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

US Work Visas Explained: H-1B, L-1, O-1, OPT and Green Cards in 2026

A plain-English 2026 guide to working in the United States: how the H-1B selection now works, the $100,000 payment, L-1 and O-1 alternatives, OPT for students and employment-based green cards.

Last checked: 10 October 2026. The United States remains one of the biggest markets for international talent, but US work visas changed a lot in 2025 and 2026. Selection now favours higher-paid roles, some costs for employers have risen sharply, and several further changes are proposed or being decided in court.

For job seekers, that makes targeting more important than ever. The candidates with the best odds focus on employers that already sponsor, roles paid well for their level, and routes that fit their profile, rather than applying everywhere and hoping.

H-1B: the main professional work visa

For jobs that need at least a bachelor's degree, or equivalent, in a related specialty. A US employer must sponsor you and file the petition.
There are 65,000 visas a year, plus 20,000 for people with a US master's degree or higher. Universities, their affiliated nonprofits and nonprofit or government research organisations are exempt from the cap.
Initial stay is up to 3 years, extendable to 6, with longer extensions possible while certain green card steps are pending.
From the 2027 fiscal year, selection is weighted by wage level: a registration at the highest wage level gets four entries in the draw, the lowest gets one. Registration ran in March 2026 with a $215 fee, and both caps were reached.
No dates for the next registration have been announced yet. It usually runs for about two weeks in March.

The $100,000 H-1B payment

A September 2025 proclamation added a one-time $100,000 payment on certain new H-1B petitions, generally for workers outside the US without a valid H-1B visa. It does not apply to renewals or existing H-1B holders.
A new proclamation in September 2026 extended it until 21 September 2027.
A federal court set aside the guidance used to collect the payment in June 2026, and an appeals court refused to pause that ruling in July. DHS says it is complying while it considers next steps, so the position may change. Check USCIS before relying on it either way.
Separately, DHS has proposed a further $103,265 fee on cap-subject H-1B petitions. This is a proposal only and is not in force.

Other work visas

L-1 intracompany transfer: for people who have worked for a multinational abroad for at least 1 continuous year in the last 3, moving to its US office. L-1A for managers and executives (up to 7 years), L-1B for specialised knowledge (up to 5 years). There is no lottery.
O-1 extraordinary ability: for people with sustained recognition in science, business, education, athletics or the arts, shown through awards, publications, press or high pay. A US employer or agent must file. Initial stay is up to 3 years.
TN: for Canadian and Mexican citizens in professions listed under the USMCA, with a US job offer. Initial stay is up to 3 years and can be extended.
E-3: for Australian nationals in specialty occupations, in 2-year periods with no limit on extensions.
H-1B1: a small allocation for nationals of Chile and Singapore, set aside from the H-1B cap.

Students: OPT and STEM OPT

F-1 students can get up to 12 months of Optional Practical Training per education level, in work related to their field.
Graduates with eligible STEM degrees can add a 24-month STEM OPT extension with an E-Verify employer and a training plan.
Many people use OPT as the bridge to an H-1B registration.
A final rule moves students to a fixed admission period of up to 4 years and cuts the grace period after study or OPT from 60 to 30 days. Separately, DHS proposed in October 2026 that schools pay $70,000 for initial OPT and $30,000 for STEM OPT. That proposal is not in force.

Employment-based green cards

EB-1A: for extraordinary ability, with no job offer needed and self-petition allowed.
EB-1B and EB-1C: for outstanding researchers and for multinational managers, both with an employer.
EB-2: for advanced degrees or exceptional ability, usually with an employer and PERM labour certification. The National Interest Waiver lets strong candidates self-petition without a job offer.
EB-3: for skilled workers and professionals with a permanent job offer, usually through PERM.
Waiting times depend on your country of birth and category. Check the State Department's monthly Visa Bulletin.

Check whether your nationality is affected

Since 1 January 2026, nationals of 39 countries face full or partial US visa restrictions.
Nigeria is among the countries on the partial list, which covers visitor, student and exchange visas and immigrant visas. H-1B, L-1, O-1 and TN are not in that partial list, and people who already hold a valid visa are excepted.
Because the lists and exceptions change, check the current proclamation and the State Department before planning a route.

How to approach a US job search

Target employers with a history of sponsoring, and roles where the salary sits at a higher wage level for the job and location. That now improves your H-1B odds.
Consider cap-exempt employers such as universities and nonprofit research organisations, which can hire on an H-1B at any time of year.
If you already work for a multinational, ask about an internal transfer on the L-1.
Use a US-style resume: one or two pages, no photo, focused on quantified results.
Reach hiring managers directly. Referrals carry a lot of weight in US hiring.

How SPath Global helps

Resume and LinkedIn guides, outreach templates and interview preparation for US applications.
PathTracker to manage applications, contacts and follow-ups.
SPath Max can research employers and draft tailored applications for your review, if you want to save time.

Check before you apply

US immigration rules are changing quickly in 2026, and some measures are still in court or only proposed. Use the official sources below for the current position, and speak to a qualified US immigration attorney about your own case.