Essentials of applying for Sponsor Licence for UK employers
by UK Sponsor Licence expert in India & UK
Published on: 29th May 2022
Reading time: Approx 6 mins
Who needs a Sponsor Licence?
A Sponsor Licence for UK employers is necessary for businesses looking to bring-in or hire foreign employees in a UK-based company. For instance, you will need a Sponsor Licence if you are looking to bring-in an overseas employee on the UK Skilled Worker or Intra-country transfer routes. And you also need a Sponsor Licence if you want to hire an immigrant, within the UK.
A Sponsor Licence for UK employers allows them to assign a Certificate of Sponsorship to overseas nationals to come to the UK on either a Skilled Worker visa or an Intra-Company Transfer.
If a UK-based company is looking to hire an overseas employee, they will be asked to sponsor them in their visa application by granting them a Certificate of Sponsorship issued by UK employers.
You can sponsor a worker as long as the job you are offering them is a suitable rate of skill and pay level and meets other criteria of the visa, like:
- On list of occupations
- At the appropriate level
- Salary at prescribed level
How to apply for a Sponsor Licence?
In this Sponsor Licence Application Guide 2022, our experts wll help you with key points to remember while applying for Sponsor Licence for UK employers.
- Make sure that you have read all the conditions, format to submit your application, etc; to avoid delays and refusals.
- For an employer sponsorship licence application, the applicant will have to first fill out an online form and send it along with, but not limited to;
- The submission sheet at the end of the application, and
- Supporting documents
Please note: Any affidavits or statutory declarations you attach, must be witnessed by a qualified, independent person – like a solicitor, Justice of the Peace, Notary Public or Commissioners for Oaths.
- While applying for your employer sponsorship licence application, you can scan or take pictures of your submission sheet along with the supporting documents.
- You have to send them to the email address mentioned on your submission sheet.
- Ensure your files:
- Are in JPEG, PDF or PNG format
- Have descriptive titles, with 25 characters or less
- Are easy to read and high quality
What are the Sponsor Licence application cost (fee)?
As per the UK Home Office, the Sponsor Licence application cost differs based on the type of licence. In this Sponsor Licence Application Guide 2022, you can find the complete list of the different types of the fee for small or charitable sponsors and for medium or large sponsors
| Type of licence | Fee for small or charitable sponsors | Fee for medium or large sponsors |
|---|---|---|
| Worker | £536 | £1,476 |
| Temporary Worker | £536 | £536 |
| Worker and Temporary Worker | £536 | £ 1,476 |
| Add a Worker licence to an existing Temporary Worker licence | No Fee | £940 |
| Add a Temporary Worker licence to an existing Worker licence | No Fee | No Fee |
How can you tell if you’re a small or charitable sponsor?
When applying for employer sponsorship licence application, make sure you know the following:
You are a small sponsor if at least 2 of the following apply:
- Your turnover is £10.2 million or less, per year
- Your total assets are worth £5.1 million or less
- You have fewer than or 50 employees
You are a charitable sponsor if:
- You’re registered charity in England & Wales
- You’re a registered charity in Scotland
- You’re a registered charity in Northern Ireland – if you’re not on the register, you mut provide proof of your charitable status for tax purposes from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
- You’re an excepted charity
- You’re an exempt charity
Points to be aware about when applying for a Sponsor Licence for UK employers!
Besides meeting the eligibility requirements for a sponsor licence or documents required for Certificate of sponsorship UK, you must be aware of the following points, when applying for Sponsor Licence for UK employers:
1. Inability to prove ‘genuineness’
- The UKVI assesses the genuineness of the company/sponsor based on the history, HR policies, capability of performing duties, staff and Key Personnels.
- They will also assess whether the jobs you are offering are at an appropriate skill and salary level.
- The UKVI also assesses the company, sponsor and Key Personnel’s immigration history, criminal background, etc
- Make sure to submit all documents to prove the genuineness of the organisation – could be staff attendance, logistics, everyday activities on paper, etc.
If you need assistance in accessing your documentations and application and make sure they are all in the proper format and order before submission – you can contact our UK immigration consultants or book a consultation for expert advice.
2. Sponsorship management roles
When applying for Sponsor Licence for UK employers, you must choose someone within your company to oversee the sponsorship process.
The sponsorship management system will be their primary tool (SMS).
The following are the roles:
- Authorising officer — a senior and knowledgeable someone who is accountable for the acts of employees and representatives who use SMS.
- Key Contact – Your primary point of contact with UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)
- Level 1 user – in charge of managing your licence on a day-to-day basis via SMS.
- These positions can be filled by the same person or by two or more people.
- Relevant HR processes to stay updated of the migrant employees
3. Are you familiar with your duties and responsibilities as a sponsor?
Evidence you have checked that each of your sponsored workers is entitled to work in the UK and do the work in question for you.
- Complying with immigration laws
- Co-operating with the Home Office;
- Employee’s background check;
- Employee’s contact information – updated address, contact information,
- Making sure the sponsor assessment procedures are followed;
- Notifying UKVI if there are any relevant changes to the sponsoring entity (for example, change of ownership/shareholding/acquisition, change of address, different key personnel, changes in the size of the sponsor (from small to large company, etc.);
- Observing and reporting patterns of migrant’s behaviour that raise concern;
- Monitor migrant worker’s compliance with immigration rules;
- Monitoring the sponsored worker’s attendance/absence;
- Retaining documents as set out in Appendix D of the Sponsor Guidance;
- The employer must also understand internal HR systems to fulfil their responsibilities as a sponsor.
Some key points to remember while making a Sponsor Licence application:
As a sponsor, you must:
- Stay updated of your migrant worker’s visa status (when their visa expires)
- And when that happens, what you will do about it,
- Do you have a reliable mode of contact with the migrant worker, in case they don’t turn up for work?
- Are you up-to-date with the migrant worker’s contact information?
To sum it up…
A Sponsor Licence for UK employers is mandatory – if they are looking to hire:
- overseas employees from outside the UK
- visa nationals switching from other eligible categories
- Intra-company transfers,
for their UK-based company. This Sponsor Licence Application Guide 2022 also comes with a set of duties and responsibilities towards their company’s migrant employees. You can read about some key points to remember as a UK-based employer, looking to sponsor overseas employees, above.
Our UK immigration lawyers at The SmartMove2UK are experienced with the entire process of applying for a Sponsor Licence. We have not only been guiding clients through the process of application, but also resulted in many success stories.
If you have any other Sponsor Licence queries regarding the United Kingdom or business, tourist, or family visas, our lawyers will guide you comprehensively for the same.
You can contact us on the below given options:
| +91 9819127002 | +91 9819127002 | ||
| Book your Consultation | [email protected] |
FAQ’s
How to apply for a sponsor licence?
- For an employer sponsorship licence application, the applicant will have to first fill out an online form and send it along with
- The submission sheet at the end of the application, and
- Supporting documents
- While applying for Sponsor Licence for UK employers, make sure that you have read all the conditions, format to submit your application, etc; to avoid delays and refusals.
- Refer to the blog above for detailed instructions.
What are the eligibility requirements for a sponsor licence?
- “ unspent criminal convictions for immigration offences or certain other crimes, such as fraud or money laundering
- had a sponsor licence revoked in the last 12 months”
How do you get a sponsored Licence UK?
- You can apply for a Sponsor Licence for UK employers, by filling out an application online, scanning all the supporting documents and submitting it online, as mentioned on the submission sheet
- For more information, please read the blog above.
Are employers required to sponsor visas to the UK?
What is the Sponsor Licence application fee?
- As per the UK Home Office, the Sponsor Licence application cost differs based on the type of licence.
- For example, the fee for a Worker licence is £576 or £1,476.
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This post first appeared on UK Visa Refusal Appeal Or Reapply Consultant In India, please read the originial post: here
