How sponsorship actually works
It helps to understand the sequence, because people often approach it in the wrong order.
First, the employer must hold a sponsor licence for the relevant route. Applying for one takes time and requires the organisation to show it is genuine, operating lawfully in the UK, and capable of meeting its sponsor duties.
Second, the employer assigns a Certificate of Sponsorship — a CoS — to the individual for a specific job, with a specific occupation code and a specific salary. The CoS is not a visa. It is a reference number confirming what the job is.
Third, the worker applies for the visa, relying on that CoS and proving the other requirements: English, and any financial maintenance requirement not certified by the sponsor.
The implication matters. A worker cannot obtain a Skilled Worker visa without an employer already licensed and willing to sponsor them, however well qualified they are. If you have a job offer from an employer who is not licensed, the first question is whether they are willing to apply — and that is a conversation worth having early, because it takes weeks rather than days.
The salary rules, and why two numbers matter
This is where most work visa cases turn, and where most confusion sits.
The salary must normally meet both a general threshold and the going rate for the specific occupation code — whichever is higher. Meeting one is not enough. A job paying comfortably above the general threshold can still fail if it is below the going rate for that particular occupation, and that catches employers out regularly.
The general threshold is currently £38,700, raised on 4 April 2024 from a substantially lower figure. Going rates are set per occupation code and are revised alongside it.
There are discounted rates for some applicants — new entrants to the labour market, those with a relevant PhD, jobs on the immigration salary list, and certain health and education roles. Whether a discount applies changes the arithmetic completely, and it is one of the first things worth checking rather than assuming the headline figure applies to you.
Salary thresholds, the eligible occupation list and the going rates for individual jobs are revised regularly, and the figures on this page were correct at August 2026. Confirm the current position on GOV.UK or with us before relying on any number here — this is the part of the Immigration Rules that changes most often, and a threshold that moved last month can turn a viable job offer into a refusal.
What we do, for workers and for employers
Two different jobs, and we never act for both sides of the same matter.
- Check the role qualifies before anyone commits The occupation code, the going rate and any applicable discount — before a CoS is assigned and money is spent.
- Prepare the worker's application Evidence, English, maintenance, the online form and the submissions.
- Advise employers on the licence Applications, renewals, and the compliance systems the Home Office expects to find.
- Handle changes mid-visa Changing employer, changing role, promotion, and what needs a new application rather than a notification.
- Extensions and settlement Planning the five years so that indefinite leave to remain is not derailed by a gap or a job change.
- Say when it will not work If the role does not qualify, we tell you before the fee, not after.