Certificate of Sponsorship UK (CoS)
UK employers must issue a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to each migrant worker they employ. Your German employee will use the CoS to apply for a visa that’ll allow them to enter the UK to work for you.
Contact us for more information on sponsoring German workers. We can also guide you in obtaining a sponsor licence and assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship. Call us at +44 (0)333 305 9375 or use the online contact form to speak with one of our UK immigration experts today.
What is a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)?
A Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is an electronic document assigned to overseas nationals by their UK employers confirming that they meet the requirements for a UK Work visa. The employer must be a sponsor licence holder to assign a CoS. The overseas employee will use the CoS to apply for an entry visa to the UK.
If you meet the requirements, you can apply to the Home Office for a sponsor licence. Once you receive your licence, you can issue sponsorship certificates to your overseas hires.
The Certificate of Sponsorship contains the employee’s personal information, details of the sponsoring organisation, terms of employment (including qualification, role, and salary), a unique reference number, and start and expiry dates. It confirms to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) that the employment conditions comply with the regulations for the employee’s proposed work visa route.
The overseas worker must submit their visa application within three months of receiving the Certificate of Sponsorship but no earlier than three months before the commencement of their employment.
Page Contents
- What is a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)?
- Who needs a UK Certificate of Sponsorship?
- Types of Certificate of Sponsorship
- Requirements for Certificate of Sponsorship
- How to Apply for a Certificate of Sponsorship
- Assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship
- Certificate of Sponsorship Cost
- Certificate of Sponsorship Allocation
- How Can Total Law Help?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Who needs a UK Certificate of Sponsorship?
All overseas nationals coming to work for a UK employer on a Skilled Worker, ICT, or Temporary Worker visa must get a Certificate of Sponsorship. This includes those from the EU, EEA, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.
Specific work visa routes are exempt from employer sponsorship requirements. They include:
- UK Youth Mobility Scheme
- Graduate Visa Route
- UK Global Talent Visa
- Irish citizens, persons with settled or pre-settled status, and Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) holders do not need a CoS to work in the UK.
Types of Certificate of Sponsorship
The Home Office issues two types of certificates of sponsorship – defined and undefined.
Defined Certificate of Sponsorship
Those applying for Skilled Worker visas from outside the UK are assigned a defined Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). To issue a defined CoS to an overseas employee, you must apply for the CoS using the sponsor management system (SMS). You’ll get access to the SMS once you obtain your sponsor licence.
UKVI processes CoS applications within 24 hours. If your application is approved, you’ll receive the Certificate of Sponsorship from the sponsor management system. You can then assign it to your overseas worker for their visa application.
Undefined Certificate of Sponsorship
Undefined Certificate of Sponsorship is for those who want to switch to a Skilled Worker visa from within the UK. It also applies to those applying under different visa routes from overseas or within the UK.
You’ll be asked to estimate the number of undefined certificates you’ll need in the first year when you apply for a sponsor licence. You can apply for more undefined CoS via the SMS if you exhaust the ones allocated.
If you want to sponsor a UK expansion worker, you will receive a licence with a provisional rating. You can only assign one CoS with this licence and must issue it to the authorising officer (the expansion worker).
You can upgrade the licence to an A-rating once the worker arrives in the UK. After the upgrade, you can request up to four additional certificates using the sponsor management system.
Requirements for Certificate of Sponsorship
You and your German employee must meet specific requirements before you can issue a Certificate of Sponsorship.
As an employer, you must:
- Hold a valid sponsor licence with an A-rating
- Have a genuine vacancy for a job role suitable for sponsorship in compliance with the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system.
- Have a working sponsor management team and structure.
Your German employee must:
- Have the required qualifications and skill set for the job offer.
- Be receiving a salary (as stated in the employment contract) that meets the minimum salary requirement for the job role.
- Meet other entry visa requirements, such as proficiency in the English language and adequate funds to support themselves for their first month in the UK.
How to Apply for a Certificate of Sponsorship
You can only apply for a CoS using the sponsor management system with an A-rated sponsor licence. The UKVI will grant you access to the SMS once you receive your sponsor licence. Only a Level 1 or Level 2 user can request and assign a Certificate of Sponsorship via the SMS.
To apply for a defined CoS:
- Sign in to your SMS
- Once in, select “defined CoS” from the “Workers” screen
- Click on “Apply for defined CoS.”
- Enter the number of defined CoS you need
- A page titled “Application for defined CoS – employment details” will appear. Enter all employment details.
- Verify that all your entries are correct.
- Check the box confirming that you understand and consent to all terms and conditions.
- Click on “Submit.”
Your request will appear on the “Application for defined CoS – submitted” screen. The UKVI will typically process the request within one working day unless there’s a need for additional information.
Assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship
You must assign a Certificate of Sponsorship to each migrant worker you sponsor for employment. A CoS is unique to each applicant and can’t be shared by two workers.
To create and assign a CoS to your German employee:
- Log in to the sponsorship management system
- Select “Create and Assign” from the “Workers” screen
- Select “Create new single certificate” from the list
- Enter and save the candidate’s details
- Click “Assign”
- Confirm your entries are correct on the verification page
- Click “Assign CoS”
- Pay the CoS fee and, if applicable, the immigration skills charge
- The CoS will be assigned, and the unique reference number will appear on your screen.
- You can then send your employee the reference number they’ll use for their visa application.
Certificate of Sponsorship Cost
The Home Office charges a fee for every CoS you assign to a migrant worker. You must pay the Certificate of Sponsorship fee when applying for your foreign employees. The cost depends on the type of CoS you’re issuing.
A Certificate of Sponsorship for a Skilled Worker (excluding international sportspersons) costs £525, while a CoS for a Temporary Worker costs £55. For sponsoring international sportsperson, CoS costs
- £55 for stays 12 months or less
- £525 for stays above 12 months.
You’ll also pay an immigration skills charge based on the size of your organisation and the duration of employment for your overseas employee.
- For small or charitable sponsors – £364 in the first year and £182 for each additional six months.
- For medium or large sponsors – £1000 in the first year and £500 for each additional six months.
Certificate of Sponsorship Allocation
CoS allocation is the maximum number of sponsorship certificates you can issue foreign workers in one year. The Home Office assigns CoS allocations based on your business type and size, the number of persons in your employment, and your type of sponsor licence.
When applying for a sponsor licence, you’ll be asked to estimate the number of CoS you’ll need (for each route you’re applying for) in the first year. You’ll have to prove that you need the number of CoS you requested. If your request is approved, it will be your CoS allocation for the first year.
The first year starts counting from the moment you receive your sponsor licence. Certificates of sponsorship not used within the year will be removed. You must apply for allocation renewal at the end of each year.
How Can Total Law Help?
Employing foreign workers can offer numerous advantages to your business. It opens up access to a wider pool of talent, promoting innovation and diverse perspectives within the workforce. Hiring individuals from different cultural backgrounds brings unique skills and experiences that can be invaluable for the company’s growth. Moreover, it helps address skill shortages and fills specialised roles effectively. However, the Home Office has stringent rules guiding employee sponsorship in the UK. You must navigate legal requirements, such as obtaining work visas, to ensure compliance with immigration regulations.
If you’re considering sponsoring migrant workers to work in your organisation, Total Law can help you. Our team of UK immigration lawyers are versatile in UK immigration policies and has years of experience assisting organisations with employee sponsorship.
We’ll assist you in preparing your sponsor licence application, creating a sponsor management structure, training your sponsor management team, assigning certificates of sponsorship to migrant workers, and ensuring compliance with your sponsorship responsibilities.
Our business immigration lawyers are always available to help. For immediate assistance, you can reach us at +44 (0)333 305 9375 or via the online contact form.
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Related pages for your continued reading.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you use up your CoS allocation before the end of the year, you can request additional allocations through the sponsorship management system. However, you’ll have to justify the need for the increase.
If a worker changes roles to one outside the current SOC code or changes employer, you must cancel their CoS within five days of receiving the notice, as they can only have one live CoS.
If your employee wants to continue working for you beyond the validity of their current CoS and visa, you must request a new CoS for them on the sponsorship management system.
