Where the UK's Live Sponsorship Jobs Actually Are: A 17,000-Role Snapshot
We joined a live feed of 17,000+ verified sponsored vacancies to the Home Office register. The result is a map of where UK sponsorship hiring actually happens — and it isn't always where the most licences are.
1. The data
This snapshot joins the daily-synced feed of live, verified sponsored vacancies from our partner board Tarve to the Home Office register — every role sits at a company whose licence we can verify by exact register name. Counts move daily; each city page shows its live number in real time.
2. Where the jobs are
London dominates in absolute terms with roughly 3,200 live sponsored roles — but that's under a fifth of the national total. Bristol (~250), Birmingham and Manchester (~200 each), Leeds (~140), Edinburgh (~100) and Cambridge (~100) all sustain substantial sponsored hiring, and roles appear in over a hundred towns. If your search is London-only, you're ignoring more than 80% of the market.
3. Who is hiring at scale
The Top-50 actively-hiring ranking is dominated by hospitality, delivery and care employers — companies like Greene King (1,500+ roles) and Barchester Healthcare (600+) hire continuously at national scale. Tech and finance sponsors hold many licences but post fewer, higher-salary openings. The practical takeaway: licence counts tell you who could sponsor; vacancy counts tell you who is recruiting this week.
4. How to use this in your search
- Start from your occupation's SOC code and going rate — it defines which offers can legally work.
- Open your target city page and scan its live roles and dominant sectors.
- Cross-check any employer on the sponsor list before applying.
- Set your salary expectations with the 2026 threshold guide.
Frequently asked questions
- Which UK city has the most visa sponsorship jobs?
- London, with roughly 3,200 live sponsored vacancies in our current snapshot — but that is under 20% of the national total. Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh and Cambridge all carry substantial live sponsored hiring.
- Which UK employers sponsor the most jobs right now?
- By live vacancy count, large hospitality and care employers lead — Greene King and Barchester Healthcare are among the biggest, each with hundreds to over a thousand open sponsored roles. The live Top-50 ranking on our sponsor list page updates daily.