Hospitality Jobs in the UK with Visa Sponsorship?
Yes, you can work in a UK hotel or restaurant on a Skilled Worker visa, but only if a licensed UK employer sponsors you. Ancer Recruitment connects skilled hospitality workers from overseas with UK employers who hold a sponsor licence and are ready to hire. We are also a registered immigration adviser, so the same team that finds you the role can guide you through the visa. Most agencies can only do the first half.
Who this page is for:
If you are a hospitality worker overseas
(or already in the UK and looking to move to a sponsored role), we match you with employers who can sponsor your visa. Chefs especially. See the roles we are hiring for now on our job board.
If you are a UK employer
who wants to hire from overseas, you need a sponsor licence before you can offer sponsorship. We can help you get one and then fill the role. Start with our sponsorship licence support.
What visa sponsorship actually means
Sponsorship is not a favour an employer does you on the side. It is a formal process with the Home Office, and there are a few things that all have to line up:
- The employer holds a valid sponsor licence.
- The role is one that qualifies for a Skilled Worker visa.
- You are issued a Certificate of Sponsorship for that specific job.
- The salary and the English language requirements are met.
The exact thresholds and the list of eligible roles change fairly regularly, which is the honest reason we do not print them here. They may well have moved by the time you read this. Tell us the role and where you are, and we will tell you where you actually stand under the current rules.
Why Ancer, and not just any agency
We are two things at once. We are hospitality recruiters, and we are a registered immigration adviser, regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA Level 1, registration number F200300031). That matters more than it
sounds.
Plenty of agencies will happily put your CV forward for a job that, it turns out, cannot be sponsored. You find out after you have got your hopes up. Because we hold the immigration side in-house, we know before we send you which of our roles can be sponsored and which cannot. The jobs on our board marked “sponsorship available” are ones we can genuinely sponsor. No guessing.
Read more about our immigration services.
The roles we place with sponsorship
Hospitality is our whole business, so these are the roles we place most often with sponsorship:
- Chefs at every level, from chef de partie to head chef
- Sous chefs and pastry chefs
- Restaurant and food outlet managers
- Hotel and spa roles
Not every role can be sponsored, and it depends on the job and the current rules, but chefs in particular are one of the areas we work in most. Browse what is live right now on the job board.
How it works, for candidates
- Send us your CV. Use the submit a CV form and tell us you are looking for a role with sponsorship.
- We check the fit. We look at your experience and, crucially, whether the roles we have can actually be sponsored for someone in your position.
- We put you forward. If it is a match, we introduce you to the employer.
- We handle the visa side. Once you have an offer, our immigration team walks you through the Certificate of Sponsorship and the visa application. You are not left to work it out alone.
How it works, for employers
Want to hire a chef or hotel worker from overseas but do not have a sponsor licence yet? That is the first thing to sort, and it is where a lot of employers get stuck. We can guide you through the licence application and then
recruit for the role itself. Two jobs, one team.
Start with our sponsorship licence support, or get in touch and we will talk it through.
FAQ
Can I really get a UK hospitality job with visa sponsorship?
Yes, if a licensed UK employer sponsors you for a role that qualifies. We work
with employers who are set up to do exactly that, and we advise on the visa
ourselves.
What is a Certificate of Sponsorship?
It is an electronic record the employer issues to you once they have offered
you a sponsored job. You need it to apply for your Skilled Worker visa. We help
arrange it.
Do I need a job offer before I apply for the visa?
Yes. Sponsorship starts with a job offer from a licensed sponsor. That is why
the recruitment and the immigration advice work better together than apart.
Can chefs get a Skilled Worker visa?
Some chef roles qualify and some do not, and it depends on the role, the salary
and the current rules. Rather than guess, send us your details and we will tell
you where you stand. The roles on our board marked “sponsorship available” are
ones we can sponsor now.
Who pays the visa costs?
It depends on the route and the length of the visa, and some fees fall to the
employer while others fall to the worker. We set all of this out clearly for
your situation before you commit to anything.
I am an employer. How do I sponsor someone?
You need a sponsor licence first. We can help you apply for one and then fill
the role. See our sponsorship licence support.