Opening in London Without Bringing a Chef From Japan

Staffing a London opening starts from a completely different premise from other major cities. Since 22 July 2025, sponsoring a new chef (SOC 5434) from overseas has effectively been closed in the UK. The model many Japanese companies have used for openings abroad, bringing a head chef from Japan to launch the restaurant, does not work in London as it stands.

This article is written for a Japanese restaurant company or owner opening in London, and sets out how to find people on that premise. For the rule change itself, see hiring for Japanese restaurants in the UK after 2025; for London pay levels, see Hiring a sushi chef in London.

1. London in numbers

Japanese restaurants in the UK grew by 560 in two years. The number of restaurants is rising while the route for new chefs from overseas is closed. Assume that in London many restaurants are competing for a limited pool of people.

2. The route for chefs from Japan is all but closed

Skilled Worker: chefs are out

In the UK government's occupation list, Chefs (SOC 5434) are a "Medium Skilled" occupation. Since 22 July 2025, medium skilled occupations can be sponsored only if they are on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List, or in cases such as extensions for people whose first certificate of sponsorship was issued before 22 July 2025. SOC 5434 is on neither list, so sponsoring a new chef from overseas is effectively not possible. Cooks (SOC 5435) were never eligible.

Intra-company routes (Global Business Mobility) are hard to use too

The Global Business Mobility routes for sending staff from a Japanese head office to a UK business include the Senior or Specialist Worker visa and the UK Expansion Worker visa for companies setting up their first UK presence. But GOV.UK's published list of eligible occupations (updated 8 October 2024) includes neither chefs nor restaurant managers. The Senior or Specialist Worker route also requires pay of at least £52,500 a year. Do not build your plan on sending your head chef as an intra-company transfer.

3. So who runs the restaurant?

Your head chef candidates will mostly be Japanese cuisine chefs already working in the UK. Most of them are employed elsewhere, so prepare a concrete offer (pay, title, working pattern) to bring them over. The full set of options is in UK hospitality hiring without sponsorship.

You also need a plan to train non-Japanese chefs to carry the cuisine. See training local staff in Japanese cuisine.

4. Using the Youth Mobility Scheme

The Youth Mobility Scheme for Japanese nationals works as follows.

• 6,000 places a year, with no ballot since 31 January 2024
• Aged 18 to 30, stay of up to 24 months
• Application fee £340, Immigration Health Surcharge £776 a year, and £2,530 in savings to show
• No employer sponsorship needed

It is the most realistic way to bring young chefs from Japan to the UK, and you could agree the hire in Japan and have them gain experience in the London restaurant. But with a maximum of 24 months, plan for them as rotating staff rather than as the core of the kitchen. See the Youth Mobility Scheme for Japanese restaurant staff.

5. Launch support from Japan

You may plan to send a head chef or trainer from head office for a short stint around opening. Someone entering the UK as a visitor can do only a limited range of activities, and working in the kitchen during service may count as work. Decide whether their role stays within training and meetings, and confirm with a UK immigration adviser in advance what is allowed.

6. Pay levels

• Legal minimum: the National Living Wage is £12.71 an hour from April 2026.
• Chef market pay: the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings for 2025 (provisional) puts median full-time pay for chefs at £30,010 a year (UK wide).

Expect to offer more than the national median to bring an experienced Japanese cuisine head chef over from another London restaurant. London pay benchmarks are covered in Hiring a sushi chef in London.

7. Checklist

• Does the plan work without bringing a head chef from Japan?
• Have you started looking for head chef candidates who can already work in the UK at the decision to open?
• Are Youth Mobility Scheme participants in the plan as staff for up to 24 months?
• Have you checked with a UK adviser what launch support from Japan may do?
• Is there a plan to train non-Japanese chefs?
• Is hourly pay at or above the National Living Wage (£12.71)?

General information, not legal or immigration advice. Rules were checked as of September 2026. Ask a UK immigration adviser about your case.