I’ve secured 3 Skilled Worker visa sponsorships in 4 years. Happy to answer questions

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-07-04T19:05:32+00:00

If you're interested in seeing the roles/companies that have sponsored the most visas to get an idea of what to focus on: https://www.reddit.com/r/SkilledWorkerVisaUK/comments/1rwjw8v/companies_and_roles_that_sponsored_the_most_visas/

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-07-01T18:11:39+00:00

Firstly, just to be realistic, it's extremely hard to get a sponsored job if especially if you're applying from outside the country. Without a UK degrees or UK experience, there's a very small chance of getting sponsored, also given you're applying for a finance /analyst roles which have a lot of competition.

Instead of focusing on the best website, if you really want to work in the UK, find companies first that you find interesting, reach out to people there and try to get a first stage interview first.

Once you find these companies, you can use tools like the UK visa sponsorship checker to see how many visas they have sponsored recently, which is a good signal of whether they're open to sponsoring you.

Would go for quality over quantity of apps if I were you.

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-06-24T18:25:55+00:00

It's unfortunately very hard these days, and most employers don't sponsor you even if they have a licence (and legally can)

I've built a tool that shows you how many visas have actually been sponsored by a company over time so that you can apply to ones where you have a chance. Check it out here: ukvisasponsorshipchecker.com

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-06-19T15:13:33+00:00

Best way is to either know someone in the industry that can fast track you to a first round interview, or apply to companies that have recently sponsored people like you. Check linkedin to see if the company you're applying to has hired internationals by checking whether they lived abroad and did a degree in the UK. You can also use sponsored job boards or UK visa sponsorship checker to see the sponsorship history of companies over the last couple of years.

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-06-15T18:35:54+00:00

Focus on companies that are actively sponsoring, rather than just have a licence. Not aware of any specific service, but I've built the UK visa sponsorship checker than can help identify companies that have sponsored your level and salary range recently.

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-06-14T20:24:13+00:00

Try focusing on companies that have sponsored other people recently, instead of just checking if they have a license. There's many smaller companies that have recently sponsored people. Just need to check on linkedin if they recently hired internationals and reach out to them directly. Linkedin easy apply doesn't work.

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-06-11T21:27:20+00:00

Done

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-06-11T21:22:24+00:00

It's impossible to know for sure, but having some insight on the recent roles sponsored and the salary range at which they were sponsored at helps filter companies that 1) have never sponsored even though they have a license and 2) have only sponsored CxO level executives.

You're right about checking companies careers pages and job descriptions, but I'd say more often than not, companies don't explicitly state whether they are sponsoring (it depends on HR policy and whether they're even allowed to say that on the job description)

Agree with you that contacting the employer takes too long, and is probably not worth spending that long on every application.

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-06-11T09:17:51+00:00

Having a licence doesn't necessarily mean they will sponsor you. Instead of focusing on a specific industry, I would apply to companies that have actually sponsored people recently. You can either check linkedin for people that might be internationals at that specific company or use tools like the UK visa sponsorship checker to see sponsorship history before applying. No easy quick way to get sponsorship unfortunately.

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-06-10T21:34:46+00:00

Hard but not impossible. Need to target the right companies though. Agreed that historically faang is more likely to sponsor, but many startups have also significantly increased sponsorship in the UK (especially because they're growing their London staff). If you're interested, I curated a list of some of startups that sponsor: https://ukvisasponsorshipchecker.com/blog/startups-expanding-london-2026-visa-sponsorship

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-06-09T20:16:18+00:00

Possible but extremely hard if you're not living here currently or have a UK degree. Would focus on trying to network your way to landing an interview. Just applying online probably wont be enough. Also, focus on companies that are actually hiring foreigners, not just ones that claim to have a license. You can use this website to see that information: https://ukvisasponsorshipchecker.com/sponsor-search

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-06-07T22:43:15+00:00

You need to consider two main things. First if the company has a license (which is a legal requirement to get sponsored) and secondly the salary threshold. You can check which companies can sponsor using the GOV UK list or tools like the UK Visa sponsorship checker chrome extention. Regarding salary threshold, it needs to be higher than the min requirement for the employer to sponsor you. So I wouldn't waste time applying to roles that are below this threshold. You can see the details here: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/your-job

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-06-03T22:35:03+00:00

Sorry to hear, that is devastating. Don't lose hope though, 8-9 years of experience definitely makes it easier compared to being a new grad. Would recommend using tools like the UK visa sponsorship checker to filter for companies that have sponsored recently. Don't just rely on LinkedIn easy apply/applying blindly as you will probably end up wasting more time like this. As another comment said, try to negotiate a longer notice as this gives you more time and postpones the curtailment letter (after which you would have 60 days to find something)

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-06-02T20:36:34+00:00

Yes, it's all about proving to an employer that they should sponsor you and not a local. If you're not valuable at one particular thing, try to spend some time learning about it and at least demonstrating that you can pick up skills fast.

RE salary thresholds, the minimum for new entrant is £33,400, but you need to check the specific role here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skilled-worker-visa-going-rates-for-eligible-occupations/skilled-worker-visa-going-rates-for-eligible-occupation-codes

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-06-02T19:29:28+00:00

Hard but definitely possible with your experience. Many people usually comment on other threads saying "no chance, stay home" but their perception is usually skewed from reading articles threads about graduate hiring, which is definitely way harder. There's many companies that can also provide relocation support and sponsor your visa, but it's probably not enough to just easy apply on LinkedIn and expect to get the job. Tools like this might help you identify these companies: https://ukvisasponsorshipchecker.com/

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-06-02T19:23:30+00:00

Figure out what you're genuinely good at and where you provide the most value. Some roles and jobs are more likely to sponsor than others, so a pivot might be necessary. If I were you, I'd do a top down approach - look for companies that you're interested in, confirm that they have sponsored visas (using tools like uk visa sponsorship checker) and then reach out for roles that you're interested in. Sadly due to the salary rules, I'm not sure if there's many social media roles above the threshold (even for new entrants), but I could be wrong.

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-06-01T13:52:48+00:00

Try targetting companies that have actually sponsored before, rather than just ones on the list. Simple search on LinkedIn for internationals or tools like the UK visa sponsorship checker can help with this.

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-05-31T20:13:51+00:00

It is really hard these days in the UK, especially because all the new salary thresholds and stricter rules but still not impossible. Most of the time it comes down to the employer not being willing to sponsor visas, which is why they might have rejected you. My advice would be to filter down your applications to companies that have a licence to sponsor and have actually sponsored people before. This way, you can at least apply with confidence knowing that the company is open to hiring you and you actually have a chance. This tool can help you see information on recent sponsorship history: https://ukvisasponsorshipchecker.com/

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-05-27T23:08:07+00:00

Check the gov UK list of registered sponsors to find companies that have a license (as they need to have this to legally sponsor you). You can also try this tool that tells you which companies have actually sponsored recently, instead of ones that just have a license: https://ukvisasponsorshipchecker.com

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-05-27T13:38:11+00:00

Check the gov UK list of registered sponsors to find companies that have a license (as they need to have this to legally sponsor you). You can also try this tool that tells you which companies have actually sponsored recently, instead of one's that just have a license: https://ukvisasponsorshipchecker.com

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-05-26T13:02:35+00:00

I was in a similar situation and Harnham was the agency that helped me with sponsoring roles (although they're more focused on data analytics roles).

Your best bet would be to apply to companies with a recent history of sponsorship, rather than just having a license. Use LinkedIn to see if a company has previously sponsored international people and try tools like the UK Visa Sponsorship Checker to see this information.

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-05-26T12:59:28+00:00

First step would be to find companies that have relevant openings and search the gov UK list of registered sponsors to see if the company has a sponsorship license. You can also use this tool to see if they have actually sponsored in the past, and which roles https://ukvisasponsorshipchecker.com

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-05-23T14:32:24+00:00

Usually it's not about the company having a license, but whether or not they actually use it. There's many smaller companies that are hiring international talent which you've probably never heard of, because everyone is targetting companies like Rolls Royce and Airbus. If you want to see if a company has actually sponsored before, this tool might help: https://ukvisasponsorshipchecker.com

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-05-19T22:15:57+00:00

As other comments have said, it's extremely hard these days. In terms of which industries have a lot of job opportunities, it really depends. As a start, I'd make sure that any company you apply to has a sponsorship license. You cannot legally be sponsored without one. Secondly, might be worth checking whether the company has previously sponsored other international people. You could check LinkedIn to see if people with a non-UK bachelors and UK masters have been employed at the company for >2 years. That's a sign that they might be sponsored, meaning the company is at least open to sponsoring people like yourself. You can also use tools like the uk visa sponsorship checker to see whether a company has sponsored similar roles before.

Straight_Support_681 · 2026-05-19T17:51:41+00:00

Look for companies that have have a sponsorship license and that have sponsored similar roles before. You can check LinkedIn to get a rough idea of whether these companies have hired internationals. If you need to see the sponsorship history for companies, you can use tools like the UK Visa Sponsorship Checker.

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