The Home Office has approved a total of 159 kebab shops in the UK to sponsor overseas workers through the skilled worker visa route.
These licences allow businesses to hire staff from abroad, with sponsored workers often able to bring dependants with them to the UK.
The figures have drawn criticism from some Conservative politicians and migration campaigners, who say the system is being used in ways it was never meant for. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp called the situation “a disgrace,” arguing that many of those recruited would not qualify as highly skilled workers.
Conservative MP Neil O’Brien also described the scheme as “absurd,” suggesting that some roles amount to little more than “fake visa milling.” The Centre for Migration Control said the data points to a sponsorship system that is “out of control.”
Under current rules, skilled worker visas usually require a minimum salary of £41,700 or meeting the relevant pay threshold for the specific job.
Home Office data indicates that 56 kebab shops used sponsorship licences to bring in overseas staff between 2021 and 2023. One business, Baba Kebabish in East Ham, was granted seven visas in that period for jobs listed under accommodation and food services.
There is no suggestion that the business has done anything wrong or is involved in visa fraud.
Records also show that 79 vape shops and 16 car wash businesses hold similar sponsorship licences.
Critics say the variety of businesses using the scheme raises concerns about whether it is being applied to genuinely skilled roles.
The figures come after enforcement action against employers breaking immigration rules, including fines issued between October and December 2025 to 13 kebab shops, some reaching up to £90,000 for illegal hiring.
To obtain a sponsorship licence, companies must pay a £536 fee and show they are offering real, legitimate jobs.
The Government says the system has already been tightened, with ministers removing more than 100 occupations from eligibility lists in an effort to reduce net migration. A Home Office spokesperson added that record numbers of immigration offenders are being identified and removed, and that licences are only issued after strict checks confirming genuine recruitment needs.
