UK Tech Companies That Sponsor Visas (Hiring Now, Updated 2026)
50+ UK tech companies actively sponsor Skilled Worker visas in 2026. The list below is grouped by sector and updated quarterly against the Home Office register of licensed sponsors. Every employer named here holds a current sponsor licence and has assigned tech-role Certificates of Sponsorship within the last 12 months, which means they can sponsor a Skilled Worker visa for an eligible role today.
TL;DR (Fact Box)
- Count: 50+ named UK tech sponsors, grouped into 7 sectors.
- Sectors covered: FAANG/Big Tech, UK scale-ups, Enterprise SaaS, Fintech & banking technology, Gaming/Media, Consulting, and AI/Cyber/Deep-tech unicorns.
- Source: Home Office register of licensed sponsors (Tarve database), cross-checked quarterly against active sponsored vacancies.
Which UK tech companies actively sponsor visas in 2026?
The short, snippet-ready answer is this: Google UK, Meta UK, Amazon UK, Microsoft UK, Apple UK, Revolut, Wise, Monzo, Starling Bank, Stripe UK, Atlassian UK, Cloudflare UK, HSBC, Barclays, Goldman Sachs UK, Accenture UK, Deloitte UK, Darktrace, Improbable and Graphcore are among the most consistent UK tech sponsors of Skilled Worker visas in 2026. The full grouped list of 50+ employers is below.
One important caveat before you start applying: a company appearing on the Home Office register confirms it can sponsor — not that it will sponsor any specific role you apply to. Hiring managers, cost appetite and the current Skilled Worker salary thresholds all influence whether a vacancy is “open to sponsorship.” For the underlying salary rules, see our guide to UK Skilled Worker going rates in 2026 and the broader visa sponsorship salary thresholds.
Big Tech (FAANG) in the UK — companies that sponsor
Big Tech remains the most reliable category for Skilled Worker sponsorship in the UK. The major US technology employers all hold sponsor licences for their UK subsidiaries and routinely assign Certificates of Sponsorship for software engineers, machine-learning scientists, product managers and infrastructure roles.
| Company | Tech roles typically sponsored |
|---|---|
| Google UK Ltd | Software Engineer, SRE, ML Engineer, Product Manager, Data Scientist |
| Meta Platforms UK | Software Engineer, Research Scientist, Production Engineer, Data Engineer |
| Amazon UK Services / AWS UK | Software Development Engineer, Solutions Architect, Applied Scientist |
| Microsoft Limited (UK) | Software Engineer, Cloud Solution Architect, Data & AI Specialist |
| Apple (UK) Limited | Software Engineer, ML Engineer, Hardware Engineer, Siri/AI roles |
| Netflix Services UK | Senior Software Engineer, Content Engineering, Data roles |
| NVIDIA Limited (UK) | GPU/Compute Engineer, AI Solutions Architect, Research roles |
These employers post sponsored roles on their own careers sites and on LinkedIn; the explicit “visa sponsorship available” flag is not always shown, so it is worth contacting their UK recruiting team directly. If you are a recent graduate planning to transition into one of these companies, our guide on UK tech jobs with visa sponsorship 2026 covers the typical Skilled Worker route from Graduate visa to long-term sponsorship.
UK-founded tech scale-ups
Britain’s home-grown tech scale-ups are an underrated route into sponsorship. Many of them hold sponsor licences specifically so they can hire across European and global talent pools. The names below are companies that have actively assigned tech Certificates of Sponsorship within the last 12 months.
| Company | Tech roles typically sponsored |
|---|---|
| Revolut Ltd | Backend Engineer, Mobile Engineer, Data Scientist, DevOps |
| Wise (TransferWise) | Backend Engineer, Site Reliability Engineer, Product Analyst |
| Monzo Bank Ltd | Backend Engineer (Go), Android/iOS Engineer, ML Engineer |
| Starling Bank Ltd | Java Engineer, Platform Engineer, Security Engineer |
| Deliveroo | Software Engineer, Data Engineer, Algorithms Engineer |
| Octopus Energy Group | Full-Stack Engineer (Python/Django), Data Engineer, ML roles |
| Cazoo / used-car tech successors | Backend Engineer, Data Platform Engineer |
| Babylon Health (and successors) | Clinical AI Engineer, Backend Engineer |
| Trainline | Software Engineer, Mobile Engineer, Data Engineer |
| Ocado Technology | Robotics Software Engineer, Cloud Engineer, ML Engineer |
| Just Eat Takeaway (UK) | Backend Engineer, Platform Engineer, Data Scientist |
Scale-ups are typically more flexible on visa support than people assume, but they are also more sensitive to the cost of sponsorship. If you are early in your career, lean into self-sponsorship via the Innovator Founder visa as a parallel option, particularly if you are building something fundable.
Enterprise SaaS companies that sponsor in the UK
Enterprise SaaS is one of the most consistent UK sponsorship sectors because revenue per engineer is high enough that the cost of a Skilled Worker visa (Immigration Skills Charge + application fees) is comfortably absorbed. The companies below run UK engineering hubs and regularly sponsor.
| Company | Tech roles typically sponsored |
|---|---|
| Stripe Payments UK Ltd | Software Engineer (Ruby, Java), Infrastructure, Risk ML |
| Atlassian UK | Senior Software Engineer, Platform Engineer, SRE |
| GitLab UK (remote-first) | Backend Engineer, Site Reliability Engineer, Security Engineer |
| HubSpot UK | Software Engineer, Backend Developer, Data Engineer |
| Cloudflare UK | Systems Engineer (Rust/Go), Network Engineer, Security roles |
| Salesforce UK | Software Engineer, Technical Architect, MTS |
| ServiceNow UK | Platform Engineer, Software Engineer, Solution Architect |
| Snowflake Computing UK | Software Engineer, Sales Engineer, Data Cloud Architect |
| Datadog UK | Software Engineer, Site Reliability Engineer |
| Elastic NV (UK) | Software Engineer, Solutions Architect |
Fintech and banking technology sponsors
The City of London is one of the densest concentrations of sponsored tech jobs in the world. Investment banks and large UK banks run sizeable engineering organisations, and they sponsor heavily for Java, Python, low-latency C++, quant and data roles.
| Company | Tech roles typically sponsored |
|---|---|
| HSBC Group / HSBC Technology | Java Developer, Cloud Engineer, Cybersecurity, Data Engineer |
| Barclays Bank PLC | Software Engineer (Java/Python), Quant Developer, DevOps |
| Lloyds Banking Group | Software Engineer, Data Engineer, Platform Engineer |
| NatWest Group | Java/Python Engineer, Data Scientist, Cloud Engineer |
| Goldman Sachs International (UK) | Strats / Quant Developer, Software Engineer, Engineering MD pipeline |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co. (UK) | Software Engineer, Cloud Engineer, Cybersecurity |
| Citigroup Global Markets (UK) | Software Engineer, Markets Tech, Risk Tech |
| Bank of America Merrill Lynch (UK) | Java/C++ Engineer, Quant Developer |
| Capital One (Europe) plc | Software Engineer, Data Engineer, ML Engineer |
| Standard Chartered Bank | Software Engineer, Cloud Engineer, Cybersecurity |
Banks typically post tech roles on their own graduate or experienced-hire portals and route sponsorship via a dedicated global mobility team. Salaries for sponsored tech roles in banking comfortably clear the £49,400 software developer going-rate threshold, and senior roles regularly clear £100,000. For an exact going-rate lookup by SOC code, see our going rate guide.
Gaming, media and broadcasting sponsors
Gaming is one of the UK’s strongest tech-export sectors and a reliable sponsorship category, particularly for graphics, engine, gameplay and tools engineers. UK broadcasting and streaming has also moved aggressively into engineering hiring.
| Company | Tech roles typically sponsored |
|---|---|
| King (Activision Blizzard King) UK | Game Engineer, Backend Engineer, Data Scientist |
| Rockstar North (Edinburgh) | Engine Programmer, Gameplay Programmer, Tools Engineer |
| Rare Ltd (Microsoft) | Gameplay Programmer, Online Services Engineer |
| Sumo Digital | Game Programmer, Engine Programmer |
| Creative Assembly (SEGA) | Game Programmer, AI Programmer, Graphics Engineer |
| Sky UK Ltd | Software Engineer, Streaming Platform Engineer, Data Engineer |
| BBC (technology group) | Software Engineer, ML Engineer, Platform Engineer |
| ITV plc (ITVX) | Software Engineer, Streaming Engineer, Data roles |
| DAZN UK | Software Engineer, Streaming Engineer, Platform Engineer |
Consulting and professional services
The big consulting firms hire enormous numbers of technology specialists in the UK and sponsor at scale. They are particularly worth approaching if you are an experienced cloud, data, cybersecurity or SAP/Oracle specialist, because consulting client demand keeps these niches hot regardless of the macro cycle.
| Company | Tech roles typically sponsored |
|---|---|
| Accenture (UK) Limited | Cloud Engineer, Data Engineer, Cyber, SAP Consultant |
| Deloitte LLP (UK) | Technology Consultant, Cloud Engineer, Cyber Specialist |
| Ernst & Young LLP (UK) | Technology Consultant, Data & AI Consultant, Cyber Specialist |
| KPMG LLP (UK) | Technology Risk, Cloud Engineer, Data Engineer |
| PricewaterhouseCoopers (UK) | Cloud Engineer, Cybersecurity, Data Consultant |
| Capgemini UK PLC | Cloud Engineer, SAP Consultant, Data Engineer |
| IBM United Kingdom Limited | Cloud Engineer, Software Engineer, Consultant |
| Infosys Limited (UK) | Software Engineer, Consultant, Data Engineer |
| Tata Consultancy Services (UK) | Software Engineer, Cloud Engineer, Consultant |
Consulting sponsors are particularly visa-friendly because they have mature global mobility processes — many of their UK CoS assignments come from internal transfers as well as external hires.
Cybersecurity, AI and deep-tech unicorns
This is the highest-signal category for ambitious technologists. UK deep-tech unicorns sponsor selectively but pay strongly, and their roles tend to clear salary thresholds comfortably.
| Company | Tech roles typically sponsored |
|---|---|
| Darktrace plc | ML Engineer, Cybersecurity Researcher, Software Engineer |
| Improbable Worlds Ltd | Software Engineer (distributed systems), Game Tech, Platform |
| Graphcore Ltd | Compiler Engineer, AI Software Engineer, Silicon Engineer |
| BenevolentAI | ML Engineer, Computational Biologist, Software Engineer |
| Wayve Technologies | Autonomous Driving Researcher, ML Engineer, Robotics Engineer |
| Stability AI (UK) | Research Engineer, ML Infrastructure Engineer |
| Quantexa | Software Engineer (Scala), Data Engineer, ML Engineer |
| Onfido (Entrust) | ML Engineer, Software Engineer, Security Engineer |
If your background is research-heavy (PhD, publications, open-source impact) you will get more traction with this category than with consulting. Combine your shortlist with our UK companies that sponsor visas hiring database for the broader employer universe beyond pure tech.
How do I apply to a UK tech company that sponsors?
Sponsored tech hiring in the UK follows a fairly standard playbook. The five steps below are what actually works in 2026.
1. Confirm the employer holds a current sponsor licence
Every sponsor here is on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors. Before applying, search the public register on gov.uk by the employer’s legal entity name (not the brand name — e.g. “Google UK Limited”) to confirm their licence is current and they hold a Worker route. If you want a curated, pre-filtered view, the Tarve database does this for you and groups by sector.
2. Target roles that clear the salary threshold
For the Skilled Worker route in 2026, the general salary threshold is £41,700 and the going rate for software developer roles (SOC 2136) is around £49,400. Apply to roles paying comfortably above that — not just at the threshold — because employers prefer to sponsor where the salary already justifies the cost. See our deep-dive on salary thresholds for the exact numbers.
3. Be explicit about visa needs in your application
Most UK tech recruiters appreciate candour. State on your CV or cover letter that you would require Skilled Worker sponsorship, and ideally that you have a clear current immigration status (e.g. “currently on a Graduate visa with X months remaining”). Vagueness is what kills these applications, not the sponsorship requirement itself.
4. Optimise for the long sponsor list
Volume matters. Top-25-employer-only strategies fail because each of those companies sees thousands of applications. A list of 50–100 licensed sponsors, with 5–10 tailored applications a week, outperforms a list of 10 dream companies every time.
5. Have a fallback Plan B
Skilled Worker sponsorship is the dominant route, but it is not the only one. If you have a fundable startup idea or are senior enough to self-finance, the Innovator Founder visa is a legitimate self-sponsorship route — our guide on self-sponsorship via Innovator Founder explains the criteria.
What are sponsoring tech companies actually looking for?
The pattern across the 50+ sponsors above is remarkably consistent in 2026:
- Production-grade engineering, not toy projects. Real systems at scale beat a long list of side projects.
- Specialist depth. “Senior backend engineer with payments experience” sponsors more easily than “full-stack generalist.”
- Cloud-native fluency. AWS, GCP or Azure is effectively the new baseline.
- AI/ML literacy. Even non-ML roles increasingly expect you to be productive with LLM tooling.
- Communication. Fintech and consulting employers in particular weight written and verbal clarity heavily.
If you can credibly tick three of those five, sponsorship at the right employer is genuinely achievable in 2026, including in a softer macro environment than 2021–2022.
How is this list updated?
Tarve refreshes this list quarterly against the public Home Office register of licensed sponsors and our own dataset of recent sponsored vacancies. Companies are added when they appear on the register and have assigned tech-role CoS within the last 12 months. They are removed when their licence lapses or when they have not sponsored a tech role within that window. This way, the list stays focused on employers who are not just licensed in theory but actually hiring sponsored tech talent in practice.
Source: Home Office register of licensed sponsors (Tarve database), cross-checked against the UK Immigration Salary List 2026 for going-rate eligibility.
FAQ
How many UK tech companies sponsor Skilled Worker visas in 2026?
Tens of thousands of UK employers hold sponsor licences across all sectors, but the universe of active tech sponsors — companies that have assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship for a software, data, ML, security or platform role in the last 12 months — is in the low thousands. This article focuses on the 50+ most consistent and best-known of those employers.
Which sector offers the easiest UK tech sponsorship?
Consulting and enterprise SaaS tend to be the most predictable. Consulting firms have mature global-mobility processes and large hiring volumes; enterprise SaaS firms have high revenue per engineer and absorb sponsorship costs easily. Fintech and FAANG are also strong but more competitive.
Do UK startups sponsor Skilled Worker visas?
Yes, but selectively. A startup must hold a Worker sponsor licence and be willing to pay the Immigration Skills Charge (£1,000 per sponsored year for medium/large sponsors, £364 for small sponsors). Series B+ scale-ups sponsor more readily than seed-stage startups.
What salary do I need to be sponsored as a software engineer in the UK?
The general Skilled Worker salary floor in 2026 is £41,700, but the going rate for software developer roles (SOC 2136) is around £49,400. In London, market salaries for sponsored mid-level engineers typically sit between £60,000 and £90,000, which clears the threshold comfortably.
Can I apply for a UK tech sponsorship from outside the UK?
Yes. You can apply for a Skilled Worker visa from overseas once you have a confirmed job offer and a Certificate of Sponsorship from a licensed UK sponsor. Big Tech, banks and consulting firms regularly recruit internationally and arrange relocation.
Is Big Tech still the best route for UK sponsorship in 2026?
Big Tech is a strong route but no longer the only one. The combined hiring volume of UK-founded scale-ups, fintech and consulting now significantly exceeds FAANG’s UK headcount growth. A spread strategy across Big Tech, fintech, SaaS and consulting outperforms a Big-Tech-only strategy.
How do I know a company on the register is “actively” sponsoring?
The cleanest signal is recent CoS activity — if a company has sponsored a tech role in the last 12 months, it is plausibly able to sponsor again. The Tarve database tracks this; the raw gov.uk register does not. Cross-reference our hiring database for live signals.
Where else should I look beyond this list?
Pair this article with our broader UK tech jobs with visa sponsorship 2026 guide for the playbook on the actual job hunt, and the Immigration Salary List 2026 for any role-level discounts on the going rate.
Last reviewed: Q2 2026. Next scheduled update: Q3 2026.
Mahadheer Muhammed
The Tarve team helps international professionals navigate the UK visa sponsorship process. Built by people who've been through it.