Frequently Asked Questions
What is UK Visa Sponsor Check?
UK Visa Sponsor Check is an independent platform that continually pulls data directly from the official Home Office register of licensed sponsors. It functions as a free, highly searchable tool designed specifically for skilled workers, international students, and visa applicants. By using our tool, you can instantly verify whether a prospective employer or company is legally licensed to sponsor your Skilled Worker or Student visa applications before you invest time into their recruitment process.
Where does the data come from?
The UK Home Office frequently publishes an official, publicly accessible register of all licensed visa sponsors. SponsorCheck securely fetches, processes, and synchronizes with this official government register on a regular automated schedule. This ensures that the data you see stays current, reflecting the latest additions, revocations, and rating changes in the UK immigration landscape.
What does an A-rated sponsor mean?
An A-rated sponsor is a verified employer that holds a fully compliant sponsor licence with absolutely no restrictions. Conversely, a B-rated sponsor means the organization failed certain compliance checks and is currently under a strict, time-limited action plan by the Home Office. It is critical to know that only fully A-rated sponsors are legally permitted to issue new Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) and take on new sponsored workers.
What does B-rated mean and can I still work there?
When a sponsor is downgraded to B-rated, they are placed under a strict compliance action plan and heavily monitored by UK Visas and Immigration. During this probationary period, they are completely barred from sponsoring any new workers until they resolve their issues and return to an A-rating. However, if you already hold an active visa with that employer, your existing sponsorship is not immediately affected while they work through their action plan.
How often is the data updated?
Our internal database and the public register are synced regularly directly from the primary UK Home Office data source. We run automated ingestion scripts to ensure that our search interface accurately mirrors the most recent government publications. Nevertheless, we strongly recommend that users should always verify critical decisions or final offers against the official Home Office website to ensure absolute certainty.
Is this tool free?
Yes, UK Visa Sponsor Check is entirely free for everyone to use. We designed the tool to be as accessible as possible for all job seekers navigating the complex immigration system. Furthermore, it requires no user account creation, no login credentials, and no subscriptions to access the complete sponsor database.
Can I use this to check if my current employer is still licensed?
Yes, you can and absolutely should use this tool to monitor your current employer's sponsorship status. If a sponsor officially loses their licence, all sponsored workers associated with them may need to rapidly find a new sponsor or leave the UK within 60 days. Therefore, we highly recommend checking the register regularly if you are currently residing in the UK on a sponsored visa.
What is the difference between Skilled Worker and Student sponsor licences?
A Skilled Worker licence permits a company to hire eligible overseas professionals for long-term employment, whereas a Student sponsor licence allows educational institutions to enroll international students. These distinct operating licenses appear separately on the government register depending on the organization's approved capabilities. SponsorCheck clearly displays the specific licence type and allowed routes for each organization so users exclusively know whether the licence covers the exact visa route they need.