Most CoS fraud victims could have been protected by checking a handful of publicly available facts.. This is the complete list.
7 things every migrant must verify before trusting a Certificate of Sponsorship
Thousands of people have lost their savings — and in some cases their family's entire assets — to fake Certificates of Sponsorship. Every single one of them could have been protected by checking a handful of publicly available facts before sending any money. This is that list.
- 1
Check the UKVI Register of Licensed Sponsors.
This is the most important check you can make and it is completely free. Visit gov.uk and search the official Register of Licensed Sponsors. If the company does not appear, they cannot legally issue you a Certificate of Sponsorship under any circumstances. A company that appears on Companies House but NOT on the UKVI register is not a licensed sponsor.
- 2
Verify the CoS reference number format.
A genuine Certificate of Sponsorship reference number is eleven alphanumeric characters. It has a specific, verifiable structure. If the reference you have been given does not match this format, or if the employer cannot show you the reference at all, treat this as a serious warning sign.
- 3
Check the salary meets the minimum threshold.
As of 2024, the general threshold for the Skilled Worker route is £41,700 per year (or the going rate for the role, whichever is higher). For Health and Care Worker visas, the threshold is £23,200. If the salary on your CoS is below these figures, the visa cannot be granted.
- 4
Verify the SOC code is eligible for the Skilled Worker route.
The Standard Occupational Classification code on your CoS must correspond to a role on the Skilled Worker eligible occupations list. Your CoS should specify a role at RQF Level 3 or above. If the SOC code does not match the job you have been offered, the application will fail.
- 5
Check the employer on Companies House — but understand this is not enough.
Verify the employer on Companies House. Confirm the registration number matches and the company is active. But critically — a Companies House entry proves nothing about sponsor licence status. Fraudsters specifically use Companies House's ease of registration as cover. Always cross-reference with the UKVI register.
- 6
Never pay upfront fees for sponsorship.
Licensed sponsors are legally prohibited from charging workers for the cost of sponsorship. If anyone asks you to pay a "sponsor fee," a "CoS processing fee," a "security bond," or any similar charge as a condition of receiving your Certificate of Sponsorship, you are almost certainly dealing with a fraud. Report it and do not proceed.
- 7
Use SponsorShield to run all 25+ checks automatically.
Upload your Certificate of Sponsorship PDF to SponsorShield and CoreFlux™ runs over twenty-five verification checks in under sixty seconds. UKVI register, SOC code validity, salary thresholds, Companies House cross-reference, PDF metadata forensics, visual font analysis — all of it, free.
Every fraud victim we have studied could have been protected by checking item 1 on this list. The UKVI register is public. It is free. It takes thirty seconds. Use it — or let SponsorShield use it for you.
Some fake CoS documents pass basic surface checks — correct reference format, real-looking employer name. SponsorShield's CoreFlux™ Engine checks the signals that matter: UKVI register status, salary threshold compliance, and PDF metadata forensics that fraudsters cannot fake.
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