The Home Office released the latest edition of the ‘Register of Licensed Sponsors – Workers and Temporary Workers’ on 22 July 2026. The spreadsheet lists 128,029 employers authorised to hire Skilled, Scale-up and other sponsored migrants – an increase of 3,150 on the June register. With the general salary threshold due to rise from £29,000 to £31,500 on 1 September, immigration lawyers expect a late-summer spike in Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) assignments as firms try to secure workers under current rules. The updated register therefore gives relocation managers a timely benchmark to check whether potential third-party suppliers and clients still hold valid licences. Key trends: logistics and warehousing sponsors fell by 4 %, reflecting last year’s curbs on using the Skilled Worker route for standard HGV drivers; technology and green-energy employers added the most new licences, anticipating the launch of the separate Innovator Founder visa in October. Practical tips for HR: • Download the register and build an automated alert to flag when a critical vendor loses its licence. • Cross-check your own organisation’s rating; licence renewals submitted after 5 September must evidence digital RTW processes linked to the eVisa platform. • Prepare template concession letters explaining sponsor status for assignees who may face airline queries during the eVisa transition.
