What is the Daily Sponsor Licence Checker?
Our daily sponsor licence checker is a free, comprehensive tool that lets you verify whether any UK company holds a valid sponsor licence issued by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). Unlike other tools and resources that may rely on weekly, monthly, or even quarterly data updates, our checker pulls data from the official GOV.UK Register of Licensed Sponsors every single day.
This means when you search for a company using our tool, you're seeing the most current information available about their sponsorship status — giving you confidence in your job search and visa application decisions. Whether you're researching potential employers, verifying a job offer, or preparing a visa application, daily accuracy is not just a nice-to-have — it's essential for protecting your immigration plans.
A sponsor licence is the legal permission granted by UKVI that allows a UK employer to hire foreign workers on sponsored visa routes, including the Skilled Worker visa, Health and Care Worker visa, and various temporary worker routes. Without a valid sponsor licence, a company simply cannot legally offer you visa sponsorship — regardless of what they may claim during the recruitment process.
Why Daily Updates Matter
Sponsor licences are not static documents that remain unchanged once granted. The UKVI sponsor register is a living database that changes regularly. Here's what can happen at any time — and why daily checking protects you:
- Licences get revoked: UKVI regularly revokes licences from companies that fail compliance checks, don't meet their reporting obligations, or are found to have committed immigration offences. If you've accepted a job offer from such a company and they lose their licence between your offer and your visa application, your application will be refused. In 2024-2025 alone, hundreds of sponsors had their licences revoked.
- Licences get suspended: A suspended sponsor cannot issue new Certificates of Sponsorship. This means even if they've offered you a job and verbally promised sponsorship, they legally cannot proceed until the suspension is lifted — which may never happen if the issues are serious enough.
- New sponsors are added regularly: Companies gain sponsor licences every week. Daily checking means you can spot new opportunities before other job seekers, giving you a significant competitive advantage — especially in high-demand sectors like healthcare and technology.
- Ratings change: An A-rated sponsor could become B-rated following a compliance audit. B-rated sponsors typically cannot issue new Certificates of Sponsorship, meaning they cannot sponsor new workers until they resolve their compliance issues. A company that could sponsor you last week might not be able to this week.
- Mergers and acquisitions: When companies merge or are acquired, their sponsor licences can change. The acquiring company may need to apply for a new licence, creating a gap during which sponsorship is not possible.
How to Use Our Sponsor Licence Checker
Checking a company's sponsor licence status takes under 10 seconds and requires no registration or payment. Here's how to use it effectively:
Visit our sponsor licence checker page
Type the name of the company you want to check — partial names work too
See their licence status, compliance rating, location, and visa routes covered
Pro tips for more accurate searches:
- Try both the company's trading name and its legal registered name — sometimes they differ. For example, a company trading as "Tech Solutions" might be registered as "Tech Solutions Limited" or "Tech Solutions UK Ltd".
- If you can't find a company, try searching with just the first few distinctive words of their name.
- Remember that some large organisations (like NHS Trusts) have very specific official names that may differ from how they're commonly known.
What Do the Results Mean?
When you check a company's sponsor licence using our daily checker, you'll see one of these outcomes. Understanding each one is crucial for making informed decisions about your job search and visa application:
Active (A-Rated)
The company holds a valid sponsor licence and is fully compliant with UKVI requirements. They can actively issue Certificates of Sponsorship and sponsor your visa application. This is the best possible result.
When you see this status, you can confidently proceed with your application knowing the company has the legal authority to sponsor your visa. However, always verify again just before submitting your actual visa application, as statuses can change.
Active (B-Rated)
The company has a sponsor licence, but UKVI has identified compliance issues. They have been placed on an action plan and typically cannot issue new Certificates of Sponsorship until the issues are resolved. Proceed with extreme caution.
If you're considering a role with a B-rated sponsor, ask the employer directly about their rating and their plan to resolve the issues. Be aware that B-rated sponsors face a real risk of having their licence revoked entirely if they fail to improve.
Not Found / Revoked / Suspended
The company either does not have a sponsor licence, or their licence has been revoked or suspended by UKVI. They cannot sponsor your visa under any circumstances. Do not accept job offers contingent on sponsorship from this company.
If a company offers you visa sponsorship but does not appear in our checker, this is a major red flag. It could indicate a scam or at best a company that does not understand the sponsorship process. Learn more about protecting yourself from fake sponsorship offers.
For a comprehensive explanation of what each status means and how it affects your visa, read our detailed guide on sponsor licence statuses explained.
When to Check a Sponsor Licence
Checking once is not enough. We recommend verifying a company's sponsor licence at multiple critical stages throughout your job search and visa application process. Each check takes only seconds but could save you months of wasted effort:
- Before applying for a job — Confirm the company actually has a valid sponsor licence before investing time writing a tailored CV and cover letter. There's no point applying to a company that cannot sponsor you, no matter how attractive the role appears.
- After receiving a job offer — Verify the licence is still active and A-rated before signing your employment contract. The period between application and offer can be weeks or months, during which the company's status could have changed.
- While waiting for your Certificate of Sponsorship — If there are delays in your employer issuing your CoS, recheck their licence status. Delays sometimes occur because a sponsor has lost their ability to issue certificates.
- Before submitting your visa application — Do a final check right before you submit your visa application to UKVI. This is your last line of defence against applying with an invalid sponsorship.
- If anything seems off — Trust your instincts. If an employer is evasive about their sponsorship status, is asking you to pay for sponsorship, or seems unfamiliar with the process, run a check immediately.
Common Reasons for Sponsor Licence Revocation
Understanding why licences get revoked can help you spot potential red flags during your job search. UKVI revokes sponsor licences for reasons including:
- Failure to report changes: Sponsors must report changes like when a worker stops attending work, changes working hours, or changes their address. Failure to report within required timeframes is a common compliance breach.
- Paying below the required salary: If a sponsor is found paying a sponsored worker less than the salary listed on their Certificate of Sponsorship, or below the minimum threshold, their licence can be revoked.
- Offering fake roles: Creating fictitious job positions purely to enable immigration is illegal and results in immediate revocation and potential criminal prosecution.
- Inadequate record-keeping: Sponsors must maintain comprehensive records including right-to-work checks, attendance records, and copies of relevant documents. Poor record-keeping is a frequent cause of licence action.
- Non-cooperation with UKVI: Refusing to cooperate with compliance visits, audits, or information requests from UKVI leads to licence action.
- Business insolvency: If a company goes into administration or ceases trading, their sponsor licence is typically revoked.
This is exactly why daily checking matters — any of these events can happen at any time, and you need to know about them before they affect your visa application.
Our Data Source
All sponsor licence data displayed by our checker comes directly from the official GOV.UK Register of Licensed Sponsors, published by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), a division of the Home Office.
We do not modify, filter, or editorialize this data in any way — we simply make it significantly easier to search and understand. Our automated system checks for new versions of the register every day, processes the data, and makes it available through our search tools.
The result is a reliable, free, and always up-to-date sponsor licence checking service that gives you the same information UKVI publishes, presented in a much more accessible and user-friendly format.
Other Tools to Support Your Visa Journey
Our daily sponsor licence checker is just one of several free tools we offer to help you navigate the UK visa sponsorship process:
- Sponsor Directory — Browse and search the full UKVI register with filters for city, industry, and visa route. Each sponsor has a dedicated profile page with all their details.
- Recent Changes Tracker — See which sponsors have been added, updated, or removed in the past 7 days. Perfect for spotting new opportunities early.
- Industry Browser — Explore sponsors organised by industry sector, from healthcare and technology to finance and education.
- How to Get Sponsored Guide — Step-by-step guide to the entire sponsorship process, from finding a sponsor to receiving your visa.
- Free Resources — Download CV templates, cover letter guides, and interview preparation materials designed specifically for visa sponsorship applications.