This official Home Office register lists organisations licensed to sponsor workers under the Skilled Worker route. It is the primary source used to verify whether a UK employer holds a sponsor licence, and the list is updated periodically by the Home Office.

The Home Office explains that employers must hold a sponsor licence to employ most overseas workers under the Skilled Worker route. This establishes what a sponsor licence is and why an outlet would need one to sponsor cooks or other staff.

The Home Office said that between July 2024 and June 2025, 1,948 licences allowing companies to bring in migrant workers were revoked, more than double the number in the previous 12 months. The statement also says adult social care, hospitality, retail and construction are among the sectors with the highest levels of abuse.

Reuters is a high-authority wire service that frequently reports on UK immigration and labour policy using official government data. It would be an appropriate secondary source for corroborating whether the number of sponsor-licensed kebab shops exceeded 150 in 2024.

The ONS does not publish sponsor-licence registers, but it is a primary statistical source for UK labour-market context. Its data can help assess whether hospitality employers were likely to seek sponsored workers in 2024.

In parliamentary discussion, members referenced the public Home Office register of licensed sponsors and debated the use of skilled worker visas by small businesses. This provides context that sponsor licences are public records, but it does not itself confirm the kebab-shop count in the claim.

UK Parliament records debates and questions on immigration policy, including the Skilled Worker route and sponsor licensing. These records can provide legislative and policy context for Home Office sponsor licences granted to businesses such as kebab shops.

The Financial Times covers UK business and immigration policy, including labour-market issues affecting restaurants and takeaways. It is a strong secondary source for contextual reporting around sponsor licences in the hospitality sector.

The article states that "the 159 outlets can legitimately sponsor cooks" and that "numerous kebab establishments possess permits from the Home Office to issue skilled worker visas." It also says that "56 kebab outlets utilised their licenses to bring in foreign workers" between 2021 and 2023.

TBIJ reported that data obtained via freedom of information requests showed 122 companies had their licences revoked in 2022 and 2023. The story says this led to nearly 3,000 care workers having their sponsorship cancelled.

BBC News regularly reports on UK immigration, labour shortages, and sponsor-licence policy. While no specific BBC item on the kebab-shop count is provided in the search results, BBC coverage would be a high-quality secondary source for checking whether The Sun’s 2024 report reflected official Home Office data.

The Guardian has covered UK immigration and low-wage labour issues in hospitality, including restaurants and takeaways relying on sponsored workers. It is a credible secondary source for cross-checking The Sun’s claim against broader reporting.

The Times reported that the Home Office was examining how kebab shops and off-licences were helping non-EU migrants get visas through skilled-worker sponsorship. This is corroborating context for the broader reporting about kebab-shop sponsor licences.

The Sun’s page for Thomas Godfrey includes the headline: “150 UK kebab shops given Home Office licences to give skilled worker visas.” The excerpt states that under the scheme, “the 159 outlets can legitimately sponsor cooks,” indicating The Sun reported a figure above 150 for kebab shops with Home Office sponsor licences in the UK in 2024.

GB News reported that "a total of 159 kebab shops across Britain have been granted Home Office licences allowing them to sponsor overseas workers under the skilled worker visa scheme." The story also said Home Office records showed 56 kebab shops used those sponsorship licences between 2021 and 2023.

This guide explains that UK sponsor licences are required for businesses that want to hire international workers through the Skilled Worker route. It notes that sponsor licences are part of a compliance system focused on record-keeping, Certificates of Sponsorship, and meeting salary and skill requirements.

The Home Office maintains a public register of licensed sponsors, which can be searched to identify businesses approved to sponsor workers. The claim about more than 150 kebab shops in the UK holding sponsor licences would most directly be checked against that register and any contemporaneous reporting using it.

A widely shared Facebook post states: "More than 150 kebab takeout shops across Britain have been given government licences to hire workers directly from overseas through a new visa scheme." The post mirrors wording from The Sun’s article and frames these licences as allowing the shops to sponsor overseas workers under the skilled worker visa route.

An immigration practitioner’s explainer reel says a new debate started "after reports revealed that hundreds of businesses including vape companies, barbers, pizza shops and newsagents have appeared on the Home Office sponsor licence register." The caption summarises that media reports, citing The Telegraph and BBC/LBC, had found such small businesses listed as licensed sponsors on the Home Office register.

A post discussing the controversy says: "More than 150 kebab shops across Britain have been granted Home Office licences allowing them to sponsor overseas workers under the UK's skilled worker visa..." It echoes figures and language reported in The Sun about the number of kebab shops with sponsor licences.

The segment says that a small kebab shop in East London is licensed to sponsor skilled migrant workers and discusses how some businesses use the Home Office sponsor system. It is commentary rather than primary evidence, but it aligns with the newspaper reports about kebab-shop sponsor licences.

The video states that 79 vape shops appeared on the Home Office list of licensed sponsors for the skilled worker visa. It also says the sponsor register contains many businesses such as newsagents, corner stores, and takeaways.

The video states that halal butchers and kebab shops have issued hundreds of skilled worker visas in recent years and cites a freedom of information request seen by the broadcaster. It specifically says 56 kebab houses sponsored skilled worker visas between 2021 and 2023.

The post says that the most common company names include words such as curry, kebab, and pizza, and refers to 79 vape shops on the Home Office's public register of licensed sponsors. This is a political commentary post citing the public register, not a primary document.