Start from official sponsor registers where a country publishes one, such as the UK register of licensed sponsors and the Dutch IND register of recognised sponsors, then cross-check with job boards and real hires on LinkedIn. Filter for companies that hire engineers at your level, and target roles where sponsorship is routine rather than an exception.
What people tell me
I want to work abroad as a software engineer. I apply to jobs in Europe and elsewhere, but most of the time I either get no reply or the recruiter says they cannot sponsor a visa. Job ads rarely say clearly whether sponsorship is available. I am wasting a lot of time on companies that were never going to hire someone from outside the country. How do I find the ones that actually sponsor?
A composite of the messages behind this question, with personal details left out.
Key takeaways
- Use official registers where they exist: the UK and the Netherlands both publish one.
- A company being on a register means it can sponsor, not that it will for your role.
- Confirm by finding engineers from abroad who joined recently on LinkedIn.
- Target mid-sized and large tech employers where sponsorship is routine.
- Ask about sponsorship early in the first recruiter conversation, briefly and directly.
Why this is hard
Most job ads do not say whether they sponsor visas, and many recruiters do not know until someone asks. Sending a hundred applications and hoping is the most common approach and the least effective. The better approach is to build a list of employers who already sponsor people like you, then apply there with intent.
Step 1: start from official registers
Some countries publish the list of employers allowed to sponsor work visas. These are the most reliable starting points:
| Country | Where to look | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Register of licensed sponsors: workers on GOV.UK | Every organisation licensed to sponsor workers, with the routes it can use. Downloadable as a spreadsheet |
| Netherlands | IND public register of recognised sponsors | Employers recognised by the IND, which is what the highly skilled migrant route requires |
Both registers are large and updated regularly, so download a fresh copy each time. Filter by the towns you care about and search for names you recognise from tech.
Other countries work differently. In Germany, for example, there is no sponsor licence in the same sense: an employer offers you a qualifying contract and you apply for a visa such as the EU Blue Card yourself. There, the useful question is whether a company is used to hiring internationally and working in English, not whether it holds a licence.
Step 2: understand what the register does and does not mean
Being on a register means a company can sponsor. It does not mean it will sponsor a junior engineer, or anyone for the role you applied to. Hospitals, universities and large retailers appear on these lists and rarely hire software engineers from abroad. You still need to filter.
Step 3: confirm with real people
The best evidence is engineers who joined recently from your country or region. On LinkedIn, search for the company, filter people by past location or university region, and look at when they joined. If you find three or four engineers who moved in the last two years, sponsorship is routine there. If you find none, it probably is not.
This also gives you people to message. A short, polite note asking how they found the process often gets a reply, and sometimes a referral.
Step 4: build a target list
Keep a simple spreadsheet with:
- Company, city and country
- On the register, or used to international hiring: yes or no
- Engineers who relocated recently: names or count
- Open roles at your level
- Contact or referral status
Aim for 30 to 50 companies you are genuinely interested in, rather than hundreds you picked at random. The Sefism company directory lets you switch between Pakistani and global companies, and jobs links to careers pages directly.
Step 5: ask early and plainly
In the first recruiter call, say something like: "I am based outside the country and would need visa sponsorship. Is that something you support for this role?" It saves both of you time, and it signals that you understand the process.
What improves your chances
- Experience helps a lot. Sponsorship costs time and money, so many employers sponsor mid-level and senior engineers far more readily than new graduates.
- Skills in demand such as backend, cloud, data and AI engineering make the case easier.
- Relocation-friendly companies often say so on their careers pages. Read those pages rather than only job boards.
- Remote roles first can be a path too: some engineers join a company remotely and relocate later.
If you are still stuck
Read How can I get a software engineering job abroad with visa sponsorship? and How do I cold message recruiters and ask for referrals?. The job search roadmap covers building a pipeline like this step by step. If you want help building your target list, join Sefism and, as a member, book a 1:1 session.
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