Sponsor Licence UK

UK-based businesses must obtain a Sponsor Licence from the Home Office if they wish to employ German citizens or other foreign nationals.

Irish citizens, foreigners with UK settled or pre-settled status, or indefinite leave to remain do not need to be sponsored to work for a UK business.

Applying for a licence to sponsor overseas employees is only part of the process for your business when employing German citizens.

Once your Sponsor Licence has been approved, you will need to issue certificates of sponsorship to your overseas employees, who must also apply for a UK Work visa.

A Sponsor Licence does not guarantee that German nationals will later be granted a visa to work for you in the UK.

Page Contents

• What Is a Sponsor Licence?
• What Types of Sponsor Licence Are There?
• Eligibility Requirements for a Sponsor Licence
• Job Suitability for Sponsor Licence
• How Do I Apply for a Sponsor Licence?
• What Documents Do I Need for a Sponsor Licence?
• How Much Is a Sponsor Licence?
• Sponsorship Management Roles
• Sponsor Licence Ratings
• Certificate of Sponsorship
• What Is the Processing Time for a Sponsor Licence?
• How Can Total Law Help?
• Frequently Asked Questions

Your business must meet the criteria to be eligible for a Sponsor Licence. You must not have any unspent criminal convictions for certain crimes, such as immigration offences or fraud, nor have a revoked Sponsor Licence from the previous 12 months.

UK Visas and Immigration will assess your business to ensure your business is trustworthy and that you’re equipped to carry out any duties around sponsoring German employees, including having systems and people in place to monitor and manage overseas sponsorships.

When you are looking to employ people from Germany, the job you are recruiting for must be eligible for sponsorship, meet the requirements for the employee’s UK visa, and comply with UK regulations around minimum wage and working hours.

Employing German nationals into jobs that do not comply with the job guidelines can result in the loss of your sponsorship licence.

There are different guidelines on job suitability depending on what role your German employee is filling, and it is important to adhere to these guidelines. For example, the guidelines may vary if you employ someone who meets the criteria for a skilled worker, health or care worker, or seasonal worker.

There are also additional requirements for religious workers, creative workers and international sportspeople.

You can apply and pay for your Sponsor Licence online.

Step 1: Begin by checking that your business is eligible to apply for a Sponsor Licence. Ensure that your business meets the necessary criteria and that the job you are recruiting for is suitable for sponsorship.

Step 2: Choose the appropriate type of licence based on the employee you are sponsoring. Different types of licences apply to different categories of workers, so it is essential to select the correct one.

Step 3: Decide who within your business will manage the sponsorship process. You must appoint key personnel responsible for handling the sponsorship duties and compliance requirements.

Step 4: Complete the online application form and submit it along with the required fee. Ensure that all details provided are accurate and up to date.

Step 5: Once the online application has been submitted, prepare and send the final submission sheet along with your supporting documents. These documents can be sent via email to the relevant authorities.

Step 6: Be prepared for a possible visit from a Home Office employee. As part of the application process, the Home Office may conduct a visit to your business to assess compliance and suitability for a Sponsor Licence.

Step 7: If your application is successful, you will be granted a Sponsor Licence that is valid for 10 years. Your business will also receive a licence rating and permission to issue certificates of sponsorship for suitable job roles. This is an increase from the previous validity period of 4 years.

The documents you need to submit vary depending on what type of organisation your business is and are outlined in Sponsor Guidance Appendix A on the UK .gov website.

In some cases, you may not need to submit any documents, for example, if you are a government department, local authority or applying under a ‘scale-up’. In other cases, you will need to provide a cover letter confirming the details of your business.

Mandatory documents are required if you are applying under the International Sportsperson, Global Business Mobility – Service Supplier, Government Authorised Exchange, Seasonal Worker, Minister of Religion and Religious Worker. Examples of these mandatory documents include:

• An endorsement from the approved governing body for your sport
• An endorsement from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
• A cover letter including the details of your religion and several forms giving authorisation that your faith is an organisation

When applying for a Sponsor Licence, your business must appoint people to manage the sponsorship process for German employees.

The business will need a key contact to communicate with UKVI, a level-1 user responsible for all day-to-day activities, and an authorising officer to oversee the others; this person or these people will manage the process through the Sponsorship Management System.

If your application is approved, you will receive an A-rated licence, which allows you to start assigning sponsorship certificates. Your business will also be listed in the official UK register of sponsors.

Your licence may be downgraded to a B-rating if you don’t meet your responsibilities as a sponsor. You won’t be able to issue new certificates of sponsorship until you’ve made improvements and are upgraded back to A-rated, although you can issue certificates to existing employees extending their permission to stay.

Sponsor Licence Compliance and Duties

Sponsor licence holders should ensure they met all requirements for employing workers from overseas. This means undertaking compliance duties to ensure they follow UK immigration and employment law.

This includes maintaining up-to-date records and carrying out right-to-work checks. Employers should also report any changes, such as a staff member not reporting for work, to the Home Office.

Once you have your Sponsor Licence, you must assign a certificate of sponsorship to each German worker you employ. This is an electronic record, and they will need the unique code from the certificate of sponsorship to apply for a visa to enter and work in the UK.

The employee will need to use the code to apply for their visa within three months and cannot apply more than three months before the start date of their job.

There are two types of CoS and it is important to ensure you are issuing the correct one to workers.

1. Defined CoS is suitable for skilled workers apply from outside the UK, excluding the Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) route.
2. Undefined CoS is for skilled workers who apply for permission within the UK or workers on all other routes such as the ICT route.

Typically, you will receive a decision within eight weeks of submitting your application, and UKVI may need to visit your business within this time.

If you need your licence faster, you may be able to pay £500 for a fast-track decision to receive an answer within ten working days. However, this service is limited on a first come, first served basis.