More than 1,900 small high street businesses, including mini-marts, vape shops and car washes, remain licensed to sponsor foreign workers under the UK skilled worker scheme despite tighter visa rules, BBC reported. BBC Verify found more than 1,500 grocery and convenience stores, 150 taxi operators, 100 barber shops and dozens of car washes and vape shops still on the register a year after changes restricted the route mainly to graduate-level jobs paying at least £41,700.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood ordered an urgent review two months ago after concerns over the potential misuse of the system. The Home Office said more than 100 occupations are now ineligible for new skilled worker visas, while 68,067 skilled worker visas were granted in the 12 months to March this year, 30% fewer than a year earlier. The department also said it revoked 3,299 licences in 2025, compared with 347 in 2023. BBC Verify separately found 60 businesses on the register that had been fined a combined £2.5m for employing illegal workers between April 2024 and December 2025.