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Skip to content A Sponsor Licence application is required of all UK employers who propose to employ foreign nationals.
To get immediate assistance call us now at 02033844389. Our UK immigration solicitors are always available to help you.
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If a UK company wants to hire a skilled worker from another country, they need to apply for a sponsor licence.
There are two main types of employer licences: worker licences and temporary worker licences. The sponsor licence that a company must apply for depends on the kind of position they are recruiting for.
Businesses that hire foreign workers will have to take care of a number of tasks and obligations, both before and during the job. First, you need to choose which company member(s) will speak for the business. Moreover, people who speak for you must be top or executive members of the company and not shareholders.
You will have to show proof that you are a real business that needs to hire foreign workers as part of the application process. You can get help from UK Immigration Solicitors to make sure that your entry is accepted. You can talk to our team by calling 02033844389.
When you apply for a sponsor licence, you will have to show the Home Office that:
As a PLC, Ltd, LLP, or Sole Trader, a business that wants to apply for a sponsor licence must be real and officially operating in the UK. In other words, they are legitimate companies with a foothold in the UK that follows the law. A business must be based and set up in the UK in order to have a presence there. For example, a limited company or LLP must be registered with Companies House. They also need to have the right planning permission or permission from the local planning authority for the type of business they run out of the working address.
A brand-new company can apply for a sponsor licence without any problems. However, companies that have only been in business in the UK for 18 months or less must show proof that they have an active corporate bank account with a UK bank that is registered with the FCA and PRA.
Based on the type of sponsor licence a company wants, there may be other requirements that the company must meet in order to be eligible. For instance, companies that want to apply for a UK Expansion Worker funding licence can’t actually do business in the UK, but they do have to have a “footprint” there.
A business needs to show that it is honest, dependable, and trustworthy in order to get a UK sponsor licence. Furthermore, they must be able to carry out their duties as someone who holds a business licence. In particular, the company has to:
Businesses that want to get a support licence must prove that they really need to hire people from other countries. Meeting the genuineness test for sponsorship is part of this condition. According to the genuineness test, the company must want to hire qualified workers and be able to offer the right skills and pay for each job. Also, the Home Office will make sure that the roles are appropriate for the business type and the jobs that are already in place. If you want to be a sponsor, you must meet the genuineness test both when you apply and for as long as the licence is valid.
Businesses have to specify what kinds of jobs they need to fill through sponsorship and list any people who are being considered (if that’s the case). There is no strict rule that says you have to give all the information about the job. But doing so might make the application stronger.
UKVI will ask for the names of all important people when you apply for a sponsor licence. Key employees must be British, not connected to the candidate, have a job, and not have an outstanding criminal record. The four main types of key personnel are:
Within Appendix A, the Home Office lists all the possible documents that people applying for a UK sponsor licence may need to send in. Most of the time, you will be asked to send at least 4 papers. According to Appendix A, you might not have to send 4 papers if you are a public body recognised by the UK Government. An example of this would be a local government or a company listed on the London Stock Exchange Main Market.
Based on your company and the type of licence you need, you may be asked to provide some or all of the following documents (please note that this list is not complete and is just a selection of the documents you may be asked to provide):
Aside from the ones listed above, you may also be asked to show any of the following:
Please keep in mind that this list of extra supporting papers is not complete.
Contact our expert team for guidance on your Sponsor Licence application. Call 02033844389.
A business must take the following steps in order to become a sponsor:
For information dial 02033844389. Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.
For companies, there are two main types of sponsor licenses: worker licences for skilled or long-term jobs and temporary worker licences. When applying for a licence, businesses have to specify which type they need. Once granted, they can only hire international staff for that sort of licensing. You can apply for more than one type of worker licence, depending on your needs and qualifications.
The skilled worker visa is for people who want to stay in the country and work for a long time. They can work for at least three years, and usually five. There are subcategories of the Skilled Worker Visa, such as:
The Temporary Worker Visa is for skilled workers who only need a short-term job. There are different types of Temporary Worker Visas, which are:
Each type of sponsor licence has specific eligibility criteria, application processes, and associated costs. Organizations must ensure they meet the Home Office’s requirements for genuine vacancies, lawful operation in the UK, and necessary HR and recruitment systems. To know more about the UK sponsor license application call now at 02033844389.
For a sponsor license application, the company must fill out the Appendix A sponsor license form.
As you can see in the table below, the application fee changes based on the size of the company.
Licence | Small or charitable sponsor fee | Medium or large sponsor fee |
Worker | £536 | £1,476 |
Temporary Worker | £536 | £536 |
Worker and Temporary Worker | £536 | £1,476 |
Worker added to existing Temporary Worker | £0 | £940 |
Temporary Worker added to existing Worker | £0 | £0 |
If your business wants to be a small or nonprofit sponsor, it must meet at least two of the following:
When a foreign worker applies for a work visa, they need to show a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). This document has a unique reference number on it called a sponsor licence number. A CoS is an electronic record that has important details about the job offer, like the type of job and how long the job will last.
The Sponsorship Management System (SMS) lets someone in your organization’s list of nominees apply for CoS. Once approved by the Home Office, which usually takes one day, the overseas worker can get a Certificate of Support (CoS) to show that they have been given a job. This can then be used to apply for a work visa.
Based on the type of licence, a CoS can cost anywhere from £25 to £239.
People who apply for a Skilled Worker visa from outside the UK are only given Defined Certificates of Sponsorship. Before they can be given to a skilled worker, businesses have to ask for and be given a defined CoS.
Undefined COS are given to people who change their visa type to a Skilled Worker visa while they are in the UK. They are also given to people who apply for any other visa type, whether they are in the UK or not. You are asked how many of these each business will need in the first year of funding. Undefined Workers who are supported can be given Certificates of Sponsorship without having to fill out an application every time.
The applicant company must demonstrate to the Home Office that it is aware of and able to fulfil its sponsor responsibilities before it can be granted the sanction to do so. In real life, businesses that sponsor must have the methods and procedures in place to:
With the current method, there is no longer a need to do a Resident Labour Market Test (RLMT) to see if the job can be filled by a local worker before it is given to an overseas worker.
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Companies that hire people and pay them must keep track of them and keep records of things like current and past contact and address information, copies of passports, absences from work, job contracts, National Insurance (NI) numbers, and biometric residence permits (BRP).
You must also send UKVI an SMS when certain things change. For example, if the business changes hands, or if a sponsored person stops coming to work, all of these things must be reported.
Companies that have a Points-based System (PBS) Sponsor Licence must follow the rules and be audited to make sure they keep their licenses. This is because the Home Office may visit to make sure they follow immigration rules. If you don’t follow the right steps, you could lose your licence or have problems with your visa. Improving your skills in areas like keeping records, recruiting, and checking on immigration status is important if you want to get and keep an A-rated support license.
To make sure your business is following the rules, you need to keep filings up to date, organise HR files, make checklists, make sure records are easy to find, set up systems for training and file changes, and do mock audits and staff reviews.
A UKVI compliance officer can do a planned or unplanned compliance visit at any time to make sure that a sponsor is following through with their duties and responsibilities. Prior to giving a sponsor licence (a pre-compliance visit), as well as after the licence has been granted, compliance visits may be arranged.
A UKVI official will do a pre-compliance visit to make sure the sponsor has the right systems and procedures in place to keep records, report changes, and keep an eye on staff. Also, they will make sure the business is real and open for business. A compliance officer can turn down an application for a sponsor licence if they think the company doesn’t meet all the requirements for eligibility and suitability or if they don’t see that the right systems and processes are in place.
After the licence is given, compliance workers will make sure that the business complies with the rules for monitoring, reporting, and keeping records that come with the sponsorship licence. Compliance officers can downgrade, stop, or revoke a sponsor licence if they are not satisfied.
It can be upsetting to have an application for a sponsor licence turned down. For the most part, the following are the reasons why an application might be turned down:
Companies should try to get their support licence application rejected as little as possible because they don’t get their application fee back and can’t apply again until a certain amount of time has passed.
Time will vary based on the reason the application was turned down. After getting a refusal, most businesses won’t be able to apply again for at least six months.
If your application for a support licence is rejected, you can’t go back and change your mind. It’s possible that you can ask for an official review of the decision, but that doesn’t mean that the decision will be changed.
Working with a skilled immigration solicitor to make sure you submit the best application possible. This is the best way to avoid being turned down. Also, this will save you time and money.
As a business, you can also withdraw your application for a support licence.
If your sponsor licence is denied, call our immigration lawyers for free at 02033844389.
There are two ratings that an employer’s sponsor contract can have: “A” or “B.” A+ ratings will be given to businesses that get a new workplace sponsorship licence. In the future, if the Home Office thinks that a business is not doing what it’s supposed to, it may lower a sponsor’s ranking to a B. This means they can’t give out any more Certificates of Sponsorship. They also have to show the Home Office that they’ve made the changes they were asked to make before they can get their A-rating back.
If the holder of a sponsor licence is given a B rating and can’t show the Home Office that all compliance problems have been fixed, their licence could be taken away completely. In this case, any sponsored workers’ leave would be cut short. You need to get help from an immigration lawyer right away so you can get your UK sponsor licence back.
Sponsoring businesses need to reapply for their sponsor licence every four years. In order to keep the sponsorship going, it is important to apply for renewal before the sponsor licence expires. Additionally, businesses should make sure they still meet the sponsorship requirements for the route they want to take before applying. They should also make sure they have all the systems and processes they need to do their job.
The advertising Management System lets people apply online to have their sponsorhip licence renewed. People who are small companies or charities must pay a fee of £536. Businesses of all sizes have to pay £1,476.
