Menu
Skip to content Complex regulations put firms at risk of noncompliance when it comes to issuing Certificate of Sponsorship to sponsored workers. If you require any information or help related to Certificate of Sponsorship UK you can get help from our immigration solicitors.
Our immigration experts are available 24/7 you can get immediate help by calling us at 02033844389.
"*" indicates required fields
A Certificate of Sponsorship is a reference number that a person who wants to get a supported work visa is given by the person who wants to sponsor them. It is not a physical document, but a computer record.
The CoS is needed before you can apply for a visa in the Worker and Temporary Worker categories. These include the Skilled Worker, Senior or Specialist Worker, and Scale Up Worker paths.
When a sponsor gives a CoS to a person, they are telling the Home Office that the planned job conditions meet the needs of the relevant visa route.
There are a lot of strict rules about how to give out the CoS. Take the CoS as an example. The worker must use it to apply for a visa within 3 months of getting it. However, the worker must submit their visa application no later than three months prior to the start date of the job specified on the COS.
The Home Office changed the visa rules in December 2020 so that “restricted” and “unrestricted” CoS could no longer be used. These were changed to “defined” and “undefined” CoS.
Defined certificates are only for people seeking a Skilled Worker visa from outside the UK. If you have a sponsor licence and want to give out a set CoS, you will need to apply through the online Sponsorship Management System (SMS). If UKVI agrees with the application, it can be given to the foreign worker so that they can apply for a visa. Usually, applications for defined CoSs are handled within one business day.
If you are looking for a Skilled Worker visa from inside the UK, or for any other type of sponsored visa, you will need an undefined certificate. When you apply to be a sponsoring company, you will be asked to guess how many undefined certificates you will need in the first year of sponsorship. It is possible to get this number raised by sending a request through SMS.
People who want to join or stay in the UK on a sponsored work visa must have a Certificate of Sponsorship. This includes:
CoS allocation means that you can only issue a certain number of certificates each year. According to UKVI, when you apply for your sponsor licence for the first time, they will ask you to guess how many Undefined CoS you will need in the first year for each route you have a licence for. You will have to explain why you think you will need that many as part of this process. This is how much CoS you will get for the first year if your request is approved. You have one year to use your certificate. After that, this can be extended every year.
There is no limit to the amount of undefined sponsorship certificates that can be obtained.
If your situation changes during the year, you can renew your yearly allocation or ask for more Undefined Certificates of Sponsorship at any time. Some situations where you might need an extra Certificate of Sponsorship are when a sponsored worker needs to move to a different type of visa or when they need to stay in the UK longer.
If you want to sponsor people from outside of the country, they need a Defined Certificate of Sponsorship and follow a different process, so you don’t need to include them in the estimate.
These certificates are available in unlimited numbers, unlike the old CoS rules. Sponsors also don’t have to apply on the first business day after the fifth of every month.
You can apply for a CoS at any time for a foreign worker who needs one.
When you ask for a COS allocation, you need to clearly state the job openings you want to fill, include any relevant information about the worker, and explain how they were chosen for the role.
Your company needs to have a current sponsor licence and be able to access the Sponsor Management System (SMS) in order to give out a Certificate of Sponsorship.
The sponsor’s chosen Level 1 or Level 2 user should send the job information through SMS, and a unique reference number (the CoS) will be sent back to them.
Most applications for a defined certificate are approved within one business day. However, it may take longer if the UKVI needs to check more details in the application.
Once defined certificates have been accepted, they will show up in your SMS account. You can then give them to your worker.
After three months, the worker uses the Certificate of Sponsorship to apply for a visa.
Transferring a Certificate of Sponsorship is not possible. If you gave the CoS to someone else, you would be breaking the terms of your sponsorship licence, and the Home Office could take action against the organisation.
Want to get a specific Certificate of Sponsorship? You need to have an A-rated licence.
The steps needed to give a defined CoS are spelled out in the Home Office SMS Guide 12:
The steps needed to give a undefined CoS are spelled out in the Home Office SMS Guide 8:
When an employer has a licence with a provisional rating, they can only give one proof of sponsorship to the person who is letting them into the UK. After that, you should get an A-rating for your licence and use the SMS to ask for more sponsorship certificates.
Every year, a supporter licence is given out for 12 months. This starts from the date the licence was issued or the date the last renewal application was approved.
When you apply for the licence, you will need to guess and ask for how many undefined CoS you will use in the next 12 months. You may need to give more information to back up your request and explain why this number is important.
If accepted, the Home Office will issue the COS to your SMS. You have 12 months to use these within that time frame. You can ask for more CoS if you use up all of your supply.
It is not necessary to upload papers to the Sponsorship Management System (SMS) when asking for or assigning Certificates of Sponsorship. Instead, you will need to fill out a CoS application form straight in the SMS, which asks for information about your job, such as:
Please keep in mind that you need a current sponsor licence to ask for the Certificate of Sponsorship in an SMS. Check out our Sponsor Licence page to see what paperwork you need to apply for a Sponsor Licence.