Sponsor Licence
A sponsor licence is a type of UK government accreditation that allows a business to sponsor foreign workers to come and work in the UK. To be eligible for a sponsor licence, the business must demonstrate that they are a genuine business and that they have the necessary systems and processes in place to support and manage sponsored workers.
Nexis Law has a team of experienced immigration lawyers who have an excellent track record of successful sponsor licence applications. Our team is available to advise you for immediate support and assistance with your sponsor licence permission. We are available at your ease, you can meet us in person, speak to us over the phone, or have an online virtual meeting with us.
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- What is a sponsor licence? (in a netshell)
- Which companies are eligible to apply for sponsor licence?
- What are the types of sponsor licence?
- How long does it take to get the sponsor licence?
- Will one sponsor licence cover all my companies?
- Can sole traders apply for sponsor licence?
- What is a sponsor licence rating?
- How much does it cost to apply for a Sponsor License?
- What supporting documents will I need to apply for a sponsor licence?
- How to apply for a skilled worker sponsor licence?
- What are Sponsorship Management Roles?
- What are the sponsor responsibilities?
- What can I do if my application for a Skilled Worker sponsor licence is refused?
- What is the minimum salary requirement for a UK skilled worker visa?
- What is allowed on a skilled worker visa?
- Can I switch jobs on a UK skilled worker visa?
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What is a sponsor licence? (in a nutshell)
Employers must obtain a sponsorship licence to hire foreign workers who meet certain requirements and standards. It entails verifying the immigration status of workers, maintaining proper records, and reporting any changes to a worker’s employment status to the Home Office. As a result, sponsorship licenses are only granted to organisations, not individuals. The holder of the sponsorship license assumes certain compliance responsibilities and risks. If the license conditions are not met, enforcement action may be taken, including fines or revocation.
Which companies are eligible to apply for sponsor licence?
Any lawfully trading business in the UK vacancy with an effective HR system, reporting and maintaining records of duty is eligible to apply for Sponsor License.
Moreover, following conditions also apply:
- Your sponsorship licence was not revoked in the past 12 months.
- You were not involved in criminal/immigration offences, not limited to fraud and money laundering.
It is expected for businesses to comply with the right-to-work check of the employees to prevent illegal work to be compliant with the Home Office. Any violation may lead to licence revocation.
What are the types of sponsor licence?
Worker sponsor licence
Long-term skilled workers with the ability to work for at least three years, and typically five, are eligible for the Skilled Worker Visa. There are several subcategories that fall under the skilled worker visa, including:
- Sportsperson Visa
- Minister of Religion Visa (Employees can work for up to three years under this subcategory)
- Senior or Specialist Worker Visa
Temporary Worker Sponsor Licences
For skilled professionals who will take up temporary employment, there is the Temporary Worker Visa. These subcategories make up the Temporary Worker Visa:
- Creative Worker. Up to two years for eligible creative workers
- International Sportsperson. Up to two years for an entertainer or artist, up to one year for a sportsperson
- Charity worker. Valid Up to 1 year
- Religious worker. Valid Up to 2 years
- International agreement worker. When work that is subject to international law will be done
- Government Authorised Exchange
How long does it take to get the sponsor licence?
The Home Office should decide on your application and supporting documents within eight weeks of receiving them.
Home Office representatives may visit your company to check on compliance with the sponsorship rules prior to making a decision.
A decision can be made in two weeks for an extra £500 charge. Although the service is first-come, first-served, it is restricted to a set number of daily requests.
You will be provided with instructions on how to request this service after submitting your application.
Please get in touch with us so that we can expedite your application if you are concerned about hitting a deadline or have a limited timeframe.
Can sole traders apply for sponsor licence?
If you are a sole trader in the UK, you may be wondering if you are able to sponsor foreign workers for work visas. The answer is yes, you can apply for a UK sponsor licence as a sole trader.
A sponsor licence allows a business or organisation to sponsor foreign nationals for work visas in the UK. This means that if you are a sole trader and you have been granted a sponsor licence, you will be able to sponsor foreign workers to work for your business.
To apply for a sponsor licence as a sole trader, you must:
- Check that you’re eligible to apply
- Register for an account on the Sponsor Management System (SMS)
- Complete the online application form on the SMS
- Pay the application fee
- Attend an interview (if required)
To be eligible to apply, you must:
- Have a genuine need to employ foreign workers
- Be a legitimate business, organization, or individual
- Be able to meet the immigration requirements for the foreign workers you want to hire
- Be based in the UK
Once you have determined that you are eligible to apply, you can submit an application online through the UK Visas and Immigration website.
You will need to provide information about your business, including details of your company’s structure, your business activities, and your financial situation. You will also need to provide information about the foreign workers you wish to sponsor, including their job roles and qualifications.
If your application is successful, you will be granted a sponsor licence and will be able to start sponsoring foreign workers for work visas in the UK.
It is important to note that as a sponsor, you have certain responsibilities towards your sponsored workers, including monitoring their attendance and reporting any changes in their circumstances to the UK Visas and Immigration agency.
Are you looking for help with your Sponsorship Licence Application?
Are you struggling with the complex visa process of the Sponsorship Licence Application? Our team of experienced immigration lawyers is here to assist you.
Will one sponsor licence cover all my companies?
If you own multiple companies in the UK and are interested in sponsoring foreign workers for work visas, you may be wondering if one UK tier 2 sponsor licence will cover all of your companies. The answer is that it depends on the type of sponsorship licence you have and the nature of your businesses.
There are two types of sponsor licences in the UK: a Skilled worker (Tier 2-General) licence and a Temporary Worker sponsor licence.
A skilled worker sponsor licence allows a business to sponsor foreign workers for skilled jobs that cannot be filled by settled workers in the UK.
A Temporary Worker sponsor licence allows a business to sponsor foreign workers for temporary or seasonal work, including charity workers, religious workers, and creative and sporting workers.
Whether a single UK sponsor licence will cover all of your companies depends on the type of licence you have and the nature of your businesses. If you have a Skilled worker (Tier 2-General) sponsor licence, it will cover all of your registered and legitimate companies in the UK.
If you have a Temporary Worker sponsor licence, it will only cover the specific company or organisation that holds the licence.
What is a sponsor licence rating?
There are two sponsor licence ratings:
- A-rating
- B-rating
You will receive an A-rating if your sponsor licence application is approved. To keep an A-rating, a sponsor must maintain their processes and procedures.
If your business doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do as a sponsor, it could get a B-rating. A B-rating is a classification that the UK Home Office gives to sponsor licences that are not fully compliant with the immigration rules.
Sponsors with a B-rating are considered to be at higher risk of non-compliance and will be subject to more frequent and more detailed audits by the Home Office.
If your sponsor licence has been rated as B-rated, it is important to take action to address the issues that led to the rating and to bring your sponsorship practices into compliance with the immigration rules as soon as possible.
How much does it cost to apply for a Sponsor License?
If your business is classified as a “medium” or “large” business, you will need to make a payment of £1,476 for a Sponsorship licence in the UK.
Small businesses, including registered charities in the UK (annual turnover of £10.2 million or less), will be required to pay a sponsor licence fee of £536.
Small or charitable organisations can add a temporary worker subcategory to an existing ‘worker’ sponsor licence for free.
However, for ‘medium or large sponsors’, a sponsor licence fee of £940 is required to be paid first.
There are additional costs associated with Sponsor License including CoS assigning fee, Immigration skills charge.
To ensure that you do not pay the wrong fee and lose money, It is advised to have an expert Immigration lawyer for Sponsor Licence by your side.
Call us today at 0330 236 9248 or contact us via email.
What supporting documents will I need to apply for a sponsor licence?
Businesses are generally required to provide a minimum of four mandatory documents from Appendix A with the Sponsor licence application.
The required sponsor licence document list is quite extensive and depends on whether the business entity is a public body, start-up, franchise or SME. Some easy to obtain documents may include:
- Recent business bank statement.
- Employer’s liability insurance of at least £5 million from an authorised insurer.
- Certificate of VAT registration.
- Evidence of registration as an employer with HMRC – i.e. PAYE and Accounts Office Reference Number.
- Proof of ownership or lease of business premises or rent agreement.
- Latest audited or unaudited accounts
There are several types of sponsor licences and each type of licence requires different supporting documents to be submitted.
Our team can advise and provide you with a tailored document checklist for you.
How to apply for a skilled worker sponsor licence?
Sponsorship is a way for UK employers to hire foreign workers. To hire a foreign worker, you must be a licensed sponsor. To apply for a sponsor licence, you must:
- Check that you’re eligible to apply
- Register for an account on the Sponsor Management System (SMS)
- Complete the online application form on the SMS
- Pay the application fee
- Attend an interview (if required)
An application can be made online. The necessary eligibility checks will be carried out against your application by the Home Office.
Given the complexity of the requirements, including documentation and compliance, it is highly recommended to engage a legal expert to handle the application on your behalf.
Our expert lawyers offer an experienced approach to acquire sponsor licences for your business.
Do you also need to hire a skilled worker from overseas? We can help. Contact us today to get a free consultation.
What are Sponsorship Management Roles?
When you submit an application for a licence, you must designate members of your company to oversee the sponsoring procedure. The sponsorship management system will be used to carry out the sponsor licence processes (SMS).
The following roles must be filled in particular:
The Key contact: They will serve as the primary point of contact for the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).
Authorising Officer: They must be a senior individual. They will be liable for the staff’s and representatives’ actions and activities.
Level 1 User: This person will be in charge of managing the licence on a daily basis.
If necessary, a single person can perform these duties. There must be at least one level 1 user who works for the organisation. Other level 1 and level 2 users, however, can be hired from outside organisations such as your legal representative from Nexis law.
Every person who participates in the sponsorship procedure will have to go through a series of screenings, which will include looking into any pending criminal charges against them and seeing if they have ever been reported to the UKVI.
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What are the sponsor responsibilities?
Both before and after hiring an overseas employee, an employer has a number of obligations to fulfil.
You must: as an employer:
- Make sure that your international employees possess the abilities and credentials required for the position, and provide documentation to support this.
- Workers should only be given Certificates of Sponsorship COS if their work qualifies for sponsorship.
- If your employee is not abiding by the requirements and terms of the visa, let the UKVI know.
It is crucial to understand the responsibilities and duties as a sponsor to adhere to Home office guidelines, Otherwise you could risk loosing the sponsor licence.
What can I do if my application for a Skilled Worker sponsor licence is refused?
A six-month cool-off period would start from the date of the refusal, which means that another sponsor licence application cannot be submitted until the end of that period unless there was an error in the application.
We may submit a pre-licence error correction on your behalf. However, if the decision was not overturned after the pre-licence error correction, the only other option to challenge the decision would be to lodge an appeal.
In your appeal, you should explain why you think the decision to refuse your application was wrong, and provide any additional evidence or information that may support your case.
If your appeal is successful, your sponsor licence application will be granted. If your appeal is unsuccessful, you can apply for a sponsor licence again at a later date, provided you can meet the eligibility criteria.
Related to UK Sponsor Licence
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UK Self-Sponsorship
Self-Sponsorship may be the ideal way to work and live in the UK if you intend to start a new business there or bring your current business from another country to the UK.It is important to keep in mind that there is no real “Self Sponsorship Visa.” Instead, it is just a means of entering the UK under the Skilled worker visa.
Skilled worker visa UK
The UK skilled worker visa, which used to be called the Tier 2 (General) visa, lets people with specific skills and qualifications work in the UK.
It is part of the UK’s points-based immigration system and is meant to bring skilled workers from outside the UK to fill jobs on the shortage occupation list.
Read more on UK Skilled worker visa
Sponsore Licence Refusal
From the date of the refusal, there would be a six-month “cooling off” period. No other sponsor licence application could be made until the end of this period.
We might be able to send in a pre-licence error correction for you. The only other way to challenge the decision would be to ask for a judicial review.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is a UK Sponsor Licence?
A UK Sponsor Licence is permission granted by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) that allows a business or organization to sponsor non-EEA (European Economic Area) workers to come to the UK for employment purposes. With a Sponsor Licence, a business can sponsor employees for work visas and other immigration permissions, enabling them to live and work in the UK on a long-term basis.
Who can apply for a UK Sponsor Licence?
Any business or organization trading in the UK can apply for a Sponsor Licence, provided they meet the eligibility requirements. To be eligible, a business must be genuine, operating lawfully, and able to meet the sponsorship duties.
How to obtain a unique sponsor licence number?
Once you get the permission from UKVI. You will be given a unique sponsor licence number, which can be found on the letter that confirms the licence. You can also find this number on the SMS’s licence summary page.
How long does the UK Sponsor Licence process take?
The processing time for a UK Sponsor Licence application can vary depending on the specific circumstances of your case and the volume of applications received by UKVI. According to UKVI’s published service standards, the current processing time for most Sponsor Licence applications is around 8 weeks from the date the application is received.
However, there is a priority service available. If you pay £500 extra, you can get the decision within 10 working days.
What is the minimum salary required to pay a foreign skilled worker?
Unless the job requires to pay more, you must pay £25,600 per year. The occupation code may have a yearly going rate that you and your employee can check online.
Healthcare and education sector salaries differ from the rest of the occupations.
Is the sponsored employee allowed to switch employers?
The sponsored employee can only work for the sponsor in the capacity he/she was sponsored for.
Sponsored employee must change his Skilled Worker Visa to work for a new employer or a different occupation code with the same employer.
He/she must update the visa if the job code changes.
If I hire a Business Immigration Lawyer, how much will it cost me?
The Business Immigration application cost depends upon the complexity of your case, the location, and the lawyer’s experience and reputation. Once you are given a consultation by Nexis Law, we will explain to you the breakdown of the cost. There maybe be an option of payment plans or financing, that will help you to spread out the cost.
Is it necessary to hire a Business Immigration lawyer?
Submitting your Sponsor Licence application without up-to-date UK Immigration law knowledge can lead your application to being rejected or refused. Nexis Law has Expert Business Immigration lawyers who have immense Business Immigration experience. We can help you prepare and submit your Sponsor Licence application to get your desired outcome.