More than 127,000 organisations in the UK hold a sponsor licence. For an international professional looking for a way into the UK workforce, that sounds like a lot of potential employers.
But a sponsor licence doesn't mean an organisation is actively hiring from overseas, that every role it advertises can be sponsored, or that an applicant automatically meets the requirements.
At the same time, the UK work visa market has become more competitive. The Home Office recorded 234,841 work visas, including dependants, in the year ending June 2026, an 18% drop from the previous year and 62% below the December 2023 peak.
So for professionals trying to move to the UK, knowing which companies hold a sponsor licence is only the starting point. The harder part is working out which opportunities are actually realistic.
Techloy
Why sponsorship is harder to navigate
One of the first things international applicants have to contend with is salary.
The standard salary threshold for a Skilled Worker visa is currently £41,700 a year, although the amount that applies can vary depending on the route and the applicant's circumstances. The occupation's going rate can also matter, meaning the salary listed in a job advert doesn't always tell the whole story.
Then there is the cost to the employer.
From April 2026, a Worker sponsor licence costs £611 for small organisations and charities and £1,682 for medium and large organisations. A Certificate of Sponsorship costs £525, while employers can also be liable for the Immigration Skills Charge of £480 per year for smaller organisations and £1,320 for larger ones.
Those costs don't make sponsorship impossible, but they can make an overseas hire a more involved proposition than hiring someone who already has the right to work in the UK.
And even when an employer is willing to sponsor, not every role qualifies.
Changes to the Skilled Worker route increased the general skill threshold to RQF level 6 in 2025, while some lower-skilled occupations can qualify only where specific exceptions apply. That has narrowed the pool of roles available to many international workers.
Put together, the process creates several questions before an applicant even submits a CV:
- Is the employer licensed?
- Is this particular role eligible?
- Does the salary work?
- Will the employer actually sponsor it?
Where Techloy and Your Diaspora Hub come in
For many professionals, the challenge isn't a lack of information. It's knowing how to connect all of these pieces when you're actually looking for a job.
That's the gap Techloy and Your Diaspora Hub (YDH) are looking to address through the upcoming partnership event, Breaking into the UK Job Market: How International Professionals Are Landing Sponsored Roles.
The live virtual event takes place on Saturday, 26 September 2026, from 9 am - 12 pm BST, bringing together professionals with different experiences of building careers in the UK.
The conversation will go beyond job listings to look at the practical realities of finding opportunities from abroad, positioning your experience for a new market, understanding visa routes, and navigating what happens after the move.
Six professionals, practical conversations
The event will feature professionals from different parts of the career ecosystem, including:
Nike Baker, Lead Consultant at A Baker Consult, who has more than 15 years of experience across consulting, financial services, healthcare, and digital transformation. Originally from Nigeria and now based in the UK, she also coaches professionals transitioning into tech.
Wale Ogunjobi, a venture builder whose work spans marketing, sales, product, and business growth, bringing a founder and growth perspective to navigating competitive professional markets.
Arinze Ibekwe, Senior Backend Engineer at Monzo, who has built products at scale and previously worked across companies including Deliveroo and KPMG, alongside teaching and mentoring software engineers.
More speakers will be announced ahead of the event.
The three-hour session will include an expert panel, workshop, breakout rooms and live Q&A. Breakout discussions will cover jobs and CVs, visa routes, settling in and career growth, giving attendees room to ask more specific questions and hear from people with first-hand experience.
Start with the UK Diaspora Career Playbook
You don't have to wait until the event to start figuring things out.
The UK Diaspora Career Playbook is a free five-page guide covering visas, housing, banking, and the first job search for professionals planning a move to the UK.
It's designed to help you start answering some of the questions that come before the application itself, while the September event will take those conversations further.
Join Techloy × Your Diaspora Hub for Breaking into the UK Job Market: How to Land Sponsored Jobs, a live virtual session for international professionals looking to build their careers in the UK.
- Saturday, 26 September 2026 · 9 am–12 pm BST
- Tickets: £5
