SPath helps job seekers across the UK, Africa, the US and Europe find jobs, build stronger applications, reach employers, prepare for interviews and manage their job search from one place. UK visa sponsorship is one specialist pathway inside SPath.

How do I find UK visa sponsorship jobs in 2026?

Use SPath's UK sponsorship pathway to search 139,720+ organisations indexed from the Home Office Register of Licensed Sponsors for free, filtered by industry, location and visa route. SPath then helps you check each role's salary and occupation-code fit, prepare a targeted application, reach the employer and track your progress. Always verify the current register and each vacancy on GOV.UK.

How many companies sponsor visas in the UK?

As of 2026, there are over 139,720 organisations on the UK Home Office Register of Licensed Sponsors. SPath indexes the full register and lets you search by industry, location, and visa route.

What visa routes can be sponsored by UK employers?

UK employers can sponsor workers under routes including the Skilled Worker visa, Health and Care Worker visa, Global Business Mobility, Scale-up visa, Creative Worker visa, and KTP (Knowledge Transfer Partnership). SPath explains each major route in depth, plus unsponsored options like the Graduate visa.

Is SPath free to use?

Yes. SPath Free is free for Founding Members and needs no card. It includes employer and sponsor search, CV and application help, outreach resources, interview preparation and an application tracker. SPath Max is an optional £99.99 one-time upgrade that does the research, drafting and tracking for you.

Can international students find sponsorship jobs on SPath?

Yes. SPath's UK sponsorship pathway lets you search 139,720+ licensed sponsors and uses transparent role-to-industry matching to show which licensed employers commonly align with your target role. The same account gives you CV, outreach, interview and tracking tools for the rest of your search.

What is the minimum salary for a Skilled Worker visa?

The general minimum salary threshold is £41,700 for most roles, or the going rate for the occupation, whichever is higher. 'New entrant' rates for recent graduates or those under 26 are lower, with a floor around £33,400. Health & Care Worker roles require £25,000, with the Agenda for Change Band 3 entry point rising to £25,760 from April 2026. Always verify current thresholds on GOV.UK before applying.

How often is the sponsor data updated?

SPath's sponsor data is indexed from the official UK Government Register of Licensed Sponsors, which the Home Office updates regularly. Licences are added and removed over time, so always confirm an employer's current status on GOV.UK before applying.

What does SPath Max include?

SPath Max is a paid workflow that saves you time: it researches employers, organises your pipeline, drafts applications, outreach and follow-ups, and tracks everything, while you approve every important action. It costs £99.99 once, with no subscription or success fee.

Global Visa Guide · 10 min read · Updated 2026-10-10

Work Visas in Europe: EU Blue Card, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, France and More

A practical 2026 guide to working in Europe: how the EU Blue Card works, Germany's Opportunity Card, Ireland's employment permits, Dutch and French routes and the salary rules that decide eligibility.

Last checked: 10 October 2026. Europe offers strong options for international professionals and graduates, but there is no single European work visa. Most countries take part in the EU Blue Card, each sets its own salary rules, and several run national routes that suit graduates better.

In almost every case the job offer comes first. A focused job search, built around employers that already hire internationally and roles that clear the salary threshold, is what turns these routes from theory into a move.

The EU Blue Card in brief

An EU-wide permit for highly qualified non-EU workers, used by 25 EU countries. Ireland and Denmark do not take part.
You need a job offer or contract for highly qualified work lasting at least 6 months.
Each country sets its salary threshold between 1.0 and 1.6 times its national average gross salary, and can lower it to 80% for shortage occupations and for people who graduated in the last 3 years.
The card is valid for at least 24 months, or the contract length plus 3 months if shorter.
After 12 months you can move to a second EU country under simplified rules.

Germany

EU Blue Card: €50,700 a year in 2026. A reduced €45,934.20 applies to shortage occupations such as IT, engineering, natural sciences and healthcare, and to graduates whose degree is less than 3 years old, with Federal Employment Agency approval. IT specialists without a degree can qualify with at least 3 years of relevant experience in the last 7 years.
First-time applicants aged 45 or over need at least €55,770 a year or proof of adequate pension provision.
Blue Card holders can get permanent residence after 27 months, or 21 months with German at B1.
Skilled worker permit: for people with a vocational qualification or degree recognised in Germany and a job offer, usually for 4 years.
Opportunity Card (no employer needed): up to 12 months to look for work. Without a fully recognised qualification you need at least 6 points, German at A1 or English at B2, and at least €1,091 a month in a blocked account. You can work up to 20 hours a week and do trial work of up to 2 weeks.
Graduates of German universities can get up to 18 months to look for qualified work and may take any job meanwhile.

Ireland

Critical Skills Employment Permit: at least €40,904 a year for occupations on the Critical Skills list with a relevant degree, or €36,848 if you graduated in the 12 months before applying. Other eligible roles need €68,911. The job offer must last at least 2 years, and holders can move to Stamp 4 residence.
General Employment Permit: at least €36,605 a year, or €34,009 for recent graduates of Irish institutions. Employers usually need to pass a labour market needs test.
Both permits cost €1,000 for a new permit of more than 6 months. On 8 October 2026, Critical Skills applications received on 1 October were being processed.
Stamp 1G: graduates of Irish institutions can stay 12 months after a Level 8 degree, or up to 24 months after Level 9 or above, to look for graduate work.
Ireland's thresholds rose on 1 March 2026 and are due to rise again in stages to 2030.

The Netherlands

Highly skilled migrant: the employer must be an IND-recognised sponsor. In 2026 the gross monthly salary must be at least €5,942 at 30 or older, €4,357 under 30, or €3,122 within 3 years of graduating or after an orientation year.
The Dutch EU Blue Card needs €5,942 a month, or €4,754 under the reduced criterion.
Orientation year (no employer needed): a 1-year permit for recent Dutch graduates, and for graduates of foreign universities ranked in the top 200 of at least 2 of the THE, QS and ShanghaiRanking lists, within 3 years of graduating. You can work freely, and the permit costs €254.
From 22 May 2026, highly skilled migrants who lose their job after 2 years get up to 6 months to find new work.

France

Talent Passport: a multi-year residence card of up to 4 years covering several talent categories.
Talent - EU Blue Card: at least €59,373 a year, a contract of at least 6 months, and 3 years of higher education or 5 years of comparable experience.
Qualified employee: €39,582 a year, but only for people with a master's-level diploma obtained in France.

Spain, Portugal and Sweden

Spain: since 31 January 2026 the Blue Card salary threshold is 1.4 times the average gross annual earnings, or 0.8 times that for shortage occupations and recent graduates.
Portugal: the old job seeker visa closed on 23 October 2025, and its replacement skilled job seeker visa is not yet available. Highly qualified workers with a job offer of at least 6 months can still apply for a residency visa.
Sweden: from 1 June 2026, work permits need a salary of at least SEK 34,470 a month and comprehensive health insurance.

How to approach a job search in Europe

Pick one or two countries rather than applying across the whole continent. Rules, languages and hiring culture differ a lot.
Check the salary threshold for your age and situation before applying, and favour roles that clear it comfortably.
Target international employers, tech companies and multinationals that already sponsor and often hire in English.
Learn some of the local language. Even basic German or Dutch can widen your options and, in Germany, speed up permanent residence.
Have your qualifications recognised early where a route needs it, such as Germany's skilled worker permit.

How SPath Global helps

CV and LinkedIn guides, outreach templates and interview preparation that work across European markets.
PathTracker to manage applications and follow-ups in several countries at once.
SPath Max can research employers and draft tailored applications for your review, if you want to save time.

Check before you apply

Thresholds change every year, often on 1 January. Use the official sources below to confirm the current rules, and take advice from a qualified immigration professional for your own case.