking the register before you accept an offer is a simple way to confirm that an employer can sponsor you. Search the published list for the organisation's legal name and check that the route shown covers Skilled Worker sponsorship.

1. Check the business is eligible and the jobs are suitable for sponsorship.
2. Choose the licence type: Worker, Temporary Worker or both.
3. Appoint people to manage sponsorship within the organisation.
4. Apply online and pay the fee.

GOV.UK says the licence usually stays valid as long as the employer continues to meet the eligibility requirements, with exceptions for Scale-up and UK Expansion Worker licences.

GOV.UK sets the Worker licence fee at £611 for small or charitable sponsors and £1,682 for medium or large sponsors. Most applications are decided in less than 8 weeks. A faster service costs an extra £750 for a decision within 10 working days, but places are limited each working day.

A licence can be downgraded from an A rating to a B rating if the employer does not meet its duties. GOV.UK says a B-rated sponsor cannot assign new certificates of sponsorship, though it can still extend permissions for workers it already sponsors. To return to an A rating it must follow a UKVI action plan, which costs £1,579. The employer must pay all sponsorship fees and cannot pass them to the worker.

• Trading names. The register lists legal entities, so a hospital or clinic may appear under its trust or company name.
• Wrong route. An employer licensed only for Temporary Worker routes cannot sponsor a Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker visa.
• B rating. A downgraded sponsor cannot assign new certificates until it returns to an A rating.
• Licence revoked. If a licence is revoked, GOV.UK says the employer cannot appeal and must wait at least 12 months to reapply.

Our Health and Care Worker visa guide explains which employers qualify for that route.