Car washes and vape shops can still sponsor skilled foreign workers despite visa changes

More than 1,900 small businesses such as mini-marts, vape shops and car washes are allowed to sponsor foreign workers via a specialist scheme, despite the Home Office tightening visa rules in July 2025. Originally intended for high-earning individuals, the scheme now restricts sponsorship to graduate-level employees earning at least £41,700. BBC Verify discovered numerous grocery stores, taxi operators, barber shops, car washes and vape shops still on the register and eligible for sponsoring people to apply for visas.

The Home Office, which tightened the rules, will ensure proper enforcement following concerns over potential misuse. Health Secretary Yvette Cooper stated the government must prevent employers from circumventing the rules or finding alternative ways to deviate. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood ordered a review two months ago due to potential misuse of the system.

The Home Office clarified that increased skilled worker threshold and over 100 occupations are no longer eligible for new skilled worker visas. Some companies that joined after the rule change may have applied before they took effect, while others remain on the register because they were approved before July 2025 or sponsor workers already in the UK.

Since 2023, the Home Office revoked 3,299 licenses, compared to 347 in the same period last year. BBC Verify found 60 businesses on the register that were fined for employing illegal workers between April 2024 and December 2025, paying a combined £2.5m in fines. The visa rule change has significantly impacted hotels and restaurants, which can no longer sponsor chefs or managers but may claim they require roles like marketing or book-keeping.