Countries with an official sponsor list
- United Kingdom: employers need a Home Office sponsor licence. The public register lists every licensed sponsor.
- Netherlands: the Highly Skilled Migrant route needs an IND recognised sponsor, and the IND publishes the register.
- Australia: employers must be approved business sponsors and nominate the role, but there is no public list of sponsors.
- New Zealand: only accredited employers can hire on the Accredited Employer Work Visa.
Countries where the job, not the employer, is approved
- Ireland: no sponsor licence. An employment permit is tied to a specific job offer, and the government publishes which companies received permits.
- Germany: any employer can hire you for an EU Blue Card or skilled worker permit if your qualification is recognised and the salary qualifies.
- Canada: most employer-backed work permits need a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment for the role. Past approvals are published.
- United States: the employer petitions for you. Most H-1B roles go through an annual lottery.
How to search efficiently
- Pick one or two countries whose rules fit your qualification and salary level.
- Use each country's official register or approval data to build a list of employers that have sponsored before.
- Filter live job listings to those employers and countries.
- Write your CV in the local format: no photo in the UK and Ireland, for example, and a different style in Germany.