In order to be eligible for a skilled worker visa to the UK, you need to first have a job offer from an employer with a valid sponsor license in the UK. In this article, you will find information to help you to find the companies that can sponsor you to work in the UK.
What is visa sponsorship for employment?
For you to work in a foreign country you need to be employed by an employer running a legal business entity. Your employer must guarantee that you will fill a specific role for which they will sponsor you. The sponsorship will allow you to access all the basic services in the country such as healthcare and social services.
Visa sponsorship is a set of documents that states and guarantees your working status and job profile within the UK. The employer will assign you a certificate of sponsorship (CoS) which is a reference number that you will need to provide during the visa application. Once you have this visa sponsorship you can then apply for the visa to go and work in the UK.
You will not necessarily receive a physical certificate, though you may ask your employer to print out the details for the certificate from the Sponsor Management System (SMS). Once your employer has assigned you a CoS, you only have three months to apply for a visa after which the CoS expires.
Search for your Job
Your job must be in the shortage occupation. A ‘shortage occupation’ is a skilled job where there is a shortage of workers in the UK. Search for the job on Job Boards and other platforms. If you find a job that suits you and you would like to apply for it, then first cross-reference if the company is on the Tier 2 (Skilled Worker visa) sponsor list and also if the job is on the shortage occupation list.
If both the company and job are on the lists, then you can go ahead and make the application. In your application, you must indicate that you require a sponsored visa to work in the UK.
How to check if the company is on the sponsor list
The UK has a list of organizations licensed to sponsor workers on the Worker and Temporary Worker immigration routes. Below are the options that you can use to easily access and search for companies on the sponsor list.
- Download the Government Tire 2 Sponsor List
Go to the government site (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-licensed-sponsors-workers) and download the list as a .csv file or any other format that may be available. You can use the search function (CTRL + F) to search for a particular company if it’s on the list.
- Search Online Databases
The UK Tier Sponsors (https://uktiersponsors.co.uk/) and the Sponsor Tier 2 web app (https://sponsortier2.com/) provide an easy-to-search platform where you can search for any company. The platforms provide the functionality to search by Company name, Town/City and/or Industry as well as a link to the company website. You can also use specialized job boards which filter jobs that provide Tier 2 sponsorship.
Is your occupation on the shortage occupation list?
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)
Generally known as an occupation code, SOC is a four-digit number that classifies occupations into broad job types and related job titles. In order to check whether your occupation is on the shortage occupation list, you need to know the associated SOC. If you do not know your SOC you can search for it on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) system which classifies all types of paid jobs in the UK.
Once you know your SOC you can search whether your occupation is on the shortage occupation list. Take note that there is a separate list for shortage occupations for health and education. If your occupation is in the health or education sectors, you can check on that list.
ALSO READ: How to get a Visa for a job on the UK skills shortage list.
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