Public sector: what is open, and which schemes sponsor visas
Largely closed to international students, by nationality rules (Fast Stream, GCHQ), region (NHS), or a stated no (Teach First, Police Now).
What is open in public sector right now
8 of these 115 programmes publish timing for the 2027 cycle, and 1 close within three weeks. 1 recruit on a rolling basis and close when they are full. 105 publish no date at all.
- 18 October 2026Low Carbon Contracts CompanyQuantitative Development InternInternshipcloses in 16 days
- 8 October 2026Civil ServiceFast StreamGraduate schemeopens
- 8 October 2026Civil Service Fast StreamCivil Service Fast StreamGraduate schemeopens
- 8 October 2026Foreign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeDiplomatic Service (Fast Stream option)Graduate schemeopens
- 8 October 2026Foreign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeDiplomatic and Development Fast Stream (and Diplomatic and Development Economic scheme)Graduate schemeopens
- February 2027Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)Summer PlacementInternshipopens during
- October 2026HM TreasuryGraduate Policy ProgrammeGraduate schemeopen now
- October 2026Network RailGraduate Schemes (for example the Civil Engineering Graduate Scheme)Graduate schemeopen now
- 0
- Sponsors international grads
- 8
- Sponsors some tracks only
- 52
- Does not sponsor
- 55
- No published policy
Some tracksSponsors some tracks only
Bank of England
Graduate Development Programme
Sponsorship offered case by case, not guaranteed, and gated by whether required security vetting can even be completed
Met Office
Graduate Development Scheme
Met Office sponsors Skilled Worker visas only on some roles, disclosed per advert, with a security-clearance UK residency requirement that limits access for candidates not already UK-based.
Bank of England
PhD Internship and PhD Programme
Sponsorship is possible only through a time-limited exchange visa, not the standard settlement-track route
Financial Conduct Authority
FCA Graduate Programme
The FCA can sponsor a graduate visa, but only for roles that separately clear the Home Office's own eligibility bar.
Wellcome Trust
Graduate Development Programme
Wellcome is not always able to sponsor a visa for its two-year graduate programme, and pay is not fixed on its own site.
NHS Education for Scotland
NHS Scotland Management Training Scheme
NHS Scotland's management scheme says sponsorship is available only in very exceptional circumstances, not as standard.
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
MFT Graduate Programme
MFT holds a sponsor licence and says so plainly, but restricts it to roles that qualify under the Health and Care visa route, which is a clinical test.
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
MFT Apprenticeship Programmes, levels 2 to 4
MFT delivers its apprenticeships in house across eight named standards, but its sponsorship policy covers only Health and Care visa eligible roles.
NoDoes not sponsor
NHS
Graduate Management Training Scheme
The NHS scheme puts the visa on the candidate: you must already hold the right to work for the whole Scheme
Civil Service
Fast Stream
Double barred: a nationality gate on top of pay that misses the sponsorship threshold
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Diplomatic Service
British citizenship required, full stop, no sponsorship route exists
GCHQ
Graduate and Student schemes
British citizenship plus around seven years of UK residency for vetting, no visa route
Teach First
Training Programme
States plainly it cannot sponsor visas for this programme
Police Now
National Graduate Leadership Programme
Blocked by a residency and settled-status vetting requirement, not by sponsorship policy as such
Frontline
Approach Social Work
Requires right to work and study in the UK until 2029 and English residency, no sponsorship offered
Unlocked Graduates
Prison Officer Programme
Explicitly excludes Graduate visa holders, the exact trap the Graduate visa myth is built on
Local Government Association
Impact
States outright it cannot sponsor visas, and published pay sits below the threshold anyway
HM Revenue and Customs
Apprenticeships and Civil Service Fast Stream entry
HMRC runs no bespoke graduate scheme; the graduate-level entry route is the Fast Stream, which is nationality gated and pay barred
Environment Agency
Environment and Science Graduate Training Scheme
Entry runs through the Civil Service Nationality Rules, and published starting pay also sits below the new entrant sponsorship floor
Transport for London
TfL Graduate Scheme
States outright it cannot currently meet the Home Office's sponsorship eligibility criteria
Network Rail
Graduate Schemes
Says it is unlikely to progress applications that would need sponsorship, and published pay backs that up
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
NDA Group Graduate Programme
The programme asks for a full right to work in the UK plus security clearance, and starting pay also sits under the new entrant floor
National Crime Agency
NCA Officer entry routes
Civil Service nationality standards apply, normally restricting appointment to UK, Irish, Commonwealth and EEA nationals
Ofgem
Graduate Development Programme
Ofgem's own recruitment FAQ restricts UK Civil Service employment to specific nationalities and never mentions visa sponsorship anywhere on the page.
GCHQ
Cyber Insights Summer School
GCHQ requires British citizenship and seven years of UK residency for every route in, which excludes international students outright.
Police Now
National Graduate Leadership Programme
Police Now requires three years of continuous UK residency and settled or indefinite leave to remain, ruling out student visa holders.
Dstl
Levels 3 to 7 Apprenticeships
Dstl requires UK nationality and 5 to 10 years of UK residency, and tells international or dual-nationality candidates to look elsewhere.
GCHQ
CyberFirst Degree Apprenticeship
GCHQ requires British citizenship and seven of the last ten years of UK residency.
Network Rail
Undergraduate Placement / Year in Industry
Network Rail's early careers FAQ tells students on a visa to sort their own status before applying.
Civil Service Fast Stream
Civil Service Fast Stream
The Fast Stream needs right to work you already hold. It is not a visa sponsor.
GCHQ
graduate development programmes
GCHQ requires British citizenship and seven of the last ten years of UK residency, with no visa route.
MI5
Technology Graduate Development Programme
MI5 requires British citizenship and seven of the last ten years of UK residency, with no visa route.
MI6
Technology Graduate Development Programme
SIS requires British citizenship and seven of the last ten years of UK residency, with no visa route.
Ofgem
Graduate Development Programme
Ofgem hires under standard Civil Service nationality rules, so it is not open to every international graduate.
HM Revenue and Customs
Tax Professional Development Programme
HMRC's Tax Professional Development Programme hires under standard Civil Service nationality rules.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Diplomatic and Development Fast Stream
The Diplomatic Service route into the FCDO needs British citizenship and years of recent UK residency, tighter than general Civil Service rules.
Environment Agency
Environment and Science Graduate Training Scheme
The Environment Agency's graduate training schemes hire under standard Civil Service nationality rules.
Local Government Association
Impact: The Local Government Graduate Programme
Impact needs right to work in the UK already in place; the programme itself does not sponsor a visa.
King's College London
King's IT Graduate Scheme
King's says outright that its two-year IT graduate scheme does not meet the requirements to sponsor a visa.
University of Birmingham
Graduate Management Training Scheme
Birmingham says its Graduate Management Training Scheme is not eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship.
Teach First
Training Programme
Teach First explicitly rules out the Graduate visa and the Youth Mobility Scheme visa as proof of eligibility.
Frontline
Approach Social Work
Frontline cannot sponsor a visa and explicitly excludes Student route visa holders.
Unlocked Graduates
Two-Year Leadership Programme
Unlocked Graduates says a Graduate visa does not meet its right-to-work requirement.
Police Now
National Graduate Leadership Programme
Police Now needs settled or indefinite leave to remain, so a Student or Graduate visa alone does not qualify.
National Audit Office
NAO Accountancy Training Scheme
The NAO says outright it cannot sponsor a visa for its graduate accountancy scheme.
Health Education and Improvement Wales
NHS Wales Graduate Management Scheme
NHS Wales states plainly that its graduate management scheme needs unrestricted permission to work in the UK, with no sponsorship route offered.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Apprenticeships
King's College Hospital requires 3 years of UK or EEA residency to start an apprenticeship, a hard bar that rules out most people who would need sponsorship.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Entry Level Apprenticeships
A live Leeds Teaching Hospitals apprenticeship listing requires residency in England and the right to work in the UK for the whole programme.
Information Commissioner's Office
ICO Graduate Scheme
The ICO's new two year graduate scheme states in its eligibility list that candidates must have the right to work in the UK without sponsorship.
Information Commissioner's Office
ICO Sandwich Placement Scheme, in partnership
The ICO's 12 month sandwich placement is run with Manchester Metropolitan University and requires the right to work for the whole placement without sponsorship.
National Trust
Apprenticeships, levels 2 to 4
The National Trust's apprenticeships carry an explicit three year UK residency test that is checked at interview, which rules out most international candidates.
Liverpool City Council
Young Futures Apprenticeship Programme
Liverpool City Council restricts its Young Futures apprenticeships to Liverpool residents aged 16 to 20, which closes it to almost every international graduate.
Transport for Wales
Future Leaders Graduate Scheme
Transport for Wales pays graduates £27,000 rising to £28,000 and states in four words that it does not sponsor visas.
London Borough of Hackney
Hackney Council Apprenticeship Programme, levels 2 to 6
Hackney runs one of the largest council apprenticeship programmes in London, and publishes a three part eligibility test that turns on passport and three years of UK or EEA residency.
British Broadcasting Corporation
BBC Apprenticeships
The BBC states that a student visa will typically make you ineligible for its apprenticeships, and requires three years of continuous UK residency before the start date.
British Army
Army entry
The British Army sets a nationality bar rather than a sponsorship policy, and the one route open to non-British, non-Irish applicants is closed except for musicians.
Royal Navy
joining options
The Royal Navy's only non-British joining route runs through Commonwealth applications, and that window was closed when checked.
Metropolitan Police
Police constable entry routes
The Met requires indefinite leave to remain and three years of continuous UK residence, which rules out anyone on a student or graduate visa.
Ministry of Defence (DE&S, NAD Group)
NAD Group Engineering Graduate Scheme
The MoD's DE&S (NAD Group) Engineering Graduate Scheme in Bristol does not sponsor visas on any of its graduate schemes.
HS2 Ltd
HS2 Graduate Programme
HS2 says it cannot sponsor graduate applicants and needs ongoing, non time-bound right to work.
Not publishedNo published policy
BBC
Trainee Schemes
Holds an active sponsor licence but no scheme-level visa policy could be retrieved this session
Transport for London
TfL Apprenticeships
TfL's own apprenticeships page shows current roles closed, with no live programme to check eligibility against.
Royal Air Force
Level 2 to Level 4+ trade apprenticeships, awarded
RAF apprenticeships are awarded automatically once you have already joined as a serving tradesperson, and this page says nothing about nationality or visa sponsorship.
Network Rail
Apprenticeships across engineering, finance, business
Network Rail advertises apprenticeships across engineering, finance, business and IT, but publishes no eligibility rules on nationality, residency or visa sponsorship.
UKAEA
Advanced Engineering, Mechanical Design Engineer
UKAEA lists a wide range of named apprenticeships but publishes nothing on nationality, residency, clearance or visa sponsorship.
Transport for London
Apprenticeships and graduate schemes
TfL's apprenticeships page was showing closed roles at time of research and states nothing about nationality, residency or visa sponsorship.
UKAEA
Undergraduate and Masters Placements
UKAEA does not publish anything about visa sponsorship or nationality for its student placements.
Transport for London
Engineering & Technology Year in Industry
TfL does not publish a sponsorship policy on its Year in Industry page.
HM Treasury
Graduate Policy Programme
HM Treasury's own careers site describes the three-year Graduate Policy Programme but states no pay or nationality policy.
Met Office
Graduate Development Scheme
The Met Office says outright there is no Graduate Development Scheme intake planned for 2027.
Competition and Markets Authority
Delivery Graduate Scheme
The CMA's own announcement of its graduate scheme says only that applicants must be eligible to work in the UK, with no pay or sponsorship policy stated.
Birmingham City Council
Graduate Programmes
Birmingham City Council says its graduate programme is being reset, so there is nothing currently open to check against.
Manchester City Council
Our Manchester Graduate Scheme
Manchester City Council publishes no eligibility or sponsorship policy for the Our Manchester Graduate Scheme
Glasgow City Council
Graduate Opportunities
Glasgow City Council publishes no eligibility or sponsorship policy for its graduate programme
University of Oxford
Bodleian Libraries Graduate Trainee Scheme
Oxford has not yet advertised its 2027 to 28 Bodleian trainee scheme, and its own page states no pay or visa policy.
Imperial College London
Graduate Finance Training Scheme
Imperial's finance graduate scheme pays £34,000 and funds a CIMA qualification, but its own site says nothing about visa sponsorship.
Government Actuary's Department
Graduate Trainee Actuary
GAD recruits trainee actuaries into a structured Civil Service rotation with study support, but its own recruitment page does not state pay, dates or a visa sponsorship policy.
Channel 4
Production Training Scheme
Channel 4's Production Training Scheme asks only for UK work authorisation and says nothing about sponsoring a visa.
Channel 4
Apprenticeships
Channel 4 asks apprentices to be eligible to work in the UK but publishes no sponsorship statement either way.
NHS England
NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme
NHS's national graduate leadership scheme never says whether it sponsors visas, it just requires you to already have the right to work for the whole two-plus years.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Apprenticeships
Imperial College Healthcare says its apprenticeships have no entry requirements or age limit, but the page is silent on right to work or sponsorship.
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Management Training Scheme
Guy's and St Thomas' runs its own two-year Management Training Scheme but publishes no eligibility, pay or visa detail on its careers site.
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust
GOSH Apprenticeships
GOSH explicitly recruits outside talent through its apprenticeships, but its own page says nothing about right to work or visa sponsorship.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Direct Entry Apprenticeships
Cambridge University Hospitals publishes exact apprentice pay for 2026-27 but says nothing about right to work or visa sponsorship.
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
Apprenticeships
UHB says its apprenticeships are open to any age with no university requirement, but the page never mentions right to work or visa sponsorship.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Apprenticeships, including the PROUD entry-level Customer
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals runs a named entry-level apprenticeship for people new to the NHS but publishes no eligibility, pay or visa detail.
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Apprenticeships
Moorfields explicitly opens its apprenticeships to people who are completely new to the NHS, but the page never addresses right to work or visa sponsorship.
Greater London Authority
City Hall Business Administration Apprenticeship
City Hall runs an 18 month paid business administration apprenticeship at £28,573, which is the London Living Wage and well under the Skilled Worker salary floor.
Sheffield City Council
Apprenticeships
Sheffield publishes a clear April to July recruitment window and an unusually specific benefits list, but no salary and no position on sponsorship.
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Young Apprenticeship Programme
Oxford University Hospitals runs a school leaver apprenticeship at 16 to 18 with a GCSE grade 4 bar, delivered in house rather than by an outside provider.
University of Bristol
eXcelBristol Apprentices
Bristol's eXcelBristol apprenticeships are aimed at professional services rather than academic roles, and are advertised through the government's find an apprenticeship service.
Nottingham City Council
Graduate Programme
Nottingham City Council has a standing graduate programme page with a detailed benefits package, but publishes no salary, no closing date and no sponsorship position.
Sanctuary Group
Sanctuary Graduate Development Programme
Sanctuary runs a two year rotational graduate programme in four streams and accepts anyone who graduated within the past two years, but publishes no salary and no sponsorship position.
Sanctuary Group
Sanctuary Apprenticeship Programme
Sanctuary's apprenticeship programme runs six named schemes, and eligibility is decided by the training provider before a Sanctuary manager ever sees the application.
Home Group
Apprenticeship Programme, levels 2 to 7
Home Group runs apprenticeships all the way to level 7 and states plainly that it pays every apprentice above the national apprentice minimum wage.
Canal & River Trust
Apprenticeships
The charity that looks after the third largest heritage estate in the UK runs craft and engineering apprenticeships, but publishes almost nothing about entry or pay.
Ordnance Survey
OS Graduate Programme
Ordnance Survey's two year technical graduate programme was closed to applications on 23 September 2026, and the page carries no salary and no sponsorship position.
British Library
Apprenticeships, levels 2 and 3
The British Library opens apprenticeships to anyone aged 16 or over living in England and not in full-time education, and says nothing about sponsorship.
The Hyde Group
Apprenticeships at Hyde
Hyde's apprenticeships sit in resident facing housing functions, and the page carries no pay, no entry bar and no sponsorship position.
Scottish Water
Graduate Programme, specialist and management routes
Scottish Water has more than 80 graduates on programme at once and splits them into a specialist route and a management route with no degree subject requirement.
Scottish Water
Summer Internship Programme
Scottish Water takes around 22 summer interns for a fixed 12 week June to August block, and the academic bar is a 2:2 rather than a 2:1.
Scottish Water
Modern and Graduate Apprenticeships
Scottish Water publishes an exact three week apprenticeship window, 2 to 22 March 2026, and runs a Graduate Apprenticeship that pays for a degree.
London Borough of Hackney
Hackney Management Trainee Programme
Hackney's management trainee scheme is a two year fast track with 3 to 6 month placements, but you cannot apply to it directly.
Cornwall Council
Local Government Graduate Programme
Cornwall Council takes graduates only through the national Impact programme, and the qualification at the end is a level 7 CMI certificate.
Surrey County Council
Apprenticeships
Surrey is one of the few councils that publishes exact apprentice salaries by level, and every one of them sits well below the Skilled Worker threshold.
The Guinness Partnership
Guinness Partnership Apprenticeships, intermediate
The Guinness Partnership opens its apprenticeships to anyone living in England aged 16 or over, and publishes no position on sponsoring anyone who needs a visa.
The Guinness Partnership
Guinness Partnership Internships
Guinness internships are open to graduates and postgraduates for a fixed term of 3 to 12 months, paid at a living wage figure the site has not updated.
Abri
Apprenticeships, trade and corporate
Abri treats apprenticeships as a development route at any career stage, including degree apprenticeships, and sets no upper age limit.
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
STFC Graduate Programme
STFC, part of UKRI, says its 2027 Graduate Programme opens in autumn 2026, with two years of core training on a permanent contract.
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Industrial Placement
STFC's year long industrial placements open in autumn 2026 for undergraduates returning to finish their degree.
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Summer Placement
STFC summer placements for full time undergraduates open in February 2027.
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Engineering and Computing Apprenticeships
STFC runs a four year Level 3 engineering apprenticeship and a computing degree apprenticeship at its national labs.
Midland Heart
Internships
Midland Heart's 2027 internships are not open yet; details are due in January 2027.
Midland Heart
Apprenticeships
Midland Heart apprenticeships have no current vacancies, with new ones opening this autumn.
Low Carbon Contracts Company
Quantitative Development Intern
LCCC offers a paid 6 to 12 month quantitative development internship in Leeds for current students, closing 18 October 2026.
Other sectors
Sponsor licences change every working day. Our monthly register change report tracks which organisations join and leave the Home Office register, by sector, place and route.
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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.