A Sponsor Licence application has to be made by an employer who wishes to hire skilled foreign workers from outside the UK. We offer a fixed fee for this service which is £2500. Contact us today to discuss how we can help your company with obtaining a Sponsorship Licence t. 01474357091 m. 07716054420 e. office@brpartners.co.uk
Worker Sponsor Licence
The licence is split into four different categories depending on the type of vacancy available. These categories are:
- Skilled Worker– the role must meet the job suitability requirements
- Scale-up Worker – for people coming to work for a fast-growing UK business
- Global Business Mobility – for overseas businesses seeking to establish a presence in the UK or to transfer staff, for specific business purposes.
- Minister of Religion – for people coming to work for a religious organisation
- Health and Care Worker visa – for qualified doctors, nurses and allied health professionals of all nationalities (except British and Irish) who have been trained to a recognised standard.
Temporary Worker licence
A ‘Temporary Worker’ licence will let you sponsor people on a temporary basis.
The licence is split into:
- Creative Worker – to work in the creative industry, for example as an entertainer or artist (up to 2 years)
- Charity Worker – for unpaid workers at a charity (up to 1 year)
- Religious Worker – for those working in a religious order or organisation (2 years)
- Government Authorised Exchange – work experience (1 year), research projects or training, for example, practical medical or scientific training (2 years) to enable a short-term exchange of knowledge
- International Agreement Worker visa – for overseas nationals doing work in the UK covered by international law
- Seasonal Worker visa – for overseas nationals undertaking farm work in the UK
When making a sponsor licence application, an employer will need to select the most appropriate type of licence and category based on its business needs. It is possible for an employer to hold a sponsor licence under more than one category.
Sponsor Licence Requirements 2023
To apply for a sponsor licence, the employer must provide evidence to the Home Office that the business is lawfully trading and has a genuine vacancy. It must also satisfy the Home Office that the business has the required HR and recruitment process to monitor its employees and in particular any sponsored employees.
An employer seeking a sponsor licence must also be able to show that there are no unspent criminal convictions or immigration offences or certain other offences such as money laundering and fraud and that no sponsor licence has been revoked in the last 12 months.
The Home Office assesses each application against a rigorous criterion to ensure that any prospective sponsor can comply with the duties of a sponsor licence. In some cases, UKVI will expect to see the policies and procedures on a physical visit to the licenced premises.
Applying for a Sponsor Licence
Any employer wishing to apply for a licence to sponsor workers must submit the appropriate online application form and pay the application fee depending on the size of the business.
An employer must also submit the appropriate supporting documents within 5 working days of submitting the application form. The documents required are set out in Appendix A of the Sponsor Guidance. Generally, a minimum of four documents are required to support any sponsor licence application. The type of documents required can depend on the type of business. All prospective sponsors are nevertheless required to show that they are actively and lawfully trading.
Key Personnel for Licence
The Home Office also requires the organisation to nominate certain individuals to take on roles in respect of the sponsor licence. The people nominated must be primarily based in the UK. The main roles are:
- authorising officer – perhaps the most important of all the roles, this should be given to someone senior. Ideally, it should be someone who has some involvement with recruitment and/or HR as they will be ultimately responsible for the licence and ensuring that the sponsor licence duties are met.
- key contact – this person is the main point of contact with the Home Office. A legal representative can undertake this role, and it is recommended you do so, as this will enable you to chase the application on your client’s behalf if needs be.
- level 1 user – responsible for all day-to-day management of the licence via access to an online portal, the sponsorship management system (SMS). At the application stage this has to be an employee but once the licence is secured, others, including representatives, can be set up as level 1 users, or level 2 users who are able to undertake certain limited tasks on the SMS.
Duration of a Sponsor Licence
Any licence granted will generally be valid for 4-years, starting from the date of the grant. A licence must be renewed before this 4-year period is over.
How Much Does it Cost?
When an organisation applies for a sponsor licence, the Home Office charges are either:
- £536 if the organisation is a charity or small business ; or
- £1,476 for large organisation
- £500 pre-licence priority service
The Pre-Licence priority service allows sponsors to prioritise their application for a sponsor licence, by submitting an application by email.
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