Clifford Chance: does its spark sponsor a UK visa?

Only some tracksSPARK

Only in part. Clifford Chance sponsors its spark for some tracks or offices, not all. SPARK is a nine-month programme for first-year students on three-year law degrees, second-years on four-year law degrees, and penultimate-year non-law students at UK or Irish universities. Eligibility explicitly requires candidates to be eligible to work in the UK already; paid elements are £110 per day for Insights and Skills training and £550 for a shadowing week, but this does not amount to sponsorship of a work visa for the programme.

Sponsors grads?
Some tracks
Pay vs threshold
Borderline
Opportunity
spring week
Pay
£110/day for Insights and Skills training, £550 for the shadowing week
2027 cycle
Applications open 2 December 2026, close 8 February 2027; programme launches 5 May 2027
Confidence
medium
The catch: Runs across two academic years (nine months total), so it is a bigger commitment than a normal spring week and requires being eligible to work in the UK from the outset.

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Sources

Verdict last checked 2026-09-18.

Common questions

Does Clifford Chance sponsor visas for its spark?

Only in part. Clifford Chance sponsors its spark for some tracks or offices, not all. SPARK is a nine-month programme for first-year students on three-year law degrees, second-years on four-year law degrees, and penultimate-year non-law students at UK or Irish universities. Eligibility explicitly requires candidates to be eligible to work in the UK already; paid elements are £110 per day for Insights and Skills training and £550 for a shadowing week, but this does not amount to sponsorship of a work visa for the programme.

Does the pay clear the UK Skilled Worker salary threshold?

The pay for this scheme sits close to the threshold, so it can depend on the office, the occupation going rate, or the new-entrant discount.

What is the catch international students miss with Clifford Chance?

Runs across two academic years (nine months total), so it is a bigger commitment than a normal spring week and requires being eligible to work in the UK from the outset.

How should I confirm Clifford Chance's sponsorship before applying?

Read the specific vacancy on Clifford Chance's careers site, ask its early-careers team directly, and check the employer on the gov.uk Register of Licensed Sponsors. Policies and thresholds change, so treat this page as a starting point and confirm for the exact role and cycle.

Other law schemes

Before you apply

Scan your CV against UK applicant tracking systems for free, then tailor it to the schemes that can actually sponsor you.

Other law schemes we track

Sponsorship data: Home Office register + job ad wording. Not immigration advice, verify on gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.