Sponsorship License
At Advantage Solicitors, our specialist UK Sponsorship Licence team assists employers in obtaining and maintaining sponsor licences to hire skilled workers from abroad. We provide full support with Home Office compliance, record-keeping, and ongoing management to ensure your business meets all immigration requirements.
- 0208 807 1676
How To Apply Sponsorship License?
Employers may be eligible to apply for a sponsorship licence in order to recruit talent from outside the UK. Businesses meeting the eligibility criteria can apply for this licence to sponsor a non-UK national, enabling them to apply for a Work Visa to work in the UK.
Regulations around sponsorship licence have changed from April 2024, which removes the requirement to renew the sponsor licence every 4 years. New licences will be approved for a duration of 10 years. Any sponsorship licence that is set to expire on or after the 6th April 2024 will be automatically renewed for another 10 years. However, if your sponsorship licence expires before 6th April 2024 then you will still need to apply for your licence to be renewed.
To obtain a sponsor licence you must:
- Check if your business is eligible
- Check if your job is suitable for sponsorship
- Choose the type of licence you want to apply for – depending on the type of worker you want to sponsor
- Decide who will manage sponsorship within your business
Eligibility
To obtain a licence as an employer, you must not have:
- Unspent criminal conviction for immigration offences or other crimes but not to limited to fraud or money laundering
- A sponsor licence revoked in the last 12 months
You must appoint people in your business to manage the sponsorship process with the sponsorship management system.
The roles that you need to appoint within your business when you apply for the sponsorship licence are as follows:
- Authorising Officer – a senior and competent person who has the responsibility for the licence and the actions of all personnel that use the sponsorship management system
- Key Contact – your main point of contact with UK Visa and Immigration
- Level 1 User – Personnel responsible for day-to-day management of your licence using the sponsorship management system
- Level 2 User – Option personnel appointment who will also manage the day-day operations of the licence with restricted access of the sponsorship management system
- The 3 key personnel must be assigned when an application for a sponsorship licence is made. The roles can be filled by the same or different persons.
Job Suitability
To sponsor a worker, the job you are offering must:
- Comply with the UK’s minimum wage and working time regulations
- Meet other criteria needed for the worker’s visa
The Home Office for UK Visas and Immigration will also assess whether your business is suitable to hold a sponsorship license. This includes verifying that your business has met the 3 Key roles required which you must appoint to personnel within your business before applying for a sponsor licence. You may not receive your licence if any individual involved in sponsorship has:
- An unspent criminal conviction for an offence listed in the guidance for sponsors
- been fined by UK Visa and Immigration in the past 12 months
- been reported to UK Visas and Immigration
- broken the law
- been a key person at a sponsor that had its licence revoked in the last 12 months
- failed to pay VAT or other excise duty
Additionally, the business and staff must also:
- be based in the UK for the majority of the time
- not be a contractor or consultant contracted for a specific project
- not be subject to a bankruptcy restriction or undertaking, or a debt relief restriction order or undertaking
- not have a history of non-compliance with sponsor requirements
Types of licence
There are 2 main types of licences you can apply for:
- Worker licence for skilled or long-term employment
- Temporary Worker licence for specific types of temporary employment
- Worker licence
A Worker licence allows an employer to sponsor skilled people for different durations either short term, long term or permanent depending on the visa.
The licence is split into:
- Skilled worker
- Senior or Specialist Worker
- Minister of Religion
- International Sportsperson
- Temporary Worker licence
This licence allows an employer to sponsor people on a temporary basis. This licence is reserved for specific types of employment and visa, which is split into:
- Scale-up Worker
- Creative Worker
- Charity Worker
- Religious Worker
- Government Authorised Exchange
- International Agreement
- Global Business mobility:
- Graduate Trainee
- Service Supplier
- UK Expansion Worker
- Secondment Worker
- Seasonal Worker
Applying for a Sponsorship License?
If your business is looking to employ skilled workers from outside the UK, obtaining a Sponsorship Licence is essential. Our experienced immigration solicitors are here to assist. Please fill in the form below and a member of our team will contact you shortly to guide you through the process
Contact Us Today For Expert Advice And Trusted Support With Your Case.
Our team is ready to assist you – call us today for clear advice and dedicated support.