In 2025, the landscape for UK employers hiring under the Skilled Worker route is shifting faster than ever. Stricter rules, particularly in care, hospitality, and small business recruitment, are reshaping how sponsorship works. This article examines today’s reality, spotlighting companies with sponsorship licenses that are actively recruiting now, and exploring how employers are adapting to rising costs, tighter compliance, and evolving immigration requirements.
What GOV.UK Tells Employers in 2025?
As of 22 July 2025, the Home Office released the latest sponsor guidance for the Skilled Worker route.
Key changes include:
- Raising the minimum skill level from RQF 3 to RQF 6 (graduate level) for new roles, unless the role appears on the Temporary Shortage List or Immigration Salary List.
- Ending overseas sponsorship for care workers and senior care workers; these roles are no longer eligible under the Skilled Worker route.
Employers must now ensure they:
- Hold a valid sponsor licence, manage Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS), comply with record-keeping, and monitor sponsored workers closely.
Who’s Hiring: Companies With Sponsorship Licenses in 2025?
The Register of licensed sponsors on GOV.UK is the definitive source for identifying employers authorised to sponsor under the Skilled Worker route. Platforms like Sponsor Companies and QC-Immigration.com provide frequently updated, searchable versions of this list.
Key facts:
- Thousands of companies across the UK hold a sponsor licence, predominantly with an “A-rating”—meaning they remain compliant and authorised.
- Employers include large tech firms, engineering consultancies, financial services, healthcare (where allowed), universities, and sought-after Scale-up firms that face high-growth pressures.
What’s Changed Since Pre-2025 Recruitment?
1. Tightened Skill & Salary Requirements
- Pre-2025, roles at RQF 3 (e.g., care, some hospitality) were common. Now, only roles at the graduate level qualify. Many roles at lower levels (such as RQF 3) will still be eligible if they are on the Temporary shortage list.
- Employers must meet higherminimumsalaries—often £41,700 or more—with senior positions requiring £52,500+, substantially increasing cost for sponsored hiring.
2. Exiting Overseas Care Worker Recruitment
- New rules mean adultsocialcareroles can no longer be filled by overseas applicants unless they already reside in the UK. Existing care workers are allowed to stay until 22 July 2028, but no new overseas recruitment is permitted.
- This closes a key pathway previously used to meet care sector staffing shortfalls.
3. Skyrocketing Sponsorship Fees
- In April 2025, the certificate of sponsorship fee soared by 120%, from £25 to £55 for seasonal roles and to £525 for skilled worker CoS.
- This was compounded by higher health surcharges, immigration skills charges, and further administration costs—without the ability to pass fees onto sponsored workers.
4. Stricter Oversight & Shutdown of Dubious Providers
- In response to exploitation scandals—especially in the care sector—regulators have revoked licences from hundreds of suspect agencies and mandated Care Quality Commission (CQC) registration for care employers to qualify for sponsorship.
- The anti-slavery watchdog exposed widespread abuse, resulting in further reforms and higher enforcement across sectors.
5. Rushed Timeline and Uncertain Impact
- The sudden enforcement of new rules disrupted ongoing hiring plans. Employers had to fast-track hires to meet prior thresholds before new restrictions took effect.
- Employers in hospitality and small business sectors are particularly uncertain about how to adapt.
Spotlight: Active Sectors and Employers Still Hiring
Despite the hurdles, several sectors continue to recruit sponsored skilled workers actively:
- Tech & Scale-up Companies
Growing tech firms and fast-expanding businesses (the Scale-up route) can still hire skilled talent at RQF 6, meeting high-growth demands. - High-level Professionals
Roles in engineering, finance, research, IT, and creative industries like design and media remain within reach if they meet skill and salary standards. Some creative roles are even listed on the temporary shortage list, allowing exception. - Certain Healthcare Professionals
Nurses, medical practitioners, and allied health workers remain eligible under the Health and Care visa, a specialised stream still within the Skilled Worker route.
Employers still need to satisfy sponsorship obligations: Track absences, report changes, ensure compliance with right-to-work checks, and maintain documentation—especially with heightened enforcement underway.
Practical Advice for Employers & Job-Seekers
For Employers Seeking Sponsored Talent:
- Verify Sponsor Licence: Use the official GOV.UK register or updated platforms (e.g., Sponsor Companies, QC-Immigration).
- Check Eligibility: Ensure roles meet RQF 6 or are on acceptable shortage lists.
- Budget for Costs: Account for the hefty CoS fees, Immigration Skills Charge, and compliance admin, particularly as they cannot be passed to employees.
- Stay Compliant: Follow version 07/25 guidance, keep records, right-to-work documents, and assign CoS only for valid roles.
- Be Cautious in Care & Hospitality: For care roles, ensure CQC registration and internal compliance, and note that overseas recruitment is now restricted.
For International Skilled Applicants:
- Target High-skilled Roles: Focus on graduate-level jobs or those listed on the temporary shortage list.
- Check Employer Licensing: Confirm prospective employers hold a valid sponsor licence.
- Be Prepared for Costs Elsewhere: While employers pay the sponsorship fees, awareness of administrative delays or stricter criteria is vital.
- Act Quickly: Given shifting regulations, applications aligned with vacancies now are more likely to succeed—waiting could restrict future options.
Final Thought!
The UK job market in 2025 is evolving, moving from the broader access of the old Tier 2 system to a more focused Skilled Worker route that prioritises high-skilled roles, compliance, and investment in the domestic workforce. While thresholds are higher and oversight is stricter, strong opportunities remain for graduate-level professionals, the tech and scale-up sectors, healthcare, and certain creative industries. With the right preparation, clear understanding of the rules, and knowledge of companies with sponsorship licences, skilled applicants can still secure roles – the pathway is more selective, but very much open.
For ongoing updates, insights, and employer spotlights, follow skilledworkermag.com.
