SPONSOR LICENCE

What is a sponsor licence?

Any UK employer who wants to hire and employ people from overseas must obtain a sponsor licence. Sponsor Licence allows employers to issue a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) that can be issued to eligible international workers. Persons then can apply for a work visa (including a Skilled Worker visa). Sponsor Licence, therefore, creates a unique path for UK-based employers to be able to recruit the workforce they need from abroad.

Sponsor Licence Requirements

Organisations need to fulfil the following requirements to be able to eligible for a sponsorship licence;

1. Genuinely operate and trade in the UK legally
2. Not pose a threat to immigration control
3. Be UK based
4. Have key personnel who are considered “honest and dependable”
5. Have an effective HR system that allows the company to carry out its obligations as a licensed sponsor regularly

Suitability Requirements

• The application process includes businesses to show that they do not have unspent criminal convictions for previous immigration-related offences.

• In addition to that, they need to convince the Home Office that they do not have unspent convictions relating to crimes. These include but are not limited to fraud or money laundering.

• Businesses that have had a sponsor licence revoked in the last year are also not eligible for a sponsor licence.

• The Home Office also needs to be satisfied that key personnel named on the sponsor licence application are honest, dependable and reliable. Key personnel means authorised officers and key contacts who are responsible to operate the sponsorship process.

Sponsorship Management Requirements

Potential sponsors need to prove to the Home Office that they are well-equipped to carry out their sponsorship duties. This means having a system in place to oversee the duties and responsibilities that come with being an approved employer. These include;

1. Assure the proper use of the sponsorship management system (SMS)
2. Ensure that CoS (certificate of sponsorship) is being issued to workers that meet the relevant criteria and have the necessary skill set
3. Carry out proper right-to-work checks
4. Review and store certain documents relating to the immigration process
5. Reporting certain occurrences to the Home Office without any delay.  For instance, if a sponsored worker leaves the job or certain structural changes to be made to business’ operations.