Safety first: Legitimate sponsors never sell you a CoS. If someone asks for money to “guarantee sponsorship”, walk away and read our scam guide.

Why verification matters

Only Home Office–licensed organisations can sponsor most work visas. Job ads and WhatsApp offers are not proof of a licence.

Step-by-step company check

  1. Find the employer's legal organisation name on its offer, contract, Companies House record or official website.
  2. Enter that exact name in the FindMySponsor licence checker. Exact conservative name equality is the verification result; it does not use fuzzy matching or remove legal suffixes.
  3. Compare the raw organisation name, town, licence rating and routes. An A rating is the normal rating for a sponsor able to assign new certificates; route wording must cover the proposed visa route.
  4. Check the displayed source date, then cross-check the latest GOV.UK register before relying on the result.

Similarly named companies

A trading brand, parent company, franchise and employing subsidiary can all have different legal names. Substring suggestions in the checker are labelled possible register entries and are not identity verification. Ask the employer which entity will employ you and assign the Certificate of Sponsorship, then verify that exact entity.

What “not listed” usually means

First rule out spelling, punctuation, a trading name and an out-of-date source. If the exact employing entity is absent from the latest register, treat it as unable to issue a new Certificate of Sponsorship at that time. A pending application is not a current licence. Recheck only when the official register changes.

What a positive result does not prove

Licence presence does not show that the organisation is hiring, that a particular vacancy is eligible, that it will sponsor you, or that you meet the visa rules. Confirm the job, occupation code, salary and sponsorship commitment separately.

Related guides

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions people search about this topic.

How do I check if a company is a licensed UK visa sponsor? expand_more
Search the organisation on FindMySponsor and confirm it on the official GOV.UK Register of Licensed Sponsors. Check the exact legal name and rating.
How to find companies that offer visa sponsorship expand_more
Use FindMySponsor filters for industry, city, and route, then verify promising employers on GOV.UK before you apply or pay anyone.
How should I check a specific company? expand_more
Use the sponsor licence checker and enter the organisation's exact legal or trading name. A confirmed result means that exact conservative identity appears in the latest published register; it does not prove the organisation is hiring or will sponsor a particular role.

Reviewed 8 August 2026. Source: GOV.UK — Register of licensed sponsors. Register presence does not mean an employer is hiring, has a vacancy, will sponsor you or guarantees visa eligibility. Informational only, not legal advice.