Can an EOR sponsor a UK work visa if my company has no sponsor licence?
No. Teamed does not hold a UK sponsor licence and cannot issue a Certificate of Sponsorship, whether or not your own company holds one. Here is why, and what actually works instead.
· United Kingdom guide
Illustration · London, United Kingdom
No. Teamed does not hold a UK sponsor licence and cannot issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for a work visa.
This is true even when the hiring company itself holds a UK sponsor licence. UK Visas and Immigration looks at the legal employer. When Teamed is your employer of record, Teamed is that employer, not your company.
There is no workaround inside the EOR structure. The real options are delaying the start date, transferring the visa through a different licensed sponsor, using a provider that holds a UK sponsor licence, or a non-sponsored immigration route.
Why can't Teamed sponsor a UK work visa?
Teamed does not hold a UK sponsor licence.
Without one, UK law does not let Teamed issue a Certificate of Sponsorship, the document a Skilled Worker or other sponsored visa needs. No Certificate of Sponsorship, no sponsored visa, whatever else is in place.
A UK sponsor licence is issued by UK Visas and Immigration to the specific organisation acting as the legal employer. Holding one means running your own right-to-work systems, keeping sponsorship records, and reporting changes to the Home Office. Teamed has not applied for, and does not hold, a sponsor licence for the United Kingdom.
Teamed's immigration support varies by country. In some markets, including the UAE, Teamed handles parts of the visa and insurance process for employees. The United Kingdom is not one of those markets. This page is about the UK specifically, and nothing here applies to how Teamed works elsewhere.
Does it matter if my company already holds a sponsor licence?
No, it does not.
When Teamed employs someone as your employer of record, Teamed is the legal employer UKVI looks at, not your company. Your sponsor licence covers your own direct employees. It has no reach over someone employed through Teamed.
A sponsor licence is tied to the organisation named on it. It cannot be lent, shared, or extended to cover a worker employed by a different legal entity. Your company might run its own sponsorship well for the people it employs directly. That licence still has no reach over a worker Teamed employs on your behalf, because Teamed, not your company, is the employer of record.
Nothing inside an EOR structure changes this. Routing the hire through Teamed does not transfer, borrow, or activate your company's licence for that person.
What are the real options?
Four routes actually work.
None of them run through Teamed's UK employer-of-record structure. Each is something you or the candidate arrange directly.
- Delay the start date. Wait until the candidate secures their own visa or status independently, such as Indefinite Leave to Remain.
- Transfer the sponsorship. The candidate arranges a visa transfer through a different, UK-licensed sponsor.
- Use a different provider. A different EOR or immigration provider that holds a UK sponsor licence can sponsor this specific hire.
- Explore a non-sponsored route. Some immigration pathways do not need sponsorship at all. Which one applies depends on the candidate's own circumstances.
A qualified UK immigration adviser is the right person to work through which option fits a specific candidate. Teamed can point you to the question. It is not the source of the answer here.
What Teamed can still do
Two things, right now.
Teamed can run a UK salary simulation for the role today, and stands ready to onboard the candidate the moment they secure the right to work on their own.
Once a candidate holds their own visa, status, or right to work in the UK, independent of any sponsorship decision, Teamed becomes the legal employer of record from $599 per employee per month, with zero FX mark-up. PAYE payroll, National Insurance, the workplace pension, and the full UK employment stack run on one platform. Onboarding for right-to-work-cleared hires runs 24 hours from accepted offer to start-ready; the UK hiring guide covers the full process.
Run the numbers before the offer goes out with the Employer Cost Calculator, or start from the United Kingdom hiring overview; each guide here takes one layer of UK employment law.
Frequently asked questions
Can an EOR sponsor a UK work visa?
No. A UK sponsor licence has to be held by the actual legal employer, and Teamed does not hold one for the United Kingdom. Teamed cannot issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for any hire it employs as an employer of record.
Does it matter if my company already holds a UK sponsor licence?
No. When Teamed is the employer of record, Teamed is the legal employer UKVI looks at, not your company. Your company's sponsor licence covers people it employs directly. It does not extend to someone Teamed employs on your behalf.
What can I do if my candidate needs a UK visa and Teamed cannot sponsor it?
Four things work. Delay the start date until the candidate secures their own status. Have them transfer their sponsorship through a different UK-licensed sponsor. Use a different EOR or immigration provider that holds a UK sponsor licence. Or explore an immigration route that does not need sponsorship at all.
Does Teamed sponsor work visas anywhere?
Teamed's immigration support varies by country. In some markets, including the UAE, Teamed handles parts of the visa and insurance process. The United Kingdom is not one of those markets.
Can Teamed help once my candidate has the right to work in the UK?
Yes. Teamed can run a salary simulation for the role now, and stands ready to onboard the candidate the moment they secure the right to work independently.
A sponsor licence sits with the employer, not with whoever is paying the invoice. Routing a hire through an EOR does not move that licence, and no EOR can lend one it does not hold. If sponsorship is the blocker, fix sponsorship first.
A sponsor licence sits with the employer, not the relationship built on top of it. We are open about not holding one for the UK, because the alternative is a candidate who finds out at offer stage instead of the first conversation.
Ask the sponsorship question before you make the offer, not after.
Once the candidate has their own status, we are ready the same day.
Looking for a job in Visa Sponsorship yourself? Teamed does not hire people directly. Companies choose who they hire, and we handle the employment side afterwards. Here is why we cannot help with your search.
