Friday, Jul 24, 2026 The claims desk. Receipts included. POWERED BY LENZ
IsThis

POLITICS

The Claim

More than 150 kebab takeout shops in Great Britain have been granted UK Home Office sponsor licences allowing them to hire workers directly from overseas through a new UK visa program.

The Short Version

The claim overstates what the evidence shows. Official sources confirm that UK sponsor licences exist for the Skilled Worker route and that food businesses can use them, but the supplied primary evidence does not directly substantiate the reported figure of more than 150 kebab takeout shops. The description of this as a new visa program is also inaccurate, because the route is an established scheme rather than a newly created one.

Caveats

  • The specific tally appears to come from secondary media reports, not a clearly documented count from the Home Office register.
  • Calling it a new UK visa program is misleading; the Skilled Worker sponsor-licence system has existed for years.
  • A sponsor licence does not itself prove large-scale overseas recruitment or any wrongdoing; it only authorizes eligible sponsorship under existing rules.

The Receipts

  1. UK visa sponsorship for employers: Apply for your licence

    GOV.UK

  2. Migrant crisis: More than 150 kebab shops given Home Office licences to hire workers from overseas

    GB News

  3. Register of licensed sponsors: workers

    UK Government - Home Office

  4. Fury as over 150 UK KEBAB SHOPS given Home Office licences to sponsor workers

    The Sun

  5. A total of 159 kebab shops across Britain have been granted Home Office licences

    GB News (via TikTok)

  6. A total of 159 kebab shops across Britain have been granted Home Office licences

    Instagram (GB News reel)

  7. Daily Licences Checker - Register of Licensed Sponsors in the UK

    licensed-sponsors-uk.com

  8. Kebab shops, vape stores and even car washes are being allowed to sponsor overseas workers under Britain's visa system

    Facebook (GB News Online)

  9. New figures show that 159 kebab shops across Britain hold Home Office licences

    Facebook (North East Updates)

  10. I went to a kebab shop that has sponsored 7 skilled worker visas ...

    Reddit

+ 7 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

Great BritainHome OfficeUnited Kingdom

More Fact Checks