How to Find UK Care Employers on the Sponsor Register
Finding a UK care employer on the sponsor register is a useful starting point, but it does not mean the employer has a vacancy or can sponsor your application.
Since 22 July 2025, new overseas applications for care workers and senior care workers have closed. Applicants outside the UK cannot use an employer’s sponsor licence to bypass this restriction. Eligible nursing and other healthcare roles remain separate possibilities.
People already in the UK may qualify under in-country extension, change-of-employer or switching provisions. Their immigration history and the specific job determine eligibility.
This guide explains how to check employers, find legitimate vacancies and assess employer-sponsored work visas using official UK guidance. It provides general information rather than personal immigration advice.
The register is not a care-employer directory. It also contains businesses, universities, charities and employers in other sectors.
A Health and Care Worker visa sits within the Skilled Worker route. Therefore, search for Skilled Worker, rather than expecting a separate “care visa” column.
The register does not publish a list of available jobs, guaranteed sponsorship places or recruitment fees.
Step-by-Step: Find Care Employers on the Register
1. Open the Official GOV.UK Page
Use the government link above and check its update date. Download the latest CSV or use the online preview.
Avoid relying on an old sponsor list sold by an agent. A licence can be suspended, revoked or otherwise changed.
2. Search the Full File
Open the CSV in Excel, Google Sheets or another spreadsheet application and enable filters on the header row.
The online preview may show only part of a large file. Failure to find a name in the preview is not enough to conclude that the organisation is absent.
3. Filter the Route
Filter the Route column to Skilled Worker. Where an organisation appears more than once, examine the entry for the relevant route.
An A-rated licence normally permits a sponsor to assign Certificates of Sponsorship. A B-rated sponsor normally cannot sponsor new workers until it meets the requirements to regain its A-rating.
4. Search Names and Locations
Search “care”, “health”, “nursing”, “home” or a specific employer name, then filter by location.
Keyword searches miss employers whose legal names do not mention care. Search the name supplied by HR and check any relationship between the legal entity and the brand.
5. Cross-Check the Business
Compare the sponsor entry with the employer’s website, Companies House information and care-regulator record.
A corporate group may have multiple companies. Ask which entity will employ and sponsor you. Do not assume that one subsidiary’s licence covers every business using the brand.
6. Check the Actual Vacancy
Open the employer’s official careers page. Confirm whether it accepts overseas candidates, UK-based sponsored workers or only people who already have unrestricted work rights.
Save the job reference, salary, duties, location and sponsorship wording. Then contact HR independently to confirm any unclear details.
For care-worker and senior-care-worker sponsorship in England, the employer must meet the Care Quality Commission registration requirement and carry on a regulated activity, subject to applicable transitional provisions.
Sponsor licensing and care regulation are different checks. Neither, by itself, proves that a particular job offer is genuine.
Which Care and Healthcare Jobs Can Be Sponsored?
Role
Main eligibility issue
Care worker/home carer, code 6135
In-country provisions
Senior care worker, code 6136
In-country provisions
Registered nurse
Eligible role and professional registration
Care manager
Duties, occupation code and salary
Other healthcare professional
Exact occupation eligibility
For people switching from another visa into care-worker or senior-care-worker sponsorship, GOV.UK requires at least three months of lawful work in the job for the sponsor. The transitional switching provision requires applications no later than 22 July 2028 and remains subject to review.
Existing sponsored workers should assess extension and employer-change rules separately. Do not assume that the three-month condition applies identically to every scenario.
Registered nursing is a different occupation. Overseas-qualified nurses normally need to satisfy Nursing and Midwifery Council registration requirements. A care certificate does not turn a care assistant into a registered nurse.
Construction sponsorship uses separate occupational rules. Civil engineers, quantity surveyors and construction project managers may qualify under Skilled Worker requirements. Certain trades have specific eligibility provisions.
Construction labourers are not eligible merely because an employer has a sponsor licence. A care sponsor cannot issue a care-worker CoS for construction duties.
The National Careers Service gives a general care-worker salary range of £20,000 to £25,000 annually. This is career information, not a sponsored-job pay guarantee.
For eligible care-worker and senior-care-worker Health and Care sponsorship, current sponsor guidance specifies at least £25,000 annually and £12.82 for each hour worked. Both requirements matter.
Registered nurse career information currently indicates approximately £32,000 to £48,000 annually, although actual NHS bands and private-sector offers vary.
Check the correct occupation code, applicable going rate, working hours and any transitional salary provisions. Other health and care occupations may have different thresholds.
Application: Use the official website’s jobseeker application link.
Drake Medox publishes international healthcare recruitment services, including nursing. This does not mean it can reopen overseas care-worker sponsorship.
For applicants resident in Nigeria: Nigeria is on England’s ethical-recruitment red list. The code restricts active recruitment, while allowing individuals to make qualifying direct applications independently to employers. This distinction does not override visa restrictions.
These are employer leads with verified contact channels, not a guarantee of a current sponsored vacancy. Check the hiring entity in the latest register.
Care UK
Address: Connaught House, 850 The Crescent, Colchester Business Park, Colchester, Essex CO4 9QB.
Route to assess: Eligible Health and Care Worker sponsorship, where offered.
Some current Agincare vacancies expressly state that sponsorship is unavailable. Historical international-recruitment articles are not evidence that a current position sponsors applicants.
Visa Requirements, Documents and Application Steps
For an eligible Health and Care Worker application, prepare:
Passport and CoS reference number.
Employer name, sponsor licence number and occupation code.
Job title, salary and employment details.
English-language evidence.
Maintenance evidence where required.
TB certificate, criminal-record certificates and translations where applicable.
Professional registration evidence for regulated roles.
Current English rules generally require B2 for new applicants. Certain existing visa holders extending or updating retain B1 arrangements. Check your precise circumstances before booking a test.
Maintenance normally requires £1,270 held for 28 consecutive days, with exemptions including qualifying residence or sponsor-certified maintenance.
Apply through GOV.UK’s Health and Care Worker visa guide. Your CoS is an electronic record, not a purchasable paper certificate. Generally, apply within three months of assignment.
Current standard fees are £324 for up to three years or £628 for more than three years. Eligible Health and Care Worker applicants are exempt from the immigration health surcharge. Confirm fees at application.
The UK uses indefinite leave to remain (ILR) for settlement. Current GOV.UK guidance provides a potential five-year qualifying route for eligible Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker visa holders.
Settlement also depends on continuous residence, absence limits, salary and sponsorship requirements, English and the Life in the UK Test where applicable. Proposed reforms must not be presented as enacted rules.
ILR can remove employer-sponsorship dependence and provide wider employment flexibility. Family visas and public benefits have separate eligibility conditions. Care-worker dependant restrictions mean family relocation should never be assumed.
Express Entry and RCIP are Canadian programmes, not UK settlement routes. There is no UK RCIP office or application address. Use official UK settlement guidance.
Embassy Contacts and Work Visa Verification
For Nigeria, the British High Commission is at Plot 1137, Diplomatic Drive, Central Business District, Abuja, FCT.
Telephone: +234 20 12770780, with alternative numbers ending 0781 or 0782.
Public access is by appointment. Apply online and follow the identity-verification instructions provided. The High Commission is not a recruitment agency or a walk-in CoS verification service.
Avoid paying for guaranteed CoS places, using altered references, confusing care assistants with nurses or assuming that a register entry guarantees a visa.
Sponsors cannot pass prohibited sponsor-licence, CoS or Immigration Skills Charge costs to workers. Your own application costs and independent legal advice are separate.
Before purchasing UK immigration lawyer services, Skilled Worker visa assistance or relocation services, check the adviser’s regulatory status and obtain written fees. Use the Immigration Advice Authority adviser finder, or the relevant solicitor regulator.
A reliable search combines the current sponsor register, care-regulator checks, genuine vacancies and your personal eligibility. Verify all four before spending money.
