Sponsored Jobs with UK Licensed Sponsors — Skilled Worker Route, Eligible Occupations Only

Employers on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors recruit overseas workers into roles that meet Skilled Worker rules. A licence alone is not enough: the specific job must also sit in an eligible occupation code.

Both tests have to pass

• The employer holds a Skilled Worker sponsor licence under the exact legal entity that will employ you, and holds an A-rating
• The job's SOC 2020 occupation code is listed as Higher Skilled in Appendix Skilled Occupations, or qualifies through the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List

Salary

• £41,700 a year or the occupation's going rate, whichever is higher
• £37,500 with a relevant PhD, at 90 per cent of the going rate
• £33,400 with a STEM PhD, on the Immigration Salary List, or as a new entrant
• Going rates are national. There is no London uplift

What the applicant pays

• £819 from outside the UK for up to three years, or £1,618 for longer
• Immigration health surcharge, usually £1,035 a year
• £1,270 held for 28 days, unless the sponsor certifies maintenance
• English at level B2, which US, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and Irish nationals are exempt from proving

What the employer pays

The Immigration Skills Charge is the sponsor's own liability — £1,320 per 12 months for a medium or large sponsor, £480 for a small or charitable one — and it may not be recovered from the worker.

Never pay for sponsorship. There is no lawful payment from a worker for a sponsor licence or a Certificate of Sponsorship. Visa rules, thresholds and fees are set by the Home Office, not by JobGader; confirm them on gov.uk before applying.