UK Visa Sponsorship Jobs From South Africa

You're in South Africa and want a UK job that comes with visa sponsorship. The search works the same as for anyone else: the employer must hold a Home Office sponsor licence. The application does not. Applying from South Africa adds a TB test at an approved clinic and, for most people, an English language check.

Fact-checked against GOV.UK on 11 November 2026. This page helps you find employers and plan your application. It is not legal advice.

Find Employers Who Can Sponsor You

A UK employer can only sponsor you if it holds a sponsor licence and gives you a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). You must have a confirmed job offer before you apply for the visa.

1. Search the live jobs board. Every role there is at an employer on the Home Office register, which we sync daily.
2. Check any other employer in the sponsor directory before you apply.
3. Check the job is on the eligible occupations list and that the salary meets the threshold.
4. Say in your application that you're applying from South Africa and will need sponsorship.

TB Test

South Africa is on the Home Office list of countries where you need a tuberculosis (TB) test. You need one if you're coming to the UK for 6 months or more, you've lived in South Africa for 6 months or more, and you were living there within the last 6 months.

• Approved clinics only. The official list of clinics in South Africa covers Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria. A certificate from any other clinic is not accepted.
• The test is a chest x-ray, sometimes followed by a sputum sample.
• Timing: the certificate is valid for 6 months from the x-ray, so book it once you have an offer in sight.

Prove Your English

South Africa is not on GOV.UK's list of majority English-speaking countries, so you'll usually need to prove your knowledge of English. Two common ways:

• A degree taught in English. For a degree from South Africa, apply to Ecctis for a reference confirming it's equivalent to a UK bachelor's degree or higher and was taught in English. Start this early.
• An approved English test, if your degree doesn't qualify.

Police Certificate for Some Jobs

Applying from outside the UK, you need a criminal record certificate for jobs in education, healthcare, therapy and social services. If you've lived in other countries, you may need one from each: under 28, any country where you've spent 12 months or more since turning 18; aged 28 or over, any country from the last 10 years.

If You Work in Health or Social Care

South Africa is not on the red or amber list of the code of practice for international recruitment, so the code does not restrict UK employers recruiting health and care staff living there.

The code goes by the country you live in when you apply, not your nationality. Also check the Health and Care Worker visa, which costs less and has no healthcare surcharge.

Apply From South Africa

1. When: up to 3 months before the start date on your CoS.
2. How: apply online, then prove your identity with the UK Immigration: ID Check app or at a visa application centre. You're told which when you apply.
3. Decision: usually within 3 weeks of proving your identity and providing documents.

Costs (GOV.UK): £819 for up to 3 years or £1,618 for longer (£628 and £1,235 for immigration salary list jobs), plus a healthcare surcharge of usually £1,035 per year, and at least £1,270 in savings unless your employer certifies it will cover your first month.