Sponsor Licence

The Home Office has released new guidelines for sponsor licence applications. The new Skilled Worker visa route has replaced the Tier 2 (General) visa route for sponsored work, which overhauled the Tier 2 visa route in the UK in December 2020. The European Nationals and their family members who have not been given settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme will no longer be able to work in the UK from 1 January 2021 unless they have a valid sponsor. 

Therefore it is important for businesses to obtain a Sponsor Licence to sponsor their employees from outside the UK.

What are the requirements for obtaining a sponsor licence?

As a sponsor, your organisation must have a presence in the United Kingdom and operate legitimately inside the country. A single licence may cover all of your connected UK organisations, or you can apply for individual licences for each branch, depending on your specific needs if you have numerous UK branches.

You can prove your business’s registration in the United Kingdom by submitting a copy of your company’s house incorporation certificate, among other methods. Your local planning authority may request additional documentation: proof of approval to operate your specific line of business at your trade location.

If you want to work in the UK, you must be able to prove to the Home Office that you can provide legitimate employment in a skilled occupation and that you will pay the relevant wage rate as per the Home Office guidelines.

As part of your application for a sponsor licence, you agree to take on all responsibilities that come with that position.

Our Sponsor licence team can assist you in obtaining the licence, preparing for the Home Office audit, preparing and organising your Human Resource system, collating your financial and professional documents etc. 

Our Sponsor licence team has in-depth knowledge; they can advise you from the start till the end of the process and make things happen in a short time frame. 

How much does it cost to apply for a sponsor licence?

The fee for sponsor licence varies according to the portfolio of the business and the number of employees it has. 
The sponsor must renew the licence every four years and pay the fee.

Medium or large-sized companies pay £1476, while a small-sized company must pay a fee of £536. 

What is a medium to large-sized company?

An organization must meet at least two of the following conditions as a small company.

• The company have 50 or fewer employees.
• The total assets of the company are worth £5.1 million or less and/or
• The company’s annual turnover is £10.2 million or less. 

What are the benefits of having a Sponsor licence for the company?

It allows you to employ the best talent from outside the UK on a competitive salary package. As the UK is a desirable country for any individual to live and work in.

It allows you to control the employee turnover of the company and saves the HR cost in the longer run.

Sponsored employees aim to stay with company for at least 5 years to attain Indefinite Leave to Remain in UK. Therefore, it brings stability to the company.

What is the Sponsor Licence rating?

Once the UKVI accepts the application for a sponsorship licence, the business automatically obtains an A-rated licence. Then company status shows on the UKVI Sponsor Licence Register list.

The status always remains the same unless the licence holder breaches any of the requirements or the procedures addressed by the UKVI. The Licence holder must take appropriate actions to address the shortfalls in their system as they move from Green to Amber. During this time, you will not be able to issue a new Certificate of Sponsorship until you demonstrate that you have made the improvements and have regained A-rating status.

The UKVI will provide you with an action plan which you will need to upgrade your licence to an-A rating. The cost of the action plan is £1476.

Please consult with our highly experienced team, who can assure you that they will upgrade your licence to an A-rating.

We deal with these matters on a no-win-no-fee basis. 

Failure to fulfil your sponsor obligations might result in your licence being degraded to a B. If you find yourself in this predicament, UKVI will present you with an action plan for restoring your A-rating licence. The cost of the strategy is £1,476.

Certificates of sponsorship will not be issued until your organisation has made adjustments and regained its A-rating.

Call or Submit a Form to speak with one of our Solicitors to have an assessment for a Sponsorship Licence.