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Applying for a sponsor licence - getting it right

Insights
24th Jan 2025

A sponsor licence permits your business to hire international talent. It's your authorisation to bring skilled workers to the UK and comes with significant responsibilities for immigration compliance.

Key requirements

Your business must meet essential criteria to qualify :-

  • Have appropriate systems to monitor sponsored workers

  • Electronic or manual systems that track attendance, work locations, and visa conditions.

  • Be genuine and operating/trading lawfully in the UK

  • Active trading with proper registration, paying taxes, and maintaining business premises.

  • Be honest, dependable and reliable

  • Clean compliance history and transparent business operations.

  • Not represent a threat to immigration control

  • Clear ownership structure and legitimate business purposes.

  • Have key personnel who are suitable to manage the licence

  • Staff with clean records and authority to manage compliance.

Key Personnel Roles

Every sponsor must appoint specific individuals to manage the licence:

  • Authorising Officer (AO) - Responsible for licence management and compliance. Usually Director, CEO, HR Director, or Head of HR. Must be UK-based, senior staff member

  • Key Contact - main point of contact for Home Office. Handles queries and correspondence and is usually HR manager or immigration specialist. Receives updates about licence and can be an external legal representative.

  • Level 1 User - day-to-day licence management. Issues Certificates of Sponsorship, updates sponsor management system, reports changes to Home Office

The Application Process

Preparation is imperative and includes :-

  • Identify key personnel roles

  • Audit HR systems

  • Prepare required documents - legal and financial records needed

  • Check existing workforce immigration compliance.

  • Set up monitoring systems - implement attendance tracking and reporting procedures.

The next stage is a Home Office review which involves a dedicated caseworker being assigned who then reviews all submitted documents, checks company credibility, verifies key personnel and may then request additional evidence. A pre-licence inspection is possible which is usually unannounced and may involve a check of systems in practice and/or, interview of key personnel

Renewal application

Ongoing duties after issue of certificate are very important both for immediate and ongoing compliance but also because of potential renewal after 4 years. Record keeping is essential and reporting changes within 10 working days relating to an immigrant worker's non-attendance, non-compliance, visa condition violations or contract changes. Significant company changes such as ownership or structure alterations must also be reported.

Contact us for a comprehensive assessment of your sponsor licence requirements.

Get in touch

If you would like to speak with a member of the team you can contact us on:

020 3540 4444


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Sushma Awtani

Partner - Family & Immigration Solicitor

Sushma is a Consultant Partner at Taylor Rose.

She is a specialist and experienced immigration lawyer with a national reputation.

Sushma also advises on family law matters including divorce and financial remedy. She is a member of Resolut...

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