Does Visa Sponsorship Cost Employers?
The 2026 Fee Breakdown
Sponsorship costs employers real money — but far less than the "sponsorship fee" you see on shady job boards. A UK employer pays a licence fee plus a charge per worker; a US employer pays filing fees per H-1B petition; a German employer pays nearly nothing at all. Here's exactly what each route costs, and which fees must never come out of your pocket.
Contents
1. Sponsorship Costs by Country (2026) 2. United Kingdom — Licence, CoS & ISC 3. United States — H-1B Filing Fees 4. Canada — LMIA Costs 5. Germany & EU — Near-Zero Employer Costs 6. What You Should Never Pay For 7. Frequently Asked QuestionsSponsorship Costs by Country (2026)
| Country | Employer Cost (per hire) | What It Covers | Who Pays Application Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | £2,000–£6,000 | Licence + CoS + Immigration Skills Charge | Employer (candidate pays only personal visa + IHS) |
| United States | $3,000–$7,000 | LCA + H-1B filing + optional premium processing | Employer (candidate may pay premium for speed) |
| Canada | CA$1,000–CA$2,300 | LMIA application fees (per position) | Employer (candidate pays work permit fee) |
| Germany | ~€0–€500 | Administrative; no licence system | Candidate (visa/Blue Card fee) |
| Australia | AU$2,600+ | Sponsorship nomination + SA levy | Employer (candidate pays own visa) |
| Netherlands | ~€1,000–€2,000 | Recognised sponsor admin | Candidate (own permit fee) |
The pattern across every serious destination: employers pay for sponsorship infrastructure; candidates pay for their own personal visa and health surcharges. Anyone who demands a "sponsorship fee" or "processing fee" from you before an interview is running a scam. More on that below.
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Browse the Directory →United Kingdom — Licence, CoS & the ISC
UK employer costs are the most visible of any major route:
- Sponsor licence — £536 for small sponsors, £1,476 for large; renewable, and required before any hiring (see the official Skilled Worker fee table).
- Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) — £239 per worker, a per-hire cost.
- Immigration Skills Charge (ISC) — £364/year for small sponsors, £1,000/year for large, charged on every Skilled Worker (up to 3 years upfront). Health and Care visa sponsors are exempt.
So a large non-health employer spends roughly £5,000–£6,000 per worker in year one. The candidate pays only the personal visa application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge — never the licence, never the CoS, never the ISC. If a UK "sponsor" asks you to reimburse their ISC, that's a red flag.
United States — H-1B Filing Fees
US employer costs are the highest of any route, and the lottery makes them partially sunk:
- LCA filing — $10 per application.
- I-129 H-1B petition — $780 base filing fee.
- Fraud prevention fee — $500 per petition.
- ACWIA fee — $750–$1,500 for employers with 26+ staff.
- Optional premium processing — $2,805 for 15-day decisions (candidates sometimes cover this for speed).
An employer's realistic per-hire outlay is $3,000–$7,000 — and with 1-in-4 lottery odds, much of that cost evaporates on unselected registrations. That's why US sponsorship skews to larger companies that can absorb lottery churn. The candidate pays the I-129 petition's separate filing fee only in specific cases; the legal requirement is that the employer covers the LCA, ACWIA, and fraud fees (see USCIS fee rules).
Canada — LMIA Costs
Canada's route is simpler and cheaper:
- LMIA application — CA$1,000 per position (recently increased from CA$275; see IRCC employer fees).
- Employer Compliance Fee — CA$230 per worker for LMIA-exempt routes.
- Provincial nomination costs — vary by province, usually CA$1,500–CA$2,300 for PNP applications.
Employers approved under the Global Talent Stream pay the standard LMIA fee with a 10-business-day processing target. Candidates pay their own work permit fee (CA$155). Total employer outlay: roughly CA$1,000–CA$2,300 per hire — modest by US standards.
Germany & EU — Near-Zero Employer Costs
Germany has no sponsorship licence and no skills charge. The Blue Card process is employee-led: the candidate gathers the contract and credentials, the visa section processes, and the employer's cost is a few hours of HR time. Administrative fees are paid by the candidate (around €75–€140 for the Blue Card application). The Netherlands runs a recognised sponsor system with similar economics — administrative, not financial, burden.
This structural difference matters when comparing offers: a German employer who "offers to handle sponsorship" is giving you logistics, not absorbing thousands in fees — and that's fine, because there are no thousands in fees to absorb.
What You Should Never Pay For
Legitimate sponsorship is built on a simple split: employer pays sponsorship infrastructure, you pay your own visa. You should never pay:
- A "sponsorship fee" or "visa processing fee" charged by an employer or recruiter before you're hired.
- The UK sponsor licence, CoS, or ISC costs.
- The US LCA, ACWIA, or fraud prevention fees.
- Any LMIA or nomination fee in Canada.
- Guaranteed-job schemes, "paid internship to visa" packages, or fees for "verifying your credentials".
Legitimate costs you do pay: your personal visa application fee, the UK Immigration Health Surcharge, police checks, translations, and (often) premium processing if you want speed. If a fee doesn't fit that list, it's a scam — and the scam industry grew 118% in 2025 alone. Read the full scam-protection guide →
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