Hundreds of migrants are paying thousands of pounds for skilled worker visa sponsorships tied to jobs that do not exist, according to evidence uncovered by a Times investigation, raising concerns about widespread abuse of the UK’s immigration system.
The findings point to a growing black market in so-called “payroll-only” sponsorships, where individuals obtain certificates of sponsorship from licensed UK employers despite having no genuine role, no workplace duties and, in many cases, no legal right to work once the visa is granted.
The investigation documented more than 250 examples of fake jobs being offered by agents and company representatives across multiple sectors, including hospitality, logistics, social care, information technology, finance and marketing.
How fake sponsorships operate
Under the skilled worker visa route, overseas nationals must be sponsored by a UK employer licensed by the Home Office and employed in a qualifying role meeting salary and skill thresholds. It is illegal for employers or intermediaries to charge workers for sponsorship.
However, evidence suggests agents are charging fees ranging from £13,000 to £20,000 to arrange sponsorships linked to non-existent roles. In many cases, the “worker” is registered on payroll, shown as earning a qualifying salary on paper, then required to pay that salary back to the sponsor through a separate account, often with additional monthly fees.
The arrangements allow visa holders to remain in the UK while working cash-in-hand or relying on the limited hours permitted under secondary employment rules. Some schemes also target roles that allow dependents to work, increasing the financial incentive.
Scale of the problem
Over a four-month period, reporters contacted 26 agents and company representatives advertising sponsorship services and reviewed thousands of online posts promoting “no work” or “payroll only” certificates of sponsorship.
The investigation identified more than a dozen Facebook groups with a combined membership of nearly one million users where sponsorships were openly advertised. Posts included claims such as “no job responsibilities required” and “100 percent payroll, no work”.
Records reviewed by the newspaper showed some sponsoring companies had few or no employees, minimal assets and no obvious business activity, yet were still issuing sponsorship certificates.
Workers pushed into fraud after losing legal status
Many of those turning to fake sponsorships had originally arrived in the UK legally. Some had lost sponsorship after their employer’s licence was revoked, leaving them with 60 days to find a new sponsor or leave the country. Others were international graduates seeking to remain after their post-study visas expired.
The investigation suggests tighter visa rules and reduced availability of sponsored roles have contributed to demand for fraudulent options. Minimum salary thresholds have risen, eligibility for care roles has been restricted and more than 100 medium-skilled occupations have been removed from the skilled worker route in recent years.
In its first three years, around 931,000 skilled workers and dependents entered the UK under the scheme, far exceeding original Home Office forecasts.
Warnings from enforcement bodies
The National Crime Agency has previously warned of an increase in fraudulent sponsorship licences being used to facilitate illegal immigration.
Data from Action Fraud shows reports of sponsorship-related scams rose from just three cases in 2021 to 341 in 2024, with a further 531 reports recorded in the first ten months of last year. These include cloned company websites, impersonation of directors and false job offers.
Obtaining a visa through deception is a criminal offence and can result in deportation, entry bans, fines or prison sentences. Employers and agents involved in selling sponsorships can face prosecution for facilitating illegal immigration, although criminal cases remain rare.
Home Office response and enforcement gaps
The Home Office said it had withdrawn sponsorship approval from nearly 2,000 employers in the year to June 2025, more than double the number recorded the year before, alongside an increase in skilled worker visa refusals.
It said sponsor licence revocations were at record levels and that companies repeatedly breaching the rules would now face a two-year ban before reapplying, up from one year.
However, the department acknowledged it does not centrally track how many sponsors are referred for criminal investigation. The Times investigation found dozens of companies that had lost their licences and later regained them.
HM Revenue and Customs said it took payroll fraud seriously and would investigate information passed to it. Meta said it removed content and banned accounts found to be promoting fraudulent activity.
Political and expert reaction
Professor Brian Bell, the government’s chief adviser on migration, said the vast majority of skilled workers were employed legitimately but warned that weak penalties were enabling abuse. “If you’re facilitating someone to stay here unlawfully it is breaking the law and should be dealt with appropriately,” he was quoted as saying. “I think of this as being just as bad, frankly, as running a small boat.”
Opposition parties described the findings as evidence of systemic failure. Liberal Democrat and Conservative figures said enforcement had been insufficient under successive governments, while Reform UK said the system had enabled a thriving black market.
The government said it would open an urgent investigation into the allegations raised.
Risks for workers and employers
For migrants, the risks of entering fraudulent arrangements are high. Visas can be revoked without warning, leaving individuals liable to removal and financial ruin. Some victims reported losing tens of thousands of pounds after being misled into believing sponsorships were genuine.
For legitimate employers, the abuse undermines trust in the sponsorship system and increases compliance scrutiny, with law-abiding firms facing tighter checks and longer processing times.
Experts warn that without stronger enforcement and criminal prosecutions, the market for fake sponsorships is likely to persist, driven by high demand for UK visas and limited lawful routes to remain.
The investigation adds to mounting pressure on the Home Office to strengthen oversight of sponsor licences and clamp down on intermediaries profiting from fraudulent schemes.
