Before being able to sponsor migrant workers to work in the UK, any employer needs to have a sponsor licence approved by UKVI.
What are the requirements?
As an employer, your business must be lawfully trading in the UK and have a well-established record keeping system in order to be compliant with the Sponsor Management System (SMS). You can choose to apply for either a worker licence for long-term and skilled employment, or a licence for temporary workers. The fees involved depend on if you qualify as a small or large sponsor.
It can take several weeks to receive a decision on a sponsor licence application and the documents required are extensive. Our team of Immigration experts can help best-present sponsor license applications and advise you of all the necessary documents, specific to your business. We can also advise you on compliancy rules and what employers should have in mind when recruiting skilled workers.
Once a sponsor licence is approved, you can then issue certificates of sponsorship (CoS) to your desired migrant workers, and we can help you to make skilled worker visa applications for them once a CoS has been assigned.
If you are an international recruiter, we can also offer our services and advice, to help your clients in the skills gap sectors obtain the required work visa for their prospective employees.
What are my sponsorship duties?
There is a whole range of sponsor duties and it is important to note your licence may be revoked if you do not meet your sponsorship responsibilities.
This all depends on whether you have complied with UK employment laws, carried out right to work checks, ensured your sponsored workers are working within the scope of their CoS, are paid the correct salary and any changes to their working conditions are reported and kept up to date with the SMS system.
As an employer, you cannot seek to recoup any fees associated with your sponsor licence, CoS or legal/priority fees from your sponsored employee. To do so would lead to your sponsor licence being revoked.
You could also be imposed with civil penalties if you employ someone who does not have the right to employment. We can assist in making representations on your behalf against civil penalties to either reduce or entirely waive the penalties.
Do we offer legal aid?
We do not offer legal aid, but can represent you on a fee paying basis if you do not qualify for legal aid.
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