The government has said that record numbers of employers have been banned from sponsoring foreign workers as it seeks to tighten the UK’s immigration system.
Between July 2024 and June 2025, 1,948 licences allowing companies to bring in migrant workers were revoked – more than double the number in the previous 12 months (937).
The figure is likely to rise further: new government policies aimed at “restoring control” over immigration, which came into effect on 22 July 2025, established higher compliance for businesses sponsoring migrant workers and tighter criteria for skilled worker visas.
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Just 261 and 247 licences were revoked in the same period in 2021-22 and 2022-23, respectively.
The Home Office claimed that many of the employers had been using work visas to help migrants circumvent immigration rules, as well as underpaying and exploiting migrant staff reliant on their jobs to stay in the country.
Adult social care, hospitality, retail and construction were the sectors with the highest levels of abuse, the Home Office stated, adding that it had “surged” illegal working arrests by 51% compared to the previous year, “addressing one of the fake promises sold to migrants making dangerous journeys in small boats that they will be able to work in the UK”.
Underpayment of workers, facilitating the entry of individuals to circumvent the immigration rules and failing to provide promised work were the three main reasons for the revocations of sponsor licences.
It follows an announcement earlier this week that the UK will cut access to visas for countries that do not comply with returns of migrants with no right to stay in the UK. In her first announcement as home secretary, Shabana Mahmood proposed to cut the number of visas granted to countries that delay or refuse returns of their citizens who have no right to remain in the UK.
Mahmood said: “We do expect countries to play ball, play by the rules, and if one of your citizens has no right to be in our country, you do need to take them back.”
Countries where returns of refused asylum seekers are low and demand for UK visas is high include India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal.
Minister for migration and citizenship Mike Tapp, commenting on the sponsor licence figures, said: “We will not hesitate to ban companies from sponsoring workers from overseas where this is being done to undercut British workers and exploit vulnerable staff. Improved data and intelligence sharing across government and law enforcement has resulted in more employers being held to account for breaking the immigration rules.”
He added that the new focus on data and intelligence had supplanted the previously heavy reliance on physical compliance visits.
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