Visa sponsorship job scams in the UK: 9 warning signs and how to check an employer

A genuine UK employer cannot charge you for your certificate of sponsorship or for the Immigration Skills Charge, and nobody can sell you a sponsored job. If anyone asks you for money to "secure" sponsorship, or offers you a care worker visa while you are outside the UK, treat it as a scam until proven otherwise. Every rule below was checked on gov.uk on 23 October 2026.

This is general information, not immigration advice. For your own situation, check gov.uk, speak to the employer directly, or use a regulated immigration adviser. You can search for one on the Immigration Advice Authority register (checked on 23 October 2026).

What does a visa sponsorship scam look like?

Typically, a sponsored job is advertised on social media or a messaging app, followed by requests for money: a "sponsorship fee", a "CoS fee", a "processing fee" or a "refundable deposit". Sometimes there is no job at all. Sometimes the job exists, but the worker ends up in debt to the employer or working for someone else. A rule change on 8 October 2026 was designed partly to guard against people who "weaponise the sponsorship system in order to exploit vulnerable workers", in the words of the explanatory memorandum to HC 584 (checked on 23 October 2026).

What are the warning signs of a fake sponsored job?

1. You are asked to pay for your certificate of sponsorship. A certificate of sponsorship (CoS) is an electronic record the employer assigns to you. The employer pays the Home Office fee, which is £525 for a Skilled Worker according to the Home Office fees table from 8 October 2026. The sponsor guidance, part 2 says a sponsor "must not recoup, or attempt to recoup, by any means" any part of that fee for a Skilled Worker CoS assigned on or after 31 December 2024. If it does, the Home Office will normally revoke its licence.

2. You are asked to pay the Immigration Skills Charge. This is a separate charge on the employer: £1,320 for the first 12 months for a large sponsor, or £480 for a small or charitable one, plus more for each extra six months. The same guidance says sponsors "must not pass on any of the ISC" to sponsored workers.

3. Someone offers you a care worker visa from abroad. Since 22 July 2025, applications as a care worker (occupation code 6135) or senior care worker (6136) must be made from inside the UK, as Appendix Skilled Worker paragraph SW 6.1B sets out. People already in the UK can only switch into these roles if they have worked legally for the sponsor in the role for at least three months, and apply before 22 July 2028. An overseas "care visa package" is offering something the rules do not allow.

4. The employer is not on the register, or the details do not match. A missing name, a different town, or a route other than Skilled Worker are all reasons to stop and ask questions.

5. A recruitment agency says it will sponsor you and place you with a client. The sponsor guidance, part 1 says an agency "cannot sponsor a worker and then supply them as labour to another organisation". The organisation that directs your work and pays your salary must be your sponsor.

6. You are told to pay in cash or by money transfer. Gov.uk's page on reporting visa and immigration scams says you will never be asked to pay for a visa using cash or money transfer.

7. You must pay a "job-finding" fee. Agencies in Great Britain cannot charge you a fee for finding you work. The gov.uk guide to employment agencies lists this first among the things agencies cannot do. They can charge for optional extras such as CV writing, but only with separate written terms given to you in advance.

8. Someone charges you for "immigration advice" who is not regulated. The sponsor guidance says licensed sponsors can help their own sponsored workers with a visa application, but must not charge for it. Anyone else who gives immigration advice must be regulated or exempt, and the same guidance notes that doing so without being qualified is a criminal offence.

9. Pressure, secrecy and control. Being told to keep the offer quiet, to decide today, or to hand over your passport are classic signs. The Fair Work Agency lists having your passport taken away, having your wages withheld, and being forced to work to pay off a debt that keeps increasing as signs of serious abuse at work.

Can an employer take money back from your salary?

Watch for offers where the salary looks right on paper but part of it flows back to the employer as "loan repayments", "deductions" or an "investment". The Immigration Rules (SW 14.2A in Appendix Skilled Worker) say that money paid by the worker to the sponsor in these forms is subtracted from the salary when the Home Office decides whether the job meets the threshold. An arrangement like this can make the job ineligible and puts you at risk.

In health and care in England, the government's code of practice for international recruitment (checked on 23 October 2026) allows repayment clauses only if they are in writing before you accept, itemised, interest-free and tapering over time. It says the employer must never reclaim the agency fee, the Immigration Skills Charge, the sponsor licence fee or the certificate of sponsorship.

How do you check whether an employer is a licensed sponsor?

It takes a couple of minutes and should come before you pay for anything or share documents.

1. Search the official register. The Home Office publishes the Register of Licensed Sponsors as a downloadable file. Search for the exact company name and check the town.
2. Check the route and rating. You want "Skilled Worker" in the route column. An A rating means the sponsor can assign new certificates. The sponsor guidance says a B-rated sponsor cannot assign a CoS to a new worker until it returns to an A rating.
3. For care jobs in England, check the Care Quality Commission. Gov.uk says a care worker's employer must be registered with the CQC.
4. Match the details. Your CoS should carry the sponsor's licence number. Ask for the CoS reference number, your occupation code and your salary in writing.
5. Contact the employer through its own website or switchboard, not only the number on the advert, and ask whether the vacancy is real and sponsored.

We keep a daily copy of the register. As of 23 October 2026, it lists more than 121,000 organisations licensed on the Skilled Worker route, and 99 of them hold a B rating. You can look an employer up with our sponsor licence check or browse UK visa sponsors by city. If you are looking for care work specifically, our page for care providers that sponsor visas in London is one starting point.

Where do you report a visa sponsorship scam?

• Fraud and scams: gov.uk tells people to contact Report Fraud to report visa and immigration scams, including copies of suspicious emails and details of anything you sent. If you have lost money in England or Wales you can report online or call 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, report to Police Scotland.
• Exploitation at work: the Fair Work Agency handles serious abuse and modern slavery. Gov.uk's Fair Work Agency contact page (updated 17 September 2026) says people on sponsored work visas should use its online form or email contact@fairworkagency.gov.uk, as these are the quickest routes. Its phone line is 0800 432 0804.
• Unpaid wages or agency problems: the same page points to the pay and work rights complaint form, which covers issues with employment agencies.
• Immediate danger: call 999.

What if you are already working for an exploitative sponsor?

You may have more options than you think. From 8 October 2026, a Skilled Worker who is referred into the National Referral Mechanism and receives a positive "Conclusive Grounds" decision as a victim of modern slavery can have their work conditions lifted. That means they can work for any employer for the rest of their current permission, as paragraph SW 18.3 of Appendix Skilled Worker and the sponsor guidance now set out.

Keep evidence: payslips, messages, bank transfers, your contract and anything you were asked to sign. Then get help from the Fair Work Agency and a regulated immigration adviser before you make any decision about leaving the job, because your visa is tied to your sponsor.

The single most protective habit is simple: never pay anyone for a sponsored job, and check the employer on the register before you share a document.

Sources: every gov.uk page linked in this article was checked on 23 October 2026. Register figures come from our copy synced that morning.

Frequently asked questions

Is it legal for an employer to charge me for visa sponsorship? No. Home Office sponsor guidance says sponsors must not recover the certificate of sponsorship fee for a Skilled Worker CoS assigned on or after 31 December 2024, and must never pass on the Immigration Skills Charge. Doing either normally leads to the sponsor losing its licence. You do pay your own visa application fee and healthcare surcharge to the Home Office.

Can I get a care worker visa from outside the UK in 2026? No. Since 22 July 2025, care worker and senior care worker applications must be made from inside the UK. People already in the UK can switch into these roles until 22 July 2028 if they have worked legally for the sponsor in the role for at least three months.

How do I know if a sponsored job offer is real? Check that the employer is on the Home Office Register of Licensed Sponsors with a Skilled Worker licence and an A rating, contact the company through its own website, and ask for your certificate of sponsorship reference number, occupation code and salary in writing. Any request for payment to secure the job is a warning sign.

Where do I report a fake visa sponsorship job? Gov.uk says to report visa and immigration scams to Report Fraud. If you are being exploited at work, report it to the Fair Work Agency online, by email or on 0800 432 0804. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 999.

What happens if I already paid for a certificate of sponsorship? Keep every record of the payment and the messages, report it to Report Fraud, and speak to a regulated immigration adviser before you rely on that certificate in an application. A sponsor that charges for a CoS is breaking Home Office rules, and that can affect the sponsorship itself.