Skilled worker visas being used to hire shop staff

Hundreds of Kent corner shops and takeaways hold government licences which are intended for recruiting skilled workers from abroad, it has been revealed.

Analysis of Home Office data by the Local Democracy Reporting Service found about 2,000 businesses and organisations across the county hold visa sponsor licences.

This includes more than 200 restaurants, takeaways and cafes, plus almost 250 corner shops, mini-markets and convenience stores – with 95% of licences being for the skilled worker route.

Weald of Kent MP Katie Lam says the findings showed the immigration system is being used in "absurd" ways, while immigration experts argued the situation was more nuanced.

Lam said the skilled worker visa was intended for people with specialist skills who make a "major contribution", not to "bring people into low-skilled roles".

She added: "Ministers need to close the loophole, and if businesses can't recruit locally they should be raising wages, improving training and investing in British workers."

However, immigration experts say many licensed employers never use the system, while others may have legitimate reasons for sponsoring overseas staff in eligible roles.

The skilled worker route covers hundreds of occupations, not just highly specialised professions, although applicants must be sponsored for an eligible role and meet salary, skills and other Home Office requirements.

Dr Ben Brindle, a senior researcher at the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, explained that, theoretically, there are no restrictions on which businesses can apply.

"They just have to be a genuine business that is actively trading in the UK," he said.

"The most relevant restriction for getting onto the register is whether they intend to offer 'eligible roles'."

Of the more than 300 retail businesses in Kent holding sponsor licences, almost all are approved for the skilled worker route.

Brindle said: "Now, it's possible that there are genuine roles that are eligible for skilled worker visas in these establishments, such as managers and directors in retail and wholesale.

"It's less obviously clear why these employers would use the migration system to recruit."

He added it is more expensive to hire migrants on work visas, with licences costing £611 for small employers, along with an immigration skills charge of at least £480 per worker for each year of sponsorship.

"It's important to note is that not all employers with sponsor licences will actually hire workers through the migration system," he said.

"In many cases, they will get a licence and not use it."

Home Office (HO) statistics show the skilled worker visa success rate for main applicants applying from outside the UK fell to about 80% in 2025 – down from 98% in 2022.

The HO register also shows manufacturers, financial firms, several religious organisations and franchise operators for major high street brands holding sponsor licences.

The latter include nine Kent branches of Subway and the Dartford and Canterbury branches of Fireaway Pizza.

Both companies were asked to comment on their use of sponsor licences and overseas recruitment but did not respond.

A HO spokesperson said the government would "never tolerate abuse of the immigration system".

"Holding a sponsorship licence is no guarantee that a visa will be granted," they added.

"Any employer seeking to sponsor a worker through the skilled worker route must meet strict requirements, and we have taken action to reduce reliance on overseas recruitment by raising the threshold to graduate-level occupations and removing more than 100 from eligibility."

Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, X, and on Instagram and listen to BBC Radio Kent on Sounds. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.