Car washes and vape shops can still sponsor skilled foreign workers despite visa changes
Being on the register does not mean applications for individual visas would be approved.Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood ordered an urgent review into the presence of vape shops, barbers and car washes on the skilled worker sponsor register two months ago, following concerns over the "potential misuse of the system". Some companies may have also remained on the register because they were approved before July 2025 or are sponsoring workers who were already in the UK.There are more than 120,000 businesses with licences to sponsor skilled workers. The skilled worker scheme was introduced after Brexit for employers to recruit workers after Eu free movement ended.
- ▪Being on the register does not mean applications for individual visas would be approved.Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood ordered an urgent review into the presence of vape shops, barbers and car washes on the skilled worker sponsor register t
- ▪Some companies may have also remained on the register because they were approved before July 2025 or are sponsoring workers who were already in the UK.There are more than 120,000 businesses with licences to sponsor skilled workers.
- ▪The skilled worker scheme was introduced after Brexit for employers to recruit workers after Eu free movement ended.
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| Canonical URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj639rx147eo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss |
| Publication time | Thu, 06 Aug 2026 05:00:13 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-08-06T05:05:43.716Z |
| Last seen | 2026-08-06T05:05:43.716Z |
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Car washes and vape shops can still sponsor skilled foreign workers despite visa changesByAlison Benjamin and Daniel WainwrightPublished5 minutes agoMore than 1,900 small high street businesses including mini-marts, vape shops and car washes are licensed to sponsor foreign workers under a specialist scheme intended for high-earning individuals despite visa rules being tightened, BBC Verify has found.The Home Office scheme allows registered employers to recruit workers from overseas who meet a certain skill level.
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