Is a job offer that requires me to pay a visa sponsorship fee a scam?
Almost certainly. Legitimate employers sponsoring a work visa bear the sponsorship costs themselves. Any employer asking you to pay a fee to be sponsored is exploiting your immigration aspirations.
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Explanation
Visa sponsorship scams target people in countries where overseas work is a significant aspiration. A fraudulent employer — sometimes claiming to be a company in the UK, US, Canada, or Australia — offers a job and says they will provide visa sponsorship, but you must first pay a processing, legal, or sponsorship registration fee. Once paid, the job offer disappears, or further fees are demanded. Genuine employers with a valid sponsorship licence do not require workers to pay for the sponsorship process. Work visa costs are a cost of doing business for the employer. In the UK, it is actually illegal for employers to pass sponsorship costs to workers for most visa categories.
Common red flags
- Employer asks you to pay any visa, sponsorship, or registration fee
- Job offer arrived unsolicited via social media or WhatsApp
- Company name and address cannot be verified in the destination country's company register
- Communication is through personal email rather than a corporate address
What to do now
- Do not pay any fee to secure a visa sponsorship
- Verify the company through the destination country's official business registry
- Check the company's sponsorship licence status on the relevant government register
- Report the offer to your local police and the consulate of the country involved
Frequently asked questions
Can I get my money back if I already paid a visa sponsorship fee?
Recovery is difficult, especially for international wire transfers. Report to your bank immediately and file a complaint with your national consumer protection body. Preserve all communications as evidence.