Sponsor Licence Application Guidance

To be eligible to become a sponsor licence holder, the employer or sponsor must:

• Not hold any unspent criminal convictions for immigration offences with the home office or any other crimes, such as fraud
• Not have any history of failing to carry out sponsor duties
• Not have a sponsor licence revoked in the last 12 months

The sponsor licence application process is complex and requires the employer to provide detailed information on their organization.

The Home Office may revoke your valid sponsor licence at any time if they believe that you are not meeting the sponsor licence requirements.

Sponsor licence holders are not required to conduct a Resident Labour Market Test.

However, the Home Office will require the company to provide evidence to show that the employment of migrant workers is necessary.

There are two routes for the sponsor licence applications:

1. to sponsor regular, skilled workers
2. to sponsor temporary workers

Depending on which, the sponsor licence application depends on the nature of work the employee will be doing.

Should the sponsor licence application be approved, the employer will then assign a “Certificate of Sponsorship” to each foreign worker.

As mentioned above, there are two types of workers that require a sponsor licence, skilled workers and temporary workers.

Skilled Worker sponsor licence

The Skilled Worker Visa is reserved for workers that are long-term skilled workers, who, with the visa, have the right to work for a minimum of three years, and usually five. Under the Skilled Worker Visa, there are subcategories of visas that require a skilled worker sponsor licence, too, these include the:

• Sportsperson Visa
• Minister of Religion Visa (Employees can work for up to three years under this subcategory)

To be eligible for a skilled worker visa, you have to prove the following:

• You will be working for a UK employer that’s been approved by the Home Office
• Have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ (sponsor licence) from your employer with information about the role you’ve been offered in the UK
• Will do a job that’s on the list of eligible occupations
• Be paid a minimum salary

You can apply for this visa up to 3 months before you are supposed to start working, and this date is listed on your certificate of sponsorship. As part of your application, you’ll need to prove your identity and provide your documents.

If you are inside the UK, you should get a decision on the visa within 3 weeks or 8 weeks if you are outside the UK.

Temporary Worker sponsor licences

Temporary Worker sponsorship licence will allow business to hire from the international pool of talent by sponsoring workers to come and work in the UK. The Temporary Worker Visa is reserved for skilled workers who will do temporary work in the UK. The Temporary Worker Visa is broken into the following subcategories:

• Creative Worker: Permits 12 months for eligible creative workers
• International Sportsperson: Permits typically up to 12 months but may extend under certain conditions.
• Charity worker: Permits up to one-year
• Religious worker: Permits up to two years
• International agreement worker: For instances when work is covered by international law
• Government Authorized Exchange

To be eligible for a Temporary Worker Visa, you must prove the following:

• Have a certificate of a sponsorship reference number
• Have sufficient finances to support yourself in the UK (At least £1,270 (unless you’re exempt)
• Be 18 years old or older when you apply
• Your work is covered by international law

To apply for a sponsor licence, a company must submit an online sponsor licence application form, along with a minimum of at least four supporting documents as evidence of its presence in the UK, and a cover letter detailing background information about the company.

Sometimes, the Home Office may require additional documents such as evidence of the company’s Human Resources processes to assess whether the compliance requirements and sponsorship duties will be met. During an assessment of the licence application, the Home Office authorizing officer may also conduct a compliance visit at the business premises.

The standard processing time for applications is 8 weeks.

The required document list for sponsor licence from the home office is extensive and will depend on whether the company or organization is registered as a public body, start-up, franchise or small and medium enterprise. As there are many sponsor licences, each type will require different supporting documents.

While the list will vary, some documents may be:

• The most recent bank statement for the business/company
• Proof of employer’s liability insurance of at least £5 million from an authorized insurer.
• Certificate of VAT registration.
• Evidence of registration with HM Revenue and customs
• Proof of ownership or lease of business premises or rental agreement papers
• Latest audited or unaudited accounts
• If applicable, evidence of registration from a regulatory body to operate lawfully in the UK

All sponsor licence documents need to be given within five working days of the online application. The documents should be in their original form.

After you submit your application for a sponsor licence, it will normally take UKVI up to 8 weeks to process it.

If you wish to receive a faster decision on your application, you may be able to pay an additional fee for priority processing.

This will cost £500 and will ensure that your application is processed within 10 working days.

There is a limited number of allocated priority processing slots available each day, and are given on a first-come, first-serve basis.