How to find jobs with visa sponsorship in the US, UK and EU

In most countries, a work visa for a skilled job is tied to an employer. The employer applies for, or supports, your permission to work, usually after confirming the role, the salary and that it meets the rules. Depending on the country, the employer may need a licence or recognised status first, pay government fees and legal costs, and wait weeks or months for approval.

That cost and delay is why many employers say no by default, and why the employers who do sponsor tend to be larger, hire for skills in short supply, or already employ many international staff.

The H-1B is the main US visa for “specialty occupations”: roles that generally need at least a bachelor’s degree, or equivalent, in a related field (USCIS). The employer files the petition. New H-1Bs are subject to an annual cap, 65,000 plus 20,000 for holders of US master’s degrees or higher, and when registrations exceed the cap, which they have in recent years, selection is by lottery.

The rules changed significantly in 2025. A presidential proclamation in September 2025 added a large payment for certain new H-1B petitions, and the government moved to weight selection toward higher wage levels. How these apply, and to whom, has been clarified and challenged since, so check USCIS for the current position before you plan around an H-1B.

Points worth knowing:

• Cap-exempt employers. Universities, their affiliated non-profits and non-profit or government research organisations can sponsor H-1Bs outside the annual cap and lottery.
• Other routes. The L-1 for transfers within a multinational (after at least a year with the company abroad), the O-1 for people with extraordinary ability, the TN for Canadian and Mexican citizens in listed professions, the E-3 for Australians and the H-1B1 for citizens of Chile and Singapore.
• Students. F-1 students can work on OPT after graduation, with a STEM extension for eligible degrees, which is how many people start with a US employer.

The Skilled Worker visa needs a job offer from an employer with a sponsor licence, in an eligible occupation, at or above the relevant salary threshold (GOV.UK). The employer assigns you a certificate of sponsorship, and you then apply for the visa yourself.

In 2025 the UK raised the skill level and salary thresholds for most new Skilled Worker applications, so roles that qualified a few years ago may not now. Thresholds depend on the occupation and your circumstances; check GOV.UK for the current figures rather than older blog posts.

The big advantage in the UK is transparency: the government publishes the register of licensed sponsors, a downloadable list of every organisation that can sponsor workers. If an employer isn’t on it, it can’t sponsor you without first getting a licence. Other routes include Global Talent, the Health and Care Worker visa and, if you studied in the UK, the Graduate visa. Our UK CV format guide shows how to state your visa status on your CV.

The EU Blue Card is a work and residence permit for highly qualified workers, set by an EU directive (Directive (EU) 2021/1883) and run by each member state. It applies in every EU country except Denmark and Ireland. In broad terms you need a job offer or contract of at least six months, higher professional qualifications (a degree, or in some IT roles relevant professional experience), and a salary above a threshold that each country sets and updates, usually every year.

Many countries also run national routes that are often easier or faster:

• Germany: skilled worker visas, the Blue Card, and the Chancenkarte (opportunity card), a points-based permit to come and look for work. Make it in Germany is the official portal.
• Netherlands: the highly skilled migrant scheme, available only through employers recognised by the IND, which publishes a public register of recognised sponsors (ind.nl).
• Ireland: not in the Blue Card system; it uses employment permits, including the Critical Skills Employment Permit for occupations on its shortage lists.

Language matters in practice. Many roles that sponsor in Germany or France expect the local language, while English-only roles are more common in tech and international companies. See the German CV format guide if you’re applying there.

1. Official registers. Start with the UK register of licensed sponsors and the Dutch IND register. Filter them by your field and city, then look at those employers’ careers pages directly.
2. Past sponsorship data. For the US, the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub shows which employers have filed H-1B petitions. An employer that sponsored many people in your occupation recently is a better bet than one that never has.
3. Sectors with shortages. Software, data, engineering, healthcare and research tend to sponsor more often than general business roles.
4. Universities and research institutes. They hire internationally as a matter of course, and in the US many are cap-exempt.
5. Large international companies. They usually have an in-house immigration team and a relocation process, which makes saying yes much easier.

Search for phrases like “visa sponsorship”, “sponsorship available”, “relocation support” or “relocation package”, and in the UK “certificate of sponsorship”. Then read each ad carefully, because the opposite phrases matter just as much:

• “Must be authorized to work in the US without sponsorship, now or in the future”
• “Applicants must have the existing right to work in the UK”
• “EU work permit required” or “Must be eligible to work in the EU”

If an ad is silent, it doesn’t mean yes. A large employer on a sponsor register is worth trying; a small business with no international staff probably isn’t, unless your skills are rare.

Remote roles are a separate case. A fully remote job may let you work from your own country without a visa, through the employer’s local entity, an employer of record or a contractor arrangement. Use the free remote eligibility checker to see whether a “remote” ad is really open to your location, and our guide to remote jobs that hire internationally for where to find them.

• Answer the sponsorship question honestly. Most US forms ask “Will you now or in the future require sponsorship?”. If you’ll need it, say yes; a false answer can end an offer later.
• State your status on your CV. One line under your contact details: “Will require Skilled Worker visa sponsorship”, “Eligible for EU Blue Card” or “On F-1 OPT, eligible for STEM extension until [month year]”.
• Make your case stronger than a local candidate’s. Sponsorship costs time and money, so the CV has to show clearly why you’re worth it: specialised skills, measurable results, relevant certifications.
• Mention flexibility. Willingness to relocate quickly, or to start remotely while a visa is processed if the employer allows it, can tip a close decision.
• Ask early. In a first call with a recruiter, confirm that sponsorship is possible for the role before you spend hours on interviews.

Since you’ll often be competing with candidates who don’t need a visa, every application should be tailored. The free CV score checker compares your CV with the job ad and lists the keywords you’re missing.

• Anyone asking you to pay for a job offer or sponsorship. Legitimate employers pay their own sponsorship costs; in the UK, employers can’t pass the certificate of sponsorship fee or the immigration skills charge on to you.
• Guaranteed visas. No employer or agent can guarantee a government decision, and the US H-1B lottery is random.
• Vague employers with no website, no registered company and offers made after a single chat message.
• Unpaid “trial periods” abroad before the visa is issued.

When in doubt, check the employer on the official register and ask for the offer in writing before you resign, move or pay for anything.