An investigation by BBC Verify has revealed that over 1,900 small businesses, including vape shops, car washes, and convenience stores, continue to hold licenses to sponsor foreign workers. This persists despite government efforts to restrict the specialist visa scheme to high-earning, graduate-level roles.
As of July 2025, the Home Office raised the salary threshold to £41,700 for most applicants. Nevertheless, more than 1,500 grocery stores and numerous other small-scale operations remain on the official register. Surprisingly, over 100 businesses were added to the list after the new, stricter regulations were implemented.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has called for a formal review into these findings, citing concerns regarding potential system exploitation. The Home Office maintains that businesses failing to meet standards face license revocation. Some experts suggest that while many companies on the list may have secured their status prior to the rule changes, others might be misrepresenting roles in fields like marketing or accounting to bypass current restrictions.
Data shows that while the overall number of skilled worker visas granted has decreased by 30% compared to the previous year, the presence of these small retailers on the sponsor register raises questions about the oversight of the system. While the government has significantly increased the number of licenses revoked—rising to 3,299 in 2025—the persistence of high street shops on the registry continues to be a point of scrutiny for immigration authorities.
