UK Caregiver Jobs: Before You Pay Any Agent, Read This

If an agent is asking you to pay for a UK caregiver Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) right now, stop and read this first. It could save you millions of naira. Everything below is taken from official UK government guidance (gov.uk), checked in November 2026.

The Hard Truth: The Caregiver Route From Outside the UK Closed on 22 July 2025

From 22 July 2025, the UK removed care worker (occupation code 6135) and senior care worker (code 6136) from the list of jobs a person can apply for from outside the UK. In plain language: if you are currently in Nigeria, there is no lawful way to get a brand-new UK care worker visa, no matter what an agent promises you. The UK government’s own words: “no new international applicants will be allowed to apply for care jobs in the UK under the current visa route.”

Anyone still selling a “caregiver CoS” to somebody in Nigeria is selling something that cannot be granted.

What Is Still Open

  • People already in the UK can still switch into care worker roles until 22 July 2028, if they have been legally working for that sponsor for at least 3 months. Existing visa holders can extend.
  • Other health roles are still open to overseas applicants on the Health and Care Worker visa, for example nurses and other listed health professionals. The closure is specific to care worker and senior care worker codes.
  • The general rules for the Health and Care Worker visa: salary usually at least £25,000 a year or the going rate for the job; English language now at CEFR level B2 for new applicants; visa application fee £324 (CoS of 3 years or less) or £628 (more than 3 years); no Immigration Health Surcharge on this route.

Five Facts That Expose a Fake Offer

1. A CoS is not a document. It is an electronic record with a reference number. Anyone “selling” you a paper certificate is selling a fake.

2. A genuine sponsor never charges you for the CoS. Assigning a CoS costs the sponsor £525, and the employer must pay it by law. The UK government’s employer guidance is blunt: a sponsor’s licence may be revoked if it asks the worker to pay the CoS fee. Genuine sponsors also cannot pass you the sponsor licence fee or the Immigration Skills Charge.

3. UK agencies cannot charge you to find the job. In the government’s official guidance for overseas health and care applicants: “Do not pay money to UK-based agencies to find work in the UK. This is illegal.”

4. The sponsor must be on the official register. Search gov.uk yourself (never use a link an agent sends you) for the “Register of licensed sponsors: workers”, download the register, and search for the employer’s exact legal name. Not on the register? That organisation cannot sponsor anyone. Walk away.

5. Nigeria is on the WHO red list. Under the UK Code of Practice, UK employers and agencies must not actively recruit people living in red-list countries. The official guidance says: “If you live in a red list country and a recruitment agency contacts you with a job offer, you should reject it.” You may still apply directly yourself, for example through NHS Jobs — what is banned is agency-led recruitment targeting you.

Red Flags, Word for Word From the Official Guidance

  • You were contacted unexpectedly, or given a job with no application and no interview
  • You are asked to pay any fee to “get” the job
  • “No experience needed” and a salary that sounds too good
  • A vague or badly written job description, and an agent with no real website, email or physical address
  • Promises like “work 12 months as a senior care worker and register as a nurse without the English exam”
  • Offers of an “easy way” to pass the English test — bought certificates, proxy test-takers, leaked questions. All of that is fraud.

How to Check a Job Offer Is Real

  1. Find the employer on the Register of Licensed Sponsors on gov.uk
  2. Check the company on Companies House (or the Charity Commission for charities)
  3. For care jobs in England, check the employer is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC)
  4. Confirm the organisation has a real physical address, and contact the employer directly
  5. Compare the offered salary with typical salaries for that role — a wild number is a warning, not good luck

Already Paid? Report It

If an organisation charged you for a CoS, report it to Action Fraud. If you received a fake CoS, report it as an immigration crime. If a UK agency or employer charged you a recruitment fee, contact the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate and the GLAA. Jobs Aware gives free help to victims of job scams.

The rule to remember: real sponsorship never starts with you paying. Check the register, check the rules on gov.uk yourself, and let any agent who asks for CoS money explain himself to Action Fraud instead of to you.

More reads: The Husband’s Secret — Part 1 · Highest Paid African Footballers in Europe

Sources: gov.uk — Health and Care Worker visa; “Overseas recruitment for care workers to end” (May 2025); Register of licensed sponsors: workers; UK visa sponsorship employers guidance; “Applying for health and social care jobs in the UK from abroad” Parts 1-2. Rules change often — re-check gov.uk before acting.