We are a UK recruitment agency and we are currently recruiting employees from In and outside the UK. We provide licenses of sponsorship to the qualified employees. Where can we find  groups that do not need a licence of sponsorship?

You will not need a licence to sponsor certain groups, for example:

UK visa sponsorship for employers

Overview

You’ll usually need a sponsor licence to employ someone to work for you from outside the UK. This includes citizens of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland who arrived in the UK after 31 December 2020.

This includes unpaid work, like running a charity.

Irish citizens

those with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

those with indefinite leave to remain in the UK

Read more about who does not need sponsorship.

Sponsoring someone does not guarantee that they’ll be allowed to come to or stay in the UK.

How to get a sponsor licence

Check your business is eligible.

Choose the type of licence you want to apply for - this will depend on what type of worker you want to sponsor.

Decide who will manage sponsorship within your business.

Apply online and pay the fee.

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) may visit your business to check it’s suitable.

After you apply

You’ll be given a licence rating if your application is successful.

You’ll be able to issue certificates of sponsorship if you have jobs that are suitable for sponsorship.

Your licence will be valid for 4 years. You may lose your licence if you do not meet your responsibilities as a sponsor.

Eligibility

To get a licence, you cannot have:

unspent criminal convictions for immigration offences or certain other crimes, such as fraud or money laundering

had a sponsor licence revoked in the last 12 months

You’ll need appropriate systems in place to monitor sponsored employees.

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will review your application form and supporting documents. They may visit your business to make sure you’re trustworthy and capable of carrying out your duties.

Types of licence

The licence you need depends on whether the workers you want to fill your jobs are:

‘Workers’ - for those with long-term job offers

‘Temporary workers’

You can apply for a licence covering one or both types of worker.

Worker licence

A ‘Worker’ licence will let you employ people long-term or permanently. It’s split into:

Skilled Worker - the role must meet the job suitability requirements

Intra-company visas - this includes Intra-company Transfer and Intra-company Graduate Trainee, for multinational companies which need to transfer established employees or graduate trainees to the UK

Minister of Religion - for people coming to work for a religious organisation

Sportsperson - for elite sportspeople and coaches who will be based in the UK

Temporary Worker licence

A ‘Temporary Worker’ licence will let you employ people on a temporary basis. It’s split into:

Creative or Sporting Worker - to work as a high-level sportsperson (up to 1 year), entertainer or artist (up to 2 years)

Charity Worker - for unpaid workers at a charity (up to 1 year)

Religious Worker - for those working in a religious order or organisation (2 years)

Government Authorised Exchange Worker - work experience (1 year), research projects or training, for example practical medical or scientific training (2 years) to enable a short-term exchange of knowledge

International Agreement Worker - where the worker is coming to do a job which is covered by international law, for example employees of overseas governments

Seasonal Worker - for those coming to the UK for up to 6 months to do farm work

Sponsorship management roles

You need to appoint people within your business to manage the sponsorship process when you apply for a licence.

The main tool they’ll use is the sponsorship management system (SMS).

The roles are:

authorising officer – a senior and competent person responsible for the actions of staff and representatives who use the SMS

key contact – your main point of contact with UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)

level 1 user – responsible for all day-to-day management of your licence using the SMS

These roles can be filled by the same person or different people.

You can also appoint an optional level 2 user once you have your licence. This is an SMS user with more restricted access than a level 1 user, for example they cannot withdraw a certificate of sponsorship.

Suitability checks

You and your staff will be checked to make sure you’re suitable for these roles. You may not get your licence if anyone involved in sponsorship has:

an unspent criminal conviction

been fined by UKVI in the past 12 months

been reported to UKVI

broken the law

been a ‘key person’ at a sponsor that had its licence revoked in the last 12 months

failed to pay VAT or other excise duty

You and your allocated staff must also:

be based in the UK most of the time

not be a contractor or consultant contracted for a specific project

not be subject to a bankruptcy restriction order or undertaking, or a debt relief restriction order or undertaking

not have a history of non-compliance with sponsor requirements

Your allocated staff must usually be paid members of staff, or office holders.

Read the full guidance on appointing ‘key personnel’.

HR contractors and agency staff

You must have at least one level 1 user who is your employee. You can have other level 1 or level 2 users employed by third-party organisations contracted to provide you with HR services. Your level 2 user can be a temporary member of staff supplied by an agency.

UK-based legal representatives

You can allocate any of the roles to a UK-based legal representative, apart from the authorising officer role. Your representative must be qualified to give immigration advice or services.

Apply for your licence

You need to apply online for your licence.

Once you’ve finished the online application, you need to send in:

the submission sheet at the end of the application

your supporting documents

Any affidavits or statutory declarations you send must be witnessed by a qualified, independent person - for example, a solicitor, Notary Public, Justice of the Peace, Commissioner for Oaths, or (in Scotland only) a Councillor.

Apply now

How to send the documents

You can scan or take pictures of your submission sheet and supporting documents and send them to the email address given on the submission sheet. Make sure your files:

are in PDF, JPEG or PNG format

have descriptive titles, with 25 or fewer characters

are high enough quality to be read

If your documents are not in English or Welsh, they must be accompanied by a certified translation - there’s more information in part 1 of the guidance for sponsors.

If you cannot scan and send the documents by email, contact UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) using the contact details on the submission sheet.

Licence fees

You need to pay a fee when you apply. The fee depends on the type of licence you’re applying for and what type of organisation you are.

You’re usually a small sponsor if two of the following apply:

your annual turnover is £10.2 million or less

your total assets are worth £5.1 million or less

you have 50 employees or fewer

You’re a charitable sponsor if you’re either:

a registered, excepted or exempt charity

an ecclesiastical corporation established for charitable purposes

Contact the Business Helpdesk if you’re unsure which category your business fits into.

Type of licence | Fee for small or charitable sponsors | Fee for medium or large sponsors

Worker | £536 | £1,476

Temporary Worker | £536 | £536

Worker and Temporary Worker | £536 | £ 1,476

Add a Worker licence to an existing Temporary Worker licence | No fee | £940

Add a Temporary Worker licence to an existing Worker licence | No fee | No fee

How long it takes to get a decision

Most applications (8 out of 10) are dealt with in less than 8 weeks. UKVI may need to visit your business.

You may be able to pay £500 to get a decision within 10 working days. You’ll be told if you can after you apply.

Applications refused because of a mistake

You can apply to request a review of your application if you think it was refused because:

the caseworker processing your application made a mistake

your supporting documents were not considered

You cannot apply just because you disagree with the decision.

Help and advice

Sponsors can get advice from the sponsorship, employer and education helpline:

You can also join the premium customer service scheme to get extra support from a licence manager - this costs at least £8,000 a year.

UK businesses and Tier 1 (Investors) can get help from the Business Helpdesk:

Your licence rating

You’ll get an A-rated licence if your application is approved.

A-rating - full sponsor licence

An A-rated licence lets you start assigning certificates of sponsorship.

Your business will be listed in the register of sponsors.

Downgrading to B-rating

Your A-rated licence may be downgraded to a B-rating at a later stage if you do not continue to meet your sponsor duties.

If this happens, you will not be able to issue new certificates of sponsorship until you’ve made improvements and upgraded back to an A-rating.

You’ll still be able to issue certificates to workers you already employ who want to extend their permission to stay.

Upgrade to an A-rating

You need to follow an ‘action plan’ provided by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) to upgrade your licence.

You have to pay £1,476 for an action plan.

You must pay the fee within 10 working days of the date UKVI tells you about the downgrade. If you do not, you’ll lose your licence.

At the end of the action plan

You’ll be upgraded to an A-rating if you complete all the steps and there’s nothing else you need to improve.

You’ll lose your licence if you do not complete all the steps.

If you need to make other improvements, you’ll be given another B-rating and will have to follow a new action plan. You’ll have to pay the fee again.

If you get a second B-rating

You can only have 2 B-ratings in the 4 years that your licence is valid.

You’ll lose your licence if you still need to make improvements after your second action plan.

How to reapply

You cannot appeal if your licence is revoked, but you can reapply. You have to wait at least 12 months before reapplying.

You need to start a new application when you reapply.

Certificates of sponsorship

You must assign a certificate of sponsorship to each foreign worker you employ. This is an electronic record, not a physical document. Each certificate has its own number which a worker can use to apply for a visa.

When you assign the certificate to a worker, they must use it to apply for their visa within 3 months. They must not apply for their visa more than 3 months before the start date of the job listed on the certificate.

Defined certificates

These are for people applying on a Skilled Worker visa from outside the UK.

You must apply for defined certificates for these workers through the sponsorship management system (SMS). You’ll get access to this when you get your licence.

When you get the certificate

Applications are usually approved within one working day. It may take longer if UKVI need to carry out further checks on the information in your application.

Defined certificates will appear in your SMS account once they have been approved. You can then assign them to a worker.

Undefined certificates

These are for Skilled Workers applying from inside the UK, and applicants on all other visas.

When you apply for your licence you’ll be asked to estimate how many undefined certificates you’ll need for Workers and Temporary Workers in the first year.

Certificate costs

Certificates are free for citizens of the following countries:

Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden or Turkey.

For other citizens, you need to pay for each certificate.

Type of certificate | Cost per certificate

Worker | £199

Temporary Worker | £21

If you assign a certificate of sponsorship to a worker on a Skilled Worker or Intra-company Transfer visa, you might also need to pay the immigration skills charge.

Immigration skills charge

You might have to pay an additional charge when you assign a certificate of sponsorship to someone applying for a Skilled Worker or Intra-company Transfer visa. This is called the ‘immigration skills charge’.

You must pay the immigration skills charge if they’re applying for a visa from:

outside the UK to work in the UK for 6 months or more

inside the UK for any length of time

When you do not need to pay

You will not pay the immigration skills charge if you’re sponsoring someone:

on an Intra-company Graduate Trainee visa

who is on a visa to study in the UK, and switches to a Skilled Worker or Intra-company Transfer visa - if they then extend their stay on the new visa, you will not have to pay the charge

You will also not have to pay the charge if you’re sponsoring someone with one of the following occupation codes:

chemical scientists (2111)

biological scientists and biochemists (2112)

physical scientists (2113)

social and humanities scientists (2114)

natural and social science professionals not elsewhere classified (2119)

research and development managers (2150)

higher education teaching professionals (2311)

clergy (2444)

sports players (3441)

sports coaches, instructors or officials (3442)

You also might not have to pay the charge if you’re sponsoring a worker who was assigned a certificate before 6 April 2017 - there’s more information in part 2 of the guidance for sponsors.

You will not need to pay the charge for any of the worker’s dependants, for example their partner or child.

If the person you’re sponsoring changes jobs

If you’ve assigned a certificate of sponsorship to someone in your organisation, who then moves to a new job in your organisation, you’ll need to assign them a new certificate. They will use this to apply for a new visa.

You only need to do this if the new job has a different occupation code.

You’ll need to pay the immigration skills charge again if the end date on their new visa is later than the end date on their existing visa.

How to pay

You pay the immigration skills charge when you assign a certificate of sponsorship to the worker.

How much it costs

The amount you need to pay is based on:

the size of your organisation

how long the worker will work for you, using the start and end dates on their sponsorship certificate

Period | Small or charitable sponsors | Medium or large sponsors

First 12 months | £364 | £1,000

Each additional 6 months | £182 | £500

If the worker will be in the UK for longer than 6 months but less than a year, you must pay for at least 12 months.

You must pay the full charge in one go.

Contact the Business Helpdesk if you’re not sure which category your business fits into.

As the longest you can sponsor a worker for is 5 years, the most you have to pay will be:

£1,820 (5 x £364) if you’re a small or charitable sponsor

£5,000 (5 x £1,000) if you’re a medium or large sponsor

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will contact you if you do not pay the charge or pay the wrong amount. You’ll have 10 working days to pay the charge - the worker’s visa application will be refused if you do not.

Refunds

You’ll get a full refund if the worker’s visa application is:

refused or withdrawn

successful, but they do not come to work for you

You’ll get a partial refund if the worker:

gets less time on their visa than you sponsored them for

starts working for you but then changes to another sponsor

leaves their job before the end date on their certificate of sponsorship

You’ll also get a partial refund if you paid the medium or large sponsor fee when assigning the certificate, but had already notified UKVI that you’re now a small or charitable sponsor.

How long it takes

You usually get a refund within 90 days of:

telling UKVI that the worker did not come to work for you

the expiration date on the worker’s certificate of sponsorship, if they did not use it to apply for a visa

the date the worker’s visa application is refused or withdrawn

the date you assigned the certificate of sponsorship, if you had already notified UKVI that you became a small or charitable sponsor

If the worker’s visa application is refused, they can ask for the decision to be reviewed.
This is known as an ‘administrative review’.

If they do not ask for an administrative review, you’ll get a refund within 90 days of the deadline for applying for one.

You’ll get a refund within 90 days of the administrative review being dismissed if the worker applied for one and were unsuccessful.

Contact UKVI if your refund is not paid within 90 days.

Job suitability

You can sponsor a worker if the job they’re going to do has a suitable rate of pay and skill level, or meets the other criteria needed for their visa.

Additional requirements for religious workers

You’ll usually have to advertise any job you offer to someone with a Religious Worker visa, unless it’s a non-essential position or involves living within a religious order (such as a monk or nun).

When you do not need to advertise the job, you need to have records showing that there is not a suitable person who does not require sponsorship to take on the role.

There are rules you must follow about how to advertise jobs for religious workers.

Additional requirements for creative workers

Creative jobs done by someone on a Creative or Sporting Worker visa include:

ballet dancers and other dancers

film and TV performers

theatre and opera performers

film and TV workers

models

For creative jobs, you must make sure that either:

you comply with the creative workers code of practice (if it exists for that occupation)

the job is on the shortage occupations list

If the job is not on the shortage occupation list, and there is no code of practice, you need to check that the job cannot be done by a worker who does not need sponsoring.

Additional requirements for sporting workers

For sporting jobs that will be done by someone on either the Creative or Sporting Worker visa or Sportsperson visa, you must get an endorsement letter from the relevant governing body.

Sponsoring under-18s

You cannot sponsor a foreign worker under 18 on:

a Skilled Worker visa

an Intra-company visa

an International Agreement Worker visa, if they’ll be working as a private servant in a diplomatic household or in the household of an employee of an international organisation

a Seasonal Worker visa

You cannot sponsor a child under 16 for a Minister of Religion or Sportsperson visa.

If you’re also a Student sponsor (ATAS certificates)

If you also have a Student sponsor licence, you may need to check whether the worker needs an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate.

Who needs to do this

You need to do this if all of the following are true:

you’re licensed as a Student sponsor

you’re sponsoring the worker for a Skilled Worker, Intra-company Transfer, Intra-company Graduate Trainee, Government Authorised Exchange Worker or International Agreement Worker visa

you’re sponsoring the worker for a role in a relevant occupation code

If any of these do not apply to you, you do not need to do anything.

What you need to do

If you do need to check, you must follow these steps.

Check if the worker needs an ATAS certificate.

Add a sponsor note to your certificate of sponsorship, confirming whether or not the worker needs an ATAS certificate.

If the worker does need an ATAS certificate, you must tell them that they need to get one and include it in their visa application.

Check if the worker needs an ATAS certificate

The worker will need an ATAS certificate if all of the following are true:

they will be carrying out research at PhD level or above

they will be carrying out research in a ‘relevant subject’ - check the relevant subject areas list in the worker sponsor guidance

their nationality is not exempt from needing an ATAS certificate - check the exempt nationalities list in the worker sponsor guidance

If the worker does not need an ATAS certificate

Your sponsor note should say that the worker does not need an ATAS certificate and explain why.

If the worker needs an ATAS certificate

You must:

tell the worker that they need to get an ATAS certificate and include it in their visa application

add a sponsor note to your certificate of sponsorship

make and keep a copy of the ATAS certificate, once it has been issued

Tell the worker that they need an ATAS certificate

Tell the worker that they must apply for an ATAS certificate and include it in their visa application.

If the worker does not include their ATAS certificate, their visa application will be refused and you may lose your sponsor licences.

ATAS certificate applications for workers can take at least 2 weeks to be processed (3 weeks between April and September).

Add a sponsor note to your certificate of sponsorship

Your sponsor note should say that the worker needs an ATAS certificate and mention whether they have already applied for or been issued with one.

Make and keep a copy of the ATAS certificate

When the worker has received their ATAS certificate, you must make and keep a copy of the certificate, or the electronic approval notice the worker received from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

Your responsibilities

You must:

check that your foreign workers have the necessary skills, qualifications or professional accreditations to do their jobs, and keep copies of documents showing this

only assign certificates of sponsorship to workers when the job is suitable for sponsorship

tell UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) if your sponsored workers are not complying with the conditions of their visa

Your licence may be downgraded, suspended or withdrawn if you do not meet them.

Read the full guidance on sponsor requirements and duties and check workers have the right to work in the UK.

Monitoring employees

You must have HR systems in place that let you:

monitor your employees’ immigration status

keep copies of relevant documents for each employee, including passport and right to work information

track and record employees’ attendance

keep employee contact details up to date

report to UKVI if there is a problem, for example if your employee stops coming to work

Changes to your business

You must report any significant changes in your own circumstances within 20 working days, for example if you:

stop trading or become insolvent

substantially change the nature of your business

are involved in a merger or take-over

You must also tell UKVI if you’re changing your details, like your address or allocated roles.

To register a change of circumstances use the sponsorship management system (SMS).

Requests can take up to 18 weeks. You can register a change within 5 working days instead if you use the priority service. It costs £200.

Sponsoring under-18s

You must make sure that foreign workers under 18 have suitable care arrangements for their:

travel to the UK

arrival in the UK

living arrangements in the UK

You must also get a letter from their parents giving consent to the care arrangements.

You must get a Disclosure and Barring Service check on any of your workers who need it.

You’ll lose your licence if you do not do this.

Children under 16

You must get a licence from the local education authority in the area where the child will work.

Irish citizens

UK visa sponsorship for employers

Overview

This includes unpaid work, like running a charity.

You will not need a licence to sponsor certain groups, for example:

Irish citizens

those with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

those with indefinite leave to remain in the UK

Read more about who does not need sponsorship.

Sponsoring someone does not guarantee that they’ll be allowed to come to or stay in the UK.

How to get a sponsor licence

Check your business is eligible.

Choose the type of licence you want to apply for - this will depend on what type of worker you want to sponsor.

Decide who will manage sponsorship within your business.

Apply online and pay the fee.

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) may visit your business to check it’s suitable.

After you apply

You’ll be given a licence rating if your application is successful.

You’ll be able to issue certificates of sponsorship if you have jobs that are suitable for sponsorship.

Your licence will be valid for 4 years. You may lose your licence if you do not meet your responsibilities as a sponsor.

Eligibility

To get a licence, you cannot have:

unspent criminal convictions for immigration offences or certain other crimes, such as fraud or money laundering

had a sponsor licence revoked in the last 12 months

You’ll need appropriate systems in place to monitor sponsored employees.

Types of licence

The licence you need depends on whether the workers you want to fill your jobs are:

‘Workers’ - for those with long-term job offers

‘Temporary workers’

You can apply for a licence covering one or both types of worker.

Worker licence

A ‘Worker’ licence will let you employ people long-term or permanently. It’s split into:

Skilled Worker - the role must meet the job suitability requirements

Minister of Religion - for people coming to work for a religious organisation

Sportsperson - for elite sportspeople and coaches who will be based in the UK

Temporary Worker licence

A ‘Temporary Worker’ licence will let you employ people on a temporary basis. It’s split into:

Creative or Sporting Worker - to work as a high-level sportsperson (up to 1 year), entertainer or artist (up to 2 years)

Charity Worker - for unpaid workers at a charity (up to 1 year)

Religious Worker - for those working in a religious order or organisation (2 years)

International Agreement Worker - where the worker is coming to do a job which is covered by international law, for example employees of overseas governments

Seasonal Worker - for those coming to the UK for up to 6 months to do farm work

Sponsorship management roles

You need to appoint people within your business to manage the sponsorship process when you apply for a licence.

The main tool they’ll use is the sponsorship management system (SMS).

The roles are:

authorising officer – a senior and competent person responsible for the actions of staff and representatives who use the SMS

key contact – your main point of contact with UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)

level 1 user – responsible for all day-to-day management of your licence using the SMS

These roles can be filled by the same person or different people.

Suitability checks

You and your staff will be checked to make sure you’re suitable for these roles. You may not get your licence if anyone involved in sponsorship has:

an unspent criminal conviction

been fined by UKVI in the past 12 months

been reported to UKVI

broken the law

been a ‘key person’ at a sponsor that had its licence revoked in the last 12 months

failed to pay VAT or other excise duty

You and your allocated staff must also:

be based in the UK most of the time

not be a contractor or consultant contracted for a specific project

not be subject to a bankruptcy restriction order or undertaking, or a debt relief restriction order or undertaking

not have a history of non-compliance with sponsor requirements

Your allocated staff must usually be paid members of staff, or office holders.

Read the full guidance on appointing ‘key personnel’.

HR contractors and agency staff

UK-based legal representatives

You can allocate any of the roles to a UK-based legal representative, apart from the authorising officer role. Your representative must be qualified to give immigration advice or services.

Apply for your licence

You need to apply online for your licence.

Once you’ve finished the online application, you need to send in:

the submission sheet at the end of the application

your supporting documents

Apply now

How to send the documents

You can scan or take pictures of your submission sheet and supporting documents and send them to the email address given on the submission sheet. Make sure your files:

are in PDF, JPEG or PNG format

have descriptive titles, with 25 or fewer characters

are high enough quality to be read

If your documents are not in English or Welsh, they must be accompanied by a certified translation - there’s more information in part 1 of the guidance for sponsors.

If you cannot scan and send the documents by email, contact UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) using the contact details on the submission sheet.

Licence fees

You need to pay a fee when you apply. The fee depends on the type of licence you’re applying for and what type of organisation you are.

You’re usually a small sponsor if two of the following apply:

your annual turnover is £10.2 million or less

your total assets are worth £5.1 million or less

you have 50 employees or fewer

You’re a charitable sponsor if you’re either:

a registered, excepted or exempt charity

an ecclesiastical corporation established for charitable purposes

Contact the Business Helpdesk if you’re unsure which category your business fits into.

Type of licence | Fee for small or charitable sponsors | Fee for medium or large sponsors

Worker | £536 | £1,476

Temporary Worker | £536 | £536

Worker and Temporary Worker | £536 | £ 1,476

Add a Worker licence to an existing Temporary Worker licence | No fee | £940

Add a Temporary Worker licence to an existing Worker licence | No fee | No fee

How long it takes to get a decision

Most applications (8 out of 10) are dealt with in less than 8 weeks. UKVI may need to visit your business.

You may be able to pay £500 to get a decision within 10 working days. You’ll be told if you can after you apply.

Applications refused because of a mistake

You can apply to request a review of your application if you think it was refused because:

the caseworker processing your application made a mistake

your supporting documents were not considered

You cannot apply just because you disagree with the decision.

Help and advice

Sponsors can get advice from the sponsorship, employer and education helpline:

You can also join the premium customer service scheme to get extra support from a licence manager - this costs at least £8,000 a year.

UK businesses and Tier 1 (Investors) can get help from the Business Helpdesk:

Your licence rating

You’ll get an A-rated licence if your application is approved.

A-rating - full sponsor licence

An A-rated licence lets you start assigning certificates of sponsorship.

Your business will be listed in the register of sponsors.

Downgrading to B-rating

Your A-rated licence may be downgraded to a B-rating at a later stage if you do not continue to meet your sponsor duties.

If this happens, you will not be able to issue new certificates of sponsorship until you’ve made improvements and upgraded back to an A-rating.

You’ll still be able to issue certificates to workers you already employ who want to extend their permission to stay.

Upgrade to an A-rating

You need to follow an ‘action plan’ provided by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) to upgrade your licence.

You have to pay £1,476 for an action plan.

You must pay the fee within 10 working days of the date UKVI tells you about the downgrade. If you do not, you’ll lose your licence.

At the end of the action plan

You’ll be upgraded to an A-rating if you complete all the steps and there’s nothing else you need to improve.

You’ll lose your licence if you do not complete all the steps.

If you need to make other improvements, you’ll be given another B-rating and will have to follow a new action plan. You’ll have to pay the fee again.

If you get a second B-rating

You can only have 2 B-ratings in the 4 years that your licence is valid.

You’ll lose your licence if you still need to make improvements after your second action plan.

How to reapply

You cannot appeal if your licence is revoked, but you can reapply. You have to wait at least 12 months before reapplying.

You need to start a new application when you reapply.

Certificates of sponsorship

Defined certificates

These are for people applying on a Skilled Worker visa from outside the UK.

You must apply for defined certificates for these workers through the sponsorship management system (SMS). You’ll get access to this when you get your licence.

When you get the certificate

Applications are usually approved within one working day. It may take longer if UKVI need to carry out further checks on the information in your application.

Defined certificates will appear in your SMS account once they have been approved. You can then assign them to a worker.

Undefined certificates

These are for Skilled Workers applying from inside the UK, and applicants on all other visas.

When you apply for your licence you’ll be asked to estimate how many undefined certificates you’ll need for Workers and Temporary Workers in the first year.

Certificate costs

Certificates are free for citizens of the following countries:

For other citizens, you need to pay for each certificate.

Type of certificate | Cost per certificate

Worker | £199

Temporary Worker | £21

If you assign a certificate of sponsorship to a worker on a Skilled Worker or Intra-company Transfer visa, you might also need to pay the immigration skills charge.

Immigration skills charge

You must pay the immigration skills charge if they’re applying for a visa from:

outside the UK to work in the UK for 6 months or more

inside the UK for any length of time

When you do not need to pay

You will not pay the immigration skills charge if you’re sponsoring someone:

on an Intra-company Graduate Trainee visa

who is on a visa to study in the UK, and switches to a Skilled Worker or Intra-company Transfer visa - if they then extend their stay on the new visa, you will not have to pay the charge

You will also not have to pay the charge if you’re sponsoring someone with one of the following occupation codes:

chemical scientists (2111)

biological scientists and biochemists (2112)

physical scientists (2113)

social and humanities scientists (2114)

natural and social science professionals not elsewhere classified (2119)

research and development managers (2150)

higher education teaching professionals (2311)

clergy (2444)

sports players (3441)

sports coaches, instructors or officials (3442)

You will not need to pay the charge for any of the worker’s dependants, for example their partner or child.

If the person you’re sponsoring changes jobs

You only need to do this if the new job has a different occupation code.

You’ll need to pay the immigration skills charge again if the end date on their new visa is later than the end date on their existing visa.

How to pay

You pay the immigration skills charge when you assign a certificate of sponsorship to the worker.

How much it costs

The amount you need to pay is based on:

the size of your organisation

how long the worker will work for you, using the start and end dates on their sponsorship certificate

Period | Small or charitable sponsors | Medium or large sponsors

First 12 months | £364 | £1,000

Each additional 6 months | £182 | £500

If the worker will be in the UK for longer than 6 months but less than a year, you must pay for at least 12 months.

You must pay the full charge in one go.

Contact the Business Helpdesk if you’re not sure which category your business fits into.

As the longest you can sponsor a worker for is 5 years, the most you have to pay will be:

£1,820 (5 x £364) if you’re a small or charitable sponsor

£5,000 (5 x £1,000) if you’re a medium or large sponsor

Refunds

You’ll get a full refund if the worker’s visa application is:

refused or withdrawn

successful, but they do not come to work for you

You’ll get a partial refund if the worker:

gets less time on their visa than you sponsored them for

starts working for you but then changes to another sponsor

leaves their job before the end date on their certificate of sponsorship

You’ll also get a partial refund if you paid the medium or large sponsor fee when assigning the certificate, but had already notified UKVI that you’re now a small or charitable sponsor.

How long it takes

You usually get a refund within 90 days of:

telling UKVI that the worker did not come to work for you

the expiration date on the worker’s certificate of sponsorship, if they did not use it to apply for a visa

the date the worker’s visa application is refused or withdrawn

the date you assigned the certificate of sponsorship, if you had already notified UKVI that you became a small or charitable sponsor

If the worker’s visa application is refused, they can ask for the decision to be reviewed.
This is known as an ‘administrative review’.

If they do not ask for an administrative review, you’ll get a refund within 90 days of the deadline for applying for one.

You’ll get a refund within 90 days of the administrative review being dismissed if the worker applied for one and were unsuccessful.

Contact UKVI if your refund is not paid within 90 days.

Job suitability

You can sponsor a worker if the job they’re going to do has a suitable rate of pay and skill level, or meets the other criteria needed for their visa.

Additional requirements for religious workers

When you do not need to advertise the job, you need to have records showing that there is not a suitable person who does not require sponsorship to take on the role.

There are rules you must follow about how to advertise jobs for religious workers.

Additional requirements for creative workers

Creative jobs done by someone on a Creative or Sporting Worker visa include:

ballet dancers and other dancers

film and TV performers

theatre and opera performers

film and TV workers

models

For creative jobs, you must make sure that either:

you comply with the creative workers code of practice (if it exists for that occupation)

the job is on the shortage occupations list

If the job is not on the shortage occupation list, and there is no code of practice, you need to check that the job cannot be done by a worker who does not need sponsoring.

Additional requirements for sporting workers

For sporting jobs that will be done by someone on either the Creative or Sporting Worker visa or Sportsperson visa, you must get an endorsement letter from the relevant governing body.

Sponsoring under-18s

You cannot sponsor a foreign worker under 18 on:

a Skilled Worker visa

an Intra-company visa

an International Agreement Worker visa, if they’ll be working as a private servant in a diplomatic household or in the household of an employee of an international organisation

a Seasonal Worker visa

You cannot sponsor a child under 16 for a Minister of Religion or Sportsperson visa.

If you’re also a Student sponsor (ATAS certificates)

If you also have a Student sponsor licence, you may need to check whether the worker needs an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate.

Who needs to do this

You need to do this if all of the following are true:

you’re licensed as a Student sponsor

you’re sponsoring the worker for a Skilled Worker, Intra-company Transfer, Intra-company Graduate Trainee, Government Authorised Exchange Worker or International Agreement Worker visa

you’re sponsoring the worker for a role in a relevant occupation code

If any of these do not apply to you, you do not need to do anything.

What you need to do

If you do need to check, you must follow these steps.

Check if the worker needs an ATAS certificate.

Add a sponsor note to your certificate of sponsorship, confirming whether or not the worker needs an ATAS certificate.

If the worker does need an ATAS certificate, you must tell them that they need to get one and include it in their visa application.

Check if the worker needs an ATAS certificate

The worker will need an ATAS certificate if all of the following are true:

they will be carrying out research at PhD level or above

they will be carrying out research in a ‘relevant subject’ - check the relevant subject areas list in the worker sponsor guidance

their nationality is not exempt from needing an ATAS certificate - check the exempt nationalities list in the worker sponsor guidance

If the worker does not need an ATAS certificate

Your sponsor note should say that the worker does not need an ATAS certificate and explain why.

If the worker needs an ATAS certificate

You must:

tell the worker that they need to get an ATAS certificate and include it in their visa application

add a sponsor note to your certificate of sponsorship

make and keep a copy of the ATAS certificate, once it has been issued

Tell the worker that they need an ATAS certificate

Tell the worker that they must apply for an ATAS certificate and include it in their visa application.

If the worker does not include their ATAS certificate, their visa application will be refused and you may lose your sponsor licences.

ATAS certificate applications for workers can take at least 2 weeks to be processed (3 weeks between April and September).

Add a sponsor note to your certificate of sponsorship

Your sponsor note should say that the worker needs an ATAS certificate and mention whether they have already applied for or been issued with one.

Make and keep a copy of the ATAS certificate

Your responsibilities

You must:

check that your foreign workers have the necessary skills, qualifications or professional accreditations to do their jobs, and keep copies of documents showing this

only assign certificates of sponsorship to workers when the job is suitable for sponsorship

tell UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) if your sponsored workers are not complying with the conditions of their visa

Your licence may be downgraded, suspended or withdrawn if you do not meet them.

Read the full guidance on sponsor requirements and duties and check workers have the right to work in the UK.

Monitoring employees

You must have HR systems in place that let you:

monitor your employees’ immigration status

keep copies of relevant documents for each employee, including passport and right to work information

track and record employees’ attendance

keep employee contact details up to date

report to UKVI if there is a problem, for example if your employee stops coming to work

Changes to your business

You must report any significant changes in your own circumstances within 20 working days, for example if you:

stop trading or become insolvent

substantially change the nature of your business

are involved in a merger or take-over

You must also tell UKVI if you’re changing your details, like your address or allocated roles.

To register a change of circumstances use the sponsorship management system (SMS).

Requests can take up to 18 weeks. You can register a change within 5 working days instead if you use the priority service. It costs £200.

Sponsoring under-18s

You must make sure that foreign workers under 18 have suitable care arrangements for their:

travel to the UK

arrival in the UK

living arrangements in the UK

You must also get a letter from their parents giving consent to the care arrangements.

You must get a Disclosure and Barring Service check on any of your workers who need it.

You’ll lose your licence if you do not do this.

Children under 16

You must get a licence from the local education authority in the area where the child will work.

those with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

UK visa sponsorship for employers

Overview

This includes unpaid work, like running a charity.

You will not need a licence to sponsor certain groups, for example:

Irish citizens

those with indefinite leave to remain in the UK

Read more about who does not need sponsorship.

Sponsoring someone does not guarantee that they’ll be allowed to come to or stay in the UK.

How to get a sponsor licence

Check your business is eligible.

Choose the type of licence you want to apply for - this will depend on what type of worker you want to sponsor.

Decide who will manage sponsorship within your business.

Apply online and pay the fee.

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) may visit your business to check it’s suitable.

After you apply

You’ll be given a licence rating if your application is successful.

You’ll be able to issue certificates of sponsorship if you have jobs that are suitable for sponsorship.

Your licence will be valid for 4 years. You may lose your licence if you do not meet your responsibilities as a sponsor.

Eligibility

To get a licence, you cannot have:

unspent criminal convictions for immigration offences or certain other crimes, such as fraud or money laundering

had a sponsor licence revoked in the last 12 months

You’ll need appropriate systems in place to monitor sponsored employees.

Types of licence

The licence you need depends on whether the workers you want to fill your jobs are:

‘Workers’ - for those with long-term job offers

‘Temporary workers’

You can apply for a licence covering one or both types of worker.

Worker licence

A ‘Worker’ licence will let you employ people long-term or permanently. It’s split into:

Skilled Worker - the role must meet the job suitability requirements

Minister of Religion - for people coming to work for a religious organisation

Sportsperson - for elite sportspeople and coaches who will be based in the UK

Temporary Worker licence

A ‘Temporary Worker’ licence will let you employ people on a temporary basis. It’s split into:

Creative or Sporting Worker - to work as a high-level sportsperson (up to 1 year), entertainer or artist (up to 2 years)

Charity Worker - for unpaid workers at a charity (up to 1 year)

Religious Worker - for those working in a religious order or organisation (2 years)

International Agreement Worker - where the worker is coming to do a job which is covered by international law, for example employees of overseas governments

Seasonal Worker - for those coming to the UK for up to 6 months to do farm work

Sponsorship management roles

You need to appoint people within your business to manage the sponsorship process when you apply for a licence.

The main tool they’ll use is the sponsorship management system (SMS).

The roles are:

authorising officer – a senior and competent person responsible for the actions of staff and representatives who use the SMS

key contact – your main point of contact with UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)

level 1 user – responsible for all day-to-day management of your licence using the SMS

These roles can be filled by the same person or different people.

Suitability checks

You and your staff will be checked to make sure you’re suitable for these roles. You may not get your licence if anyone involved in sponsorship has:

an unspent criminal conviction

been fined by UKVI in the past 12 months

been reported to UKVI

broken the law

been a ‘key person’ at a sponsor that had its licence revoked in the last 12 months

failed to pay VAT or other excise duty

You and your allocated staff must also:

be based in the UK most of the time

not be a contractor or consultant contracted for a specific project

not be subject to a bankruptcy restriction order or undertaking, or a debt relief restriction order or undertaking

not have a history of non-compliance with sponsor requirements

Your allocated staff must usually be paid members of staff, or office holders.

Read the full guidance on appointing ‘key personnel’.

HR contractors and agency staff

UK-based legal representatives

You can allocate any of the roles to a UK-based legal representative, apart from the authorising officer role. Your representative must be qualified to give immigration advice or services.

Apply for your licence

You need to apply online for your licence.

Once you’ve finished the online application, you need to send in:

the submission sheet at the end of the application

your supporting documents

Apply now

How to send the documents

You can scan or take pictures of your submission sheet and supporting documents and send them to the email address given on the submission sheet. Make sure your files:

are in PDF, JPEG or PNG format

have descriptive titles, with 25 or fewer characters

are high enough quality to be read

If your documents are not in English or Welsh, they must be accompanied by a certified translation - there’s more information in part 1 of the guidance for sponsors.

If you cannot scan and send the documents by email, contact UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) using the contact details on the submission sheet.

Licence fees

You need to pay a fee when you apply. The fee depends on the type of licence you’re applying for and what type of organisation you are.

You’re usually a small sponsor if two of the following apply:

your annual turnover is £10.2 million or less

your total assets are worth £5.1 million or less

you have 50 employees or fewer

You’re a charitable sponsor if you’re either:

a registered, excepted or exempt charity

an ecclesiastical corporation established for charitable purposes

Contact the Business Helpdesk if you’re unsure which category your business fits into.

Type of licence | Fee for small or charitable sponsors | Fee for medium or large sponsors

Worker | £536 | £1,476

Temporary Worker | £536 | £536

Worker and Temporary Worker | £536 | £ 1,476

Add a Worker licence to an existing Temporary Worker licence | No fee | £940

Add a Temporary Worker licence to an existing Worker licence | No fee | No fee

How long it takes to get a decision

Most applications (8 out of 10) are dealt with in less than 8 weeks. UKVI may need to visit your business.

You may be able to pay £500 to get a decision within 10 working days. You’ll be told if you can after you apply.

Applications refused because of a mistake

You can apply to request a review of your application if you think it was refused because:

the caseworker processing your application made a mistake

your supporting documents were not considered

You cannot apply just because you disagree with the decision.

Help and advice

Sponsors can get advice from the sponsorship, employer and education helpline:

You can also join the premium customer service scheme to get extra support from a licence manager - this costs at least £8,000 a year.

UK businesses and Tier 1 (Investors) can get help from the Business Helpdesk:

Your licence rating

You’ll get an A-rated licence if your application is approved.

A-rating - full sponsor licence

An A-rated licence lets you start assigning certificates of sponsorship.

Your business will be listed in the register of sponsors.

Downgrading to B-rating

Your A-rated licence may be downgraded to a B-rating at a later stage if you do not continue to meet your sponsor duties.

If this happens, you will not be able to issue new certificates of sponsorship until you’ve made improvements and upgraded back to an A-rating.

You’ll still be able to issue certificates to workers you already employ who want to extend their permission to stay.

Upgrade to an A-rating

You need to follow an ‘action plan’ provided by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) to upgrade your licence.

You have to pay £1,476 for an action plan.

You must pay the fee within 10 working days of the date UKVI tells you about the downgrade. If you do not, you’ll lose your licence.

At the end of the action plan

You’ll be upgraded to an A-rating if you complete all the steps and there’s nothing else you need to improve.

You’ll lose your licence if you do not complete all the steps.

If you need to make other improvements, you’ll be given another B-rating and will have to follow a new action plan. You’ll have to pay the fee again.

If you get a second B-rating

You can only have 2 B-ratings in the 4 years that your licence is valid.

You’ll lose your licence if you still need to make improvements after your second action plan.

How to reapply

You cannot appeal if your licence is revoked, but you can reapply. You have to wait at least 12 months before reapplying.

You need to start a new application when you reapply.

Certificates of sponsorship

Defined certificates

These are for people applying on a Skilled Worker visa from outside the UK.

You must apply for defined certificates for these workers through the sponsorship management system (SMS). You’ll get access to this when you get your licence.

When you get the certificate

Applications are usually approved within one working day. It may take longer if UKVI need to carry out further checks on the information in your application.

Defined certificates will appear in your SMS account once they have been approved. You can then assign them to a worker.

Undefined certificates

These are for Skilled Workers applying from inside the UK, and applicants on all other visas.

When you apply for your licence you’ll be asked to estimate how many undefined certificates you’ll need for Workers and Temporary Workers in the first year.

Certificate costs

Certificates are free for citizens of the following countries:

For other citizens, you need to pay for each certificate.

Type of certificate | Cost per certificate

Worker | £199

Temporary Worker | £21

If you assign a certificate of sponsorship to a worker on a Skilled Worker or Intra-company Transfer visa, you might also need to pay the immigration skills charge.

Immigration skills charge

You must pay the immigration skills charge if they’re applying for a visa from:

outside the UK to work in the UK for 6 months or more

inside the UK for any length of time

When you do not need to pay

You will not pay the immigration skills charge if you’re sponsoring someone:

on an Intra-company Graduate Trainee visa

who is on a visa to study in the UK, and switches to a Skilled Worker or Intra-company Transfer visa - if they then extend their stay on the new visa, you will not have to pay the charge

You will also not have to pay the charge if you’re sponsoring someone with one of the following occupation codes:

chemical scientists (2111)

biological scientists and biochemists (2112)

physical scientists (2113)

social and humanities scientists (2114)

natural and social science professionals not elsewhere classified (2119)

research and development managers (2150)

higher education teaching professionals (2311)

clergy (2444)

sports players (3441)

sports coaches, instructors or officials (3442)

You will not need to pay the charge for any of the worker’s dependants, for example their partner or child.

If the person you’re sponsoring changes jobs

You only need to do this if the new job has a different occupation code.

You’ll need to pay the immigration skills charge again if the end date on their new visa is later than the end date on their existing visa.

How to pay

You pay the immigration skills charge when you assign a certificate of sponsorship to the worker.

How much it costs

The amount you need to pay is based on:

the size of your organisation

how long the worker will work for you, using the start and end dates on their sponsorship certificate

Period | Small or charitable sponsors | Medium or large sponsors

First 12 months | £364 | £1,000

Each additional 6 months | £182 | £500

If the worker will be in the UK for longer than 6 months but less than a year, you must pay for at least 12 months.

You must pay the full charge in one go.

Contact the Business Helpdesk if you’re not sure which category your business fits into.

As the longest you can sponsor a worker for is 5 years, the most you have to pay will be:

£1,820 (5 x £364) if you’re a small or charitable sponsor

£5,000 (5 x £1,000) if you’re a medium or large sponsor

Refunds

You’ll get a full refund if the worker’s visa application is:

refused or withdrawn

successful, but they do not come to work for you

You’ll get a partial refund if the worker:

gets less time on their visa than you sponsored them for

starts working for you but then changes to another sponsor

leaves their job before the end date on their certificate of sponsorship

You’ll also get a partial refund if you paid the medium or large sponsor fee when assigning the certificate, but had already notified UKVI that you’re now a small or charitable sponsor.

How long it takes

You usually get a refund within 90 days of:

telling UKVI that the worker did not come to work for you

the expiration date on the worker’s certificate of sponsorship, if they did not use it to apply for a visa

the date the worker’s visa application is refused or withdrawn

the date you assigned the certificate of sponsorship, if you had already notified UKVI that you became a small or charitable sponsor

If the worker’s visa application is refused, they can ask for the decision to be reviewed.
This is known as an ‘administrative review’.

If they do not ask for an administrative review, you’ll get a refund within 90 days of the deadline for applying for one.

You’ll get a refund within 90 days of the administrative review being dismissed if the worker applied for one and were unsuccessful.

Contact UKVI if your refund is not paid within 90 days.

Job suitability

You can sponsor a worker if the job they’re going to do has a suitable rate of pay and skill level, or meets the other criteria needed for their visa.

Additional requirements for religious workers

When you do not need to advertise the job, you need to have records showing that there is not a suitable person who does not require sponsorship to take on the role.

There are rules you must follow about how to advertise jobs for religious workers.

Additional requirements for creative workers

Creative jobs done by someone on a Creative or Sporting Worker visa include:

ballet dancers and other dancers

film and TV performers

theatre and opera performers

film and TV workers

models

For creative jobs, you must make sure that either:

you comply with the creative workers code of practice (if it exists for that occupation)

the job is on the shortage occupations list

If the job is not on the shortage occupation list, and there is no code of practice, you need to check that the job cannot be done by a worker who does not need sponsoring.

Additional requirements for sporting workers

For sporting jobs that will be done by someone on either the Creative or Sporting Worker visa or Sportsperson visa, you must get an endorsement letter from the relevant governing body.

Sponsoring under-18s

You cannot sponsor a foreign worker under 18 on:

a Skilled Worker visa

an Intra-company visa

an International Agreement Worker visa, if they’ll be working as a private servant in a diplomatic household or in the household of an employee of an international organisation

a Seasonal Worker visa

You cannot sponsor a child under 16 for a Minister of Religion or Sportsperson visa.

If you’re also a Student sponsor (ATAS certificates)

If you also have a Student sponsor licence, you may need to check whether the worker needs an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate.

Who needs to do this

You need to do this if all of the following are true:

you’re licensed as a Student sponsor

you’re sponsoring the worker for a Skilled Worker, Intra-company Transfer, Intra-company Graduate Trainee, Government Authorised Exchange Worker or International Agreement Worker visa

you’re sponsoring the worker for a role in a relevant occupation code

If any of these do not apply to you, you do not need to do anything.

What you need to do

If you do need to check, you must follow these steps.

Check if the worker needs an ATAS certificate.

Add a sponsor note to your certificate of sponsorship, confirming whether or not the worker needs an ATAS certificate.

If the worker does need an ATAS certificate, you must tell them that they need to get one and include it in their visa application.

Check if the worker needs an ATAS certificate

The worker will need an ATAS certificate if all of the following are true:

they will be carrying out research at PhD level or above

they will be carrying out research in a ‘relevant subject’ - check the relevant subject areas list in the worker sponsor guidance

their nationality is not exempt from needing an ATAS certificate - check the exempt nationalities list in the worker sponsor guidance

If the worker does not need an ATAS certificate

Your sponsor note should say that the worker does not need an ATAS certificate and explain why.

If the worker needs an ATAS certificate

You must:

tell the worker that they need to get an ATAS certificate and include it in their visa application

add a sponsor note to your certificate of sponsorship

make and keep a copy of the ATAS certificate, once it has been issued

Tell the worker that they need an ATAS certificate

Tell the worker that they must apply for an ATAS certificate and include it in their visa application.

If the worker does not include their ATAS certificate, their visa application will be refused and you may lose your sponsor licences.

ATAS certificate applications for workers can take at least 2 weeks to be processed (3 weeks between April and September).

Add a sponsor note to your certificate of sponsorship

Your sponsor note should say that the worker needs an ATAS certificate and mention whether they have already applied for or been issued with one.

Make and keep a copy of the ATAS certificate

Your responsibilities

You must:

check that your foreign workers have the necessary skills, qualifications or professional accreditations to do their jobs, and keep copies of documents showing this

only assign certificates of sponsorship to workers when the job is suitable for sponsorship

tell UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) if your sponsored workers are not complying with the conditions of their visa

Your licence may be downgraded, suspended or withdrawn if you do not meet them.

Read the full guidance on sponsor requirements and duties and check workers have the right to work in the UK.

Monitoring employees

You must have HR systems in place that let you:

monitor your employees’ immigration status

keep copies of relevant documents for each employee, including passport and right to work information

track and record employees’ attendance

keep employee contact details up to date

report to UKVI if there is a problem, for example if your employee stops coming to work

Changes to your business

You must report any significant changes in your own circumstances within 20 working days, for example if you:

stop trading or become insolvent

substantially change the nature of your business

are involved in a merger or take-over

You must also tell UKVI if you’re changing your details, like your address or allocated roles.

To register a change of circumstances use the sponsorship management system (SMS).

Requests can take up to 18 weeks. You can register a change within 5 working days instead if you use the priority service. It costs £200.

Sponsoring under-18s

You must make sure that foreign workers under 18 have suitable care arrangements for their:

travel to the UK

arrival in the UK

living arrangements in the UK

You must also get a letter from their parents giving consent to the care arrangements.

You must get a Disclosure and Barring Service check on any of your workers who need it.

You’ll lose your licence if you do not do this.

Children under 16

You must get a licence from the local education authority in the area where the child will work.

those with indefinite leave to remain in the UK

UK visa sponsorship for employers

Overview

This includes unpaid work, like running a charity.

You will not need a licence to sponsor certain groups, for example:

Irish citizens

those with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

Read more about who does not need sponsorship.

Sponsoring someone does not guarantee that they’ll be allowed to come to or stay in the UK.

How to get a sponsor licence

Check your business is eligible.

Choose the type of licence you want to apply for - this will depend on what type of worker you want to sponsor.

Decide who will manage sponsorship within your business.

Apply online and pay the fee.

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) may visit your business to check it’s suitable.

After you apply

You’ll be given a licence rating if your application is successful.

You’ll be able to issue certificates of sponsorship if you have jobs that are suitable for sponsorship.

Your licence will be valid for 4 years. You may lose your licence if you do not meet your responsibilities as a sponsor.

Eligibility

To get a licence, you cannot have:

unspent criminal convictions for immigration offences or certain other crimes, such as fraud or money laundering

had a sponsor licence revoked in the last 12 months

You’ll need appropriate systems in place to monitor sponsored employees.

Types of licence

The licence you need depends on whether the workers you want to fill your jobs are:

‘Workers’ - for those with long-term job offers

‘Temporary workers’

You can apply for a licence covering one or both types of worker.

Worker licence

A ‘Worker’ licence will let you employ people long-term or permanently. It’s split into:

Skilled Worker - the role must meet the job suitability requirements

Minister of Religion - for people coming to work for a religious organisation

Sportsperson - for elite sportspeople and coaches who will be based in the UK

Temporary Worker licence

A ‘Temporary Worker’ licence will let you employ people on a temporary basis. It’s split into:

Creative or Sporting Worker - to work as a high-level sportsperson (up to 1 year), entertainer or artist (up to 2 years)

Charity Worker - for unpaid workers at a charity (up to 1 year)

Religious Worker - for those working in a religious order or organisation (2 years)

International Agreement Worker - where the worker is coming to do a job which is covered by international law, for example employees of overseas governments

Seasonal Worker - for those coming to the UK for up to 6 months to do farm work

Sponsorship management roles

You need to appoint people within your business to manage the sponsorship process when you apply for a licence.

The main tool they’ll use is the sponsorship management system (SMS).

The roles are:

authorising officer – a senior and competent person responsible for the actions of staff and representatives who use the SMS

key contact – your main point of contact with UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)

level 1 user – responsible for all day-to-day management of your licence using the SMS

These roles can be filled by the same person or different people.

Suitability checks

You and your staff will be checked to make sure you’re suitable for these roles. You may not get your licence if anyone involved in sponsorship has:

an unspent criminal conviction

been fined by UKVI in the past 12 months

been reported to UKVI

broken the law

been a ‘key person’ at a sponsor that had its licence revoked in the last 12 months

failed to pay VAT or other excise duty

You and your allocated staff must also:

be based in the UK most of the time

not be a contractor or consultant contracted for a specific project

not be subject to a bankruptcy restriction order or undertaking, or a debt relief restriction order or undertaking

not have a history of non-compliance with sponsor requirements

Your allocated staff must usually be paid members of staff, or office holders.

Read the full guidance on appointing ‘key personnel’.

HR contractors and agency staff

UK-based legal representatives

You can allocate any of the roles to a UK-based legal representative, apart from the authorising officer role. Your representative must be qualified to give immigration advice or services.

Apply for your licence

You need to apply online for your licence.

Once you’ve finished the online application, you need to send in:

the submission sheet at the end of the application

your supporting documents

Apply now

How to send the documents

You can scan or take pictures of your submission sheet and supporting documents and send them to the email address given on the submission sheet. Make sure your files:

are in PDF, JPEG or PNG format

have descriptive titles, with 25 or fewer characters

are high enough quality to be read

If your documents are not in English or Welsh, they must be accompanied by a certified translation - there’s more information in part 1 of the guidance for sponsors.

If you cannot scan and send the documents by email, contact UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) using the contact details on the submission sheet.

Licence fees

You need to pay a fee when you apply. The fee depends on the type of licence you’re applying for and what type of organisation you are.

You’re usually a small sponsor if two of the following apply:

your annual turnover is £10.2 million or less

your total assets are worth £5.1 million or less

you have 50 employees or fewer

You’re a charitable sponsor if you’re either:

a registered, excepted or exempt charity

an ecclesiastical corporation established for charitable purposes

Contact the Business Helpdesk if you’re unsure which category your business fits into.

Type of licence | Fee for small or charitable sponsors | Fee for medium or large sponsors

Worker | £536 | £1,476

Temporary Worker | £536 | £536

Worker and Temporary Worker | £536 | £ 1,476

Add a Worker licence to an existing Temporary Worker licence | No fee | £940

Add a Temporary Worker licence to an existing Worker licence | No fee | No fee

How long it takes to get a decision

Most applications (8 out of 10) are dealt with in less than 8 weeks. UKVI may need to visit your business.

You may be able to pay £500 to get a decision within 10 working days. You’ll be told if you can after you apply.

Applications refused because of a mistake

You can apply to request a review of your application if you think it was refused because:

the caseworker processing your application made a mistake

your supporting documents were not considered

You cannot apply just because you disagree with the decision.

Help and advice

Sponsors can get advice from the sponsorship, employer and education helpline:

You can also join the premium customer service scheme to get extra support from a licence manager - this costs at least £8,000 a year.

UK businesses and Tier 1 (Investors) can get help from the Business Helpdesk:

Your licence rating

You’ll get an A-rated licence if your application is approved.

A-rating - full sponsor licence

An A-rated licence lets you start assigning certificates of sponsorship.

Your business will be listed in the register of sponsors.

Downgrading to B-rating

Your A-rated licence may be downgraded to a B-rating at a later stage if you do not continue to meet your sponsor duties.

If this happens, you will not be able to issue new certificates of sponsorship until you’ve made improvements and upgraded back to an A-rating.

You’ll still be able to issue certificates to workers you already employ who want to extend their permission to stay.

Upgrade to an A-rating

You need to follow an ‘action plan’ provided by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) to upgrade your licence.

You have to pay £1,476 for an action plan.

You must pay the fee within 10 working days of the date UKVI tells you about the downgrade. If you do not, you’ll lose your licence.

At the end of the action plan

You’ll be upgraded to an A-rating if you complete all the steps and there’s nothing else you need to improve.

You’ll lose your licence if you do not complete all the steps.

If you need to make other improvements, you’ll be given another B-rating and will have to follow a new action plan. You’ll have to pay the fee again.

If you get a second B-rating

You can only have 2 B-ratings in the 4 years that your licence is valid.

You’ll lose your licence if you still need to make improvements after your second action plan.

How to reapply

You cannot appeal if your licence is revoked, but you can reapply. You have to wait at least 12 months before reapplying.

You need to start a new application when you reapply.

Certificates of sponsorship

Defined certificates

These are for people applying on a Skilled Worker visa from outside the UK.

You must apply for defined certificates for these workers through the sponsorship management system (SMS). You’ll get access to this when you get your licence.

When you get the certificate

Applications are usually approved within one working day. It may take longer if UKVI need to carry out further checks on the information in your application.

Defined certificates will appear in your SMS account once they have been approved. You can then assign them to a worker.

Undefined certificates

These are for Skilled Workers applying from inside the UK, and applicants on all other visas.

When you apply for your licence you’ll be asked to estimate how many undefined certificates you’ll need for Workers and Temporary Workers in the first year.

Certificate costs

Certificates are free for citizens of the following countries:

For other citizens, you need to pay for each certificate.

Type of certificate | Cost per certificate

Worker | £199

Temporary Worker | £21

If you assign a certificate of sponsorship to a worker on a Skilled Worker or Intra-company Transfer visa, you might also need to pay the immigration skills charge.

Immigration skills charge

You must pay the immigration skills charge if they’re applying for a visa from:

outside the UK to work in the UK for 6 months or more

inside the UK for any length of time

When you do not need to pay

You will not pay the immigration skills charge if you’re sponsoring someone:

on an Intra-company Graduate Trainee visa

who is on a visa to study in the UK, and switches to a Skilled Worker or Intra-company Transfer visa - if they then extend their stay on the new visa, you will not have to pay the charge

You will also not have to pay the charge if you’re sponsoring someone with one of the following occupation codes:

chemical scientists (2111)

biological scientists and biochemists (2112)

physical scientists (2113)

social and humanities scientists (2114)

natural and social science professionals not elsewhere classified (2119)

research and development managers (2150)

higher education teaching professionals (2311)

clergy (2444)

sports players (3441)

sports coaches, instructors or officials (3442)

You will not need to pay the charge for any of the worker’s dependants, for example their partner or child.

If the person you’re sponsoring changes jobs

You only need to do this if the new job has a different occupation code.

You’ll need to pay the immigration skills charge again if the end date on their new visa is later than the end date on their existing visa.

How to pay

You pay the immigration skills charge when you assign a certificate of sponsorship to the worker.

How much it costs

The amount you need to pay is based on:

the size of your organisation

how long the worker will work for you, using the start and end dates on their sponsorship certificate

Period | Small or charitable sponsors | Medium or large sponsors

First 12 months | £364 | £1,000

Each additional 6 months | £182 | £500

If the worker will be in the UK for longer than 6 months but less than a year, you must pay for at least 12 months.

You must pay the full charge in one go.

Contact the Business Helpdesk if you’re not sure which category your business fits into.

As the longest you can sponsor a worker for is 5 years, the most you have to pay will be:

£1,820 (5 x £364) if you’re a small or charitable sponsor

£5,000 (5 x £1,000) if you’re a medium or large sponsor

Refunds

You’ll get a full refund if the worker’s visa application is:

refused or withdrawn

successful, but they do not come to work for you

You’ll get a partial refund if the worker:

gets less time on their visa than you sponsored them for

starts working for you but then changes to another sponsor

leaves their job before the end date on their certificate of sponsorship

You’ll also get a partial refund if you paid the medium or large sponsor fee when assigning the certificate, but had already notified UKVI that you’re now a small or charitable sponsor.

How long it takes

You usually get a refund within 90 days of:

telling UKVI that the worker did not come to work for you

the expiration date on the worker’s certificate of sponsorship, if they did not use it to apply for a visa

the date the worker’s visa application is refused or withdrawn

the date you assigned the certificate of sponsorship, if you had already notified UKVI that you became a small or charitable sponsor

If the worker’s visa application is refused, they can ask for the decision to be reviewed.
This is known as an ‘administrative review’.

If they do not ask for an administrative review, you’ll get a refund within 90 days of the deadline for applying for one.

You’ll get a refund within 90 days of the administrative review being dismissed if the worker applied for one and were unsuccessful.

Contact UKVI if your refund is not paid within 90 days.

Job suitability

You can sponsor a worker if the job they’re going to do has a suitable rate of pay and skill level, or meets the other criteria needed for their visa.

Additional requirements for religious workers

When you do not need to advertise the job, you need to have records showing that there is not a suitable person who does not require sponsorship to take on the role.

There are rules you must follow about how to advertise jobs for religious workers.

Additional requirements for creative workers

Creative jobs done by someone on a Creative or Sporting Worker visa include:

ballet dancers and other dancers

film and TV performers

theatre and opera performers

film and TV workers

models

For creative jobs, you must make sure that either:

you comply with the creative workers code of practice (if it exists for that occupation)

the job is on the shortage occupations list

If the job is not on the shortage occupation list, and there is no code of practice, you need to check that the job cannot be done by a worker who does not need sponsoring.

Additional requirements for sporting workers

For sporting jobs that will be done by someone on either the Creative or Sporting Worker visa or Sportsperson visa, you must get an endorsement letter from the relevant governing body.

Sponsoring under-18s

You cannot sponsor a foreign worker under 18 on:

a Skilled Worker visa

an Intra-company visa

an International Agreement Worker visa, if they’ll be working as a private servant in a diplomatic household or in the household of an employee of an international organisation

a Seasonal Worker visa

You cannot sponsor a child under 16 for a Minister of Religion or Sportsperson visa.

If you’re also a Student sponsor (ATAS certificates)

If you also have a Student sponsor licence, you may need to check whether the worker needs an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate.

Who needs to do this

You need to do this if all of the following are true:

you’re licensed as a Student sponsor

you’re sponsoring the worker for a Skilled Worker, Intra-company Transfer, Intra-company Graduate Trainee, Government Authorised Exchange Worker or International Agreement Worker visa

you’re sponsoring the worker for a role in a relevant occupation code

If any of these do not apply to you, you do not need to do anything.

What you need to do

If you do need to check, you must follow these steps.

Check if the worker needs an ATAS certificate.

Add a sponsor note to your certificate of sponsorship, confirming whether or not the worker needs an ATAS certificate.

If the worker does need an ATAS certificate, you must tell them that they need to get one and include it in their visa application.

Check if the worker needs an ATAS certificate

The worker will need an ATAS certificate if all of the following are true:

they will be carrying out research at PhD level or above

they will be carrying out research in a ‘relevant subject’ - check the relevant subject areas list in the worker sponsor guidance

their nationality is not exempt from needing an ATAS certificate - check the exempt nationalities list in the worker sponsor guidance

If the worker does not need an ATAS certificate

Your sponsor note should say that the worker does not need an ATAS certificate and explain why.

If the worker needs an ATAS certificate

You must:

tell the worker that they need to get an ATAS certificate and include it in their visa application

add a sponsor note to your certificate of sponsorship

make and keep a copy of the ATAS certificate, once it has been issued

Tell the worker that they need an ATAS certificate

Tell the worker that they must apply for an ATAS certificate and include it in their visa application.

If the worker does not include their ATAS certificate, their visa application will be refused and you may lose your sponsor licences.

ATAS certificate applications for workers can take at least 2 weeks to be processed (3 weeks between April and September).

Add a sponsor note to your certificate of sponsorship

Your sponsor note should say that the worker needs an ATAS certificate and mention whether they have already applied for or been issued with one.

Make and keep a copy of the ATAS certificate

Your responsibilities

You must:

check that your foreign workers have the necessary skills, qualifications or professional accreditations to do their jobs, and keep copies of documents showing this

only assign certificates of sponsorship to workers when the job is suitable for sponsorship

tell UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) if your sponsored workers are not complying with the conditions of their visa

Your licence may be downgraded, suspended or withdrawn if you do not meet them.

Read the full guidance on sponsor requirements and duties and check workers have the right to work in the UK.

Monitoring employees

You must have HR systems in place that let you:

monitor your employees’ immigration status

keep copies of relevant documents for each employee, including passport and right to work information

track and record employees’ attendance

keep employee contact details up to date

report to UKVI if there is a problem, for example if your employee stops coming to work

Changes to your business

You must report any significant changes in your own circumstances within 20 working days, for example if you:

stop trading or become insolvent

substantially change the nature of your business

are involved in a merger or take-over

You must also tell UKVI if you’re changing your details, like your address or allocated roles.

To register a change of circumstances use the sponsorship management system (SMS).

Requests can take up to 18 weeks. You can register a change within 5 working days instead if you use the priority service. It costs £200.

Sponsoring under-18s

You must make sure that foreign workers under 18 have suitable care arrangements for their:

travel to the UK

arrival in the UK

living arrangements in the UK

You must also get a letter from their parents giving consent to the care arrangements.

You must get a Disclosure and Barring Service check on any of your workers who need it.

You’ll lose your licence if you do not do this.

Children under 16

You must get a licence from the local education authority in the area where the child will work.


I work in the Metropolitan police force and I have witnessed my senior officer receiving bribes repeatedly during our traffic patrols from rogue drivers. Will be dismissed from work if i blow the whistle?

You cannot normally discipline or dismiss an employee for whistleblowing.

Taking disciplinary action against an employee

Overview

You should have written disciplinary rules and procedures to deal with employee performance and conduct and you must tell your staff about them.

Your rules must say what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in the workplace and what action you will take if the rules are broken.

The rules should follow the Acas code of practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures.

Not following the code is not illegal. However, if someone wins an employment tribunal against you and you did not follow the code, then their award could be up to 25% more.

Acas guide to discipline and grievances

The Acas guide to discipline and grievances at work gives more information for employers about taking disciplinary action.

Acas Helpline

The Acas Helpline has further advice on disciplinary issues.

Practical training courses

Acas also runs practical training courses on workplace discipline.

Writing disciplinary proceedings

Your disciplinary procedures should follow the Acas code of practice.

The exact rules will depend on your organisation, but could cover things like:

acceptable and unacceptable behaviour

absence and timekeeping

health and safety

use of phones and the internet

Gross misconduct

Your disciplinary rules should give examples of what will be treated as gross misconduct. This is misconduct judged so serious that it’s likely to lead to dismissal without notice, for example fraud, theft and physical violence.

Telling employees about disciplinary rules

Your disciplinary rules must be in your statement of employment or clearly written elsewhere, such as in a staff handbook.

The rules should clearly say when someone might face disciplinary action and what that action could be.

You must also give the name of someone they should appeal to if they’re unhappy about a disciplinary decision.

If you do not provide this information and an employee then wins an employment tribunal claim against you, they could be awarded 2 to 4 weeks’ pay.

Disciplinary procedures and contracts

If you make your disciplinary procedures part of an employment contract then the employee could make a breach of contract claim against you if you do not follow your procedures.

Example letters and forms

Acas has a number of sample letters and forms for disciplinary proceedings on its website.

Disciplinary investigations and hearings

The law does not say exactly how you should investigate disciplinary issues or hold disciplinary meetings.

However, the Acas guide to discipline and grievances at work has lots of practical advice about running disciplinary proceedings professionally and fairly.

The suggested disciplinary process

The Acas guidance suggests that your disciplinary process should follow the following format:

A letter telling your employee the issue and inviting them to a disciplinary hearing.

A meeting with your employee to discuss the issue - they should have the right to be accompanied.

A letter to your employee saying what action you are going to take. This should be sent as soon as practically possible.

Your employee should than have a chance to appeal your decision.

Disciplinary decisions

Disciplinary decisions could be anything that could resolve the problem.

This could include:

no action

written warning

final warning

demotion

dismissal

mediation with a co-worker

Appeals

An employee has the right to appeal against a decision made after a disciplinary hearing.

You should tell them about this when you give them written notice of your decision, and should give them a deadline to tell you they want to appeal.

Your employee’s statement of terms and conditions of employment must legally include the person they can apply to if they want to appeal a disciplinary decision. It must also explain how to do this.

If the employee does decide to appeal, you should try to hold the appeal hearing as soon as possible.

You should follow the Acas code of practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures when dealing with appeals. Otherwise, if someone wins an employment tribunal against you their award could be higher.