Universities that sponsor Skilled Worker visas: what the register shows, and which jobs qualify

Yes, UK universities sponsor Skilled Worker visas, and the Home Office register shows it. As of 23 October 2026, our copy lists 130 institutions with "university" in their name holding a Skilled Worker licence, none of them B-rated, and 103 of them also hold a Government Authorised Exchange licence used for visiting researchers. Specialist institutions without "university" in the name, such as Imperial College London, King's College London and the London School of Economics, are licensed too. Whether your job can be sponsored depends on its occupation code and salary: lecturers and researchers usually qualify, many administrative roles do not.

This is general information, not immigration advice. For a specific offer, the university's HR team is your first port of call. For your own case you can also use a regulated adviser from the Immigration Advice Authority register.

How many universities hold a sponsor licence?

We keep a daily copy of the Home Office Register of Licensed Sponsors. On 23 October 2026 we searched it for Skilled Worker licences held by organisations with "university" in the name, then removed students' unions, overseas study-abroad programmes, NHS bodies, academy trusts, sports clubs, individual Cambridge colleges, schools and companies. That left 130 institutions.

The name filter misses institutions that do not use the word. We checked 14 of them by name and all hold Skilled Worker licences: Imperial College London, King's College London, the London School of Economics, SOAS, Royal Holloway, Birkbeck, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the Institute of Cancer Research, London Business School, the Royal College of Art, the Royal Veterinary College, the Courtauld Institute of Art, the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music.

Register names can be formal or odd. Imperial is listed as "Imperial College London (HR)", and some universities add "Human Resources" to their entry. Search for a distinctive word rather than the full name. Our pages for the University of Oxford, the University of Edinburgh and Imperial College London show the licence details we hold.

Which university jobs can be sponsored?

Academic and research roles are "higher skilled" and eligible. The minimum salary is the higher of the general threshold (£41,700) and the going rate for the code, from Table 1 of Appendix Skilled Occupations. Going rates are for a 37.5-hour week and are pro-rated for part-time contracts.

The last column is the higher of £33,400 and 70% of the going rate. These rates were last changed on 22 July 2025, according to gov.uk's going rates table. Appendix Skilled Occupations notes that 2119 covers researchers in research organisations other than universities.

Can postdoctoral researchers be paid less?

Yes. Gov.uk's When you can be paid less page says you can be paid 70% of the standard going rate if you will work in a postdoctoral position in one of eight codes: 2111, 2112, 2113, 2114, 2115, 2119, 2162 and 2311. Your salary must still be at least £33,400, and your total stay in the UK under this discount cannot be more than 4 years, including any time already spent on a Graduate visa.

Other discounts can apply to university staff:

• New entrants: if you are under 26, or are or were recently on a Student or Graduate visa, you can be paid 70% of the going rate with a £33,400 floor, also subject to the 4-year cap.
• Relevant PhD: 80% of the going rate with a £33,400 floor for a STEM PhD, or 90% with a £37,500 floor for a PhD in another subject, if the code is eligible for PhD points.

Our Skilled Worker salary calculator works through these options for any code.

What about professional services jobs?

This is where many international graduates get caught out. Since 22 July 2025, most jobs below degree level are "medium skilled" and cannot be sponsored for new workers. Some university-relevant codes are on the Temporary Shortage List, including:

• 3549, limited to job types including research coordinators, clinical trials administrators, business systems analysts and contract administrators
• 3571 human resources officers
• 3544 data analysts
• 3133 database administrators and web content technicians
• 3132 IT user support technicians
• 3111 laboratory technicians

Under paragraph SW 6.1A of Appendix Skilled Worker, these only count where the certificate of sponsorship is issued before 31 December 2026. TSL roles are medium skilled, so a new applicant cannot bring a partner as a dependant. Roles in codes listed as ineligible, such as receptionists, cannot be sponsored at all.

Which other visas do universities use?

• Government Authorised Exchange: gov.uk's GAE page says a higher education institution can sponsor you as a sponsored researcher, visiting academic or examiner. Depending on the scheme, the visa lasts up to 12 or 24 months.
• Global Talent: gov.uk's Skilled Worker guidance says research and academic leaders may be eligible for this visa instead, and that it has no language or minimum salary requirements.
• Graduate visa: if you studied at a UK university, you can work without sponsorship for a period after your course, then switch to Skilled Worker. Our Graduate visa to Skilled Worker timeline maps out when to start.

Sources: register figures come from our copy synced at 02:02 on 23 October 2026, and every gov.uk page linked in this article was checked that day.

Frequently asked questions

Do UK universities sponsor Skilled Worker visas? Yes. As of 23 October 2026, 130 institutions with "university" in their name held a Skilled Worker licence in our copy of the Home Office register, and specialist institutions such as Imperial College London, King's College London and LSE are licensed too.

What salary does a university lecturer need for a Skilled Worker visa? For code 2311, higher education teaching professionals, the going rate is £52,600 for a 37.5-hour week, which is above the general £41,700 threshold. New entrants and postdoctoral staff can be paid 70% of the going rate, which works out at £36,800.

Can a postdoc be sponsored on a lower salary? Yes, in eight science and higher education codes. Gov.uk says postdoctoral researchers can be paid 70% of the going rate, with a floor of £33,400 and a 4-year cap on total stay that includes time on a Graduate visa.

Can a university sponsor me for an administrative job? Only if the job is in an eligible code at the right salary. Most administrative roles are medium skilled or ineligible. Some, such as research coordinators and HR officers, are on the Temporary Shortage List for certificates issued before 31 December 2026 under current rules.

What is the Government Authorised Exchange visa? A temporary work visa that, among other things, lets a university sponsor a researcher, visiting academic or examiner for up to 12 or 24 months depending on the scheme. 103 of the universities we counted hold this licence.

How do I check whether a specific university is licensed? Search the Home Office register using a distinctive word from the university's name, since entries can include additions such as "(HR)". Check that the route is Skilled Worker and the rating is A.