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UK visa rules leave many small shops still able to sponsor workers
BBC Verify found more than 100 businesses were added to the skilled worker sponsor register after July 2025, even as the government tightened eligibility to mostly graduate-level roles.
More than 1,900 small high street businesses, including mini-marts, vape shops, and car washes, remain licensed to sponsor foreign workers under the UK skilled worker scheme despite rule changes in July 2025 that tightened eligibility, according to BBC Verify.
The tightened rules were designed to restrict the scheme mostly to graduate-level employees earning at least £41,700, but BBC Verify identified 1,500 grocery and convenience stores, 150 taxi operators, 100 barber shops, and dozens of car washes and vape shops still listed as sponsor-eligible.
The report says more than 100 businesses were added to the sponsorship register after the July 2025 changes, though being on the register does not guarantee that individual visa applications will be approved.
UK Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said the government will ensure enforcement to prevent employers getting around the rules, and BBC Verify reports that the Home Office ordered an urgent review of vape shops, barbers, and car washes on the sponsor list following concerns about misuse, with the department stating licenses would be revoked for abuse.