If you want to hire someone who is not a settled worker and does not have immigration permission to work in the UK, you must hold a valid Sponsor Licence from the Home Office.
Sponsor Licences are available to organisations of any size, including new businesses, if you can demonstrate a genuine need and your ability to meet the Home Office requirements. Without the correct type of Sponsor Licence, you may not be able to employ international workers lawfully.
Support on meeting the requirements
The first issue to navigate for employers when applying for a Sponsor Licence is to determine whether the roles you offer are eligible for sponsorship. Our immigration law team can help assess this and then support you through each further stage of the application process. Once you have obtained a licence, we can assist you to manage it effectively.
We help organisations of all sizes across sectors such as care, hospitality, tech and more, to meet the Home Office’s requirements on Sponsor Licences, and offer tailored guidance, training and support.
Frequently asked questions
Q: What are the costs involved in applying for a Sponsor Licence?
If you are a small or charitable sponsor organisation, the licence will cost £574, and this is a one-off, upfront cost. For medium or larger sponsors, the one-off cost is £1,579 (unless you are looking to hire staff under the Temporary Worker visa route, in which case your licence will cost £574).
Q: How do I know if I am a small sponsor?
To qualify as small sponsor and therefore pay a lower licence fee, you will usually need to meet two out of the following criteria:
- Your annual turnover is £15 million or less.
- Your total assets are worth £7.5 million or less.
- You have no more than 50 employees.
Q: Are there other costs related to hiring international workers, in addition to the Sponsor Licence fee?
Yes, there are additional costs to be mindful of when hiring international workers, beyond the Sponsor Licence fee. These include:
- Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) – each sponsored worker must be assigned a CoS. The fee is £525 for Skilled Workers and £55 for Temporary Workers.
- Immigration Skills Charge (ISC) – This charge applies to most Skilled Worker roles, unless an exemption applies. The cost depends on the size of your organisation: £364 for small or charitable sponsors, and £1,000 for medium or large sponsors, for the first 12 months of sponsorship. Additional charges apply for longer periods. We can advise on whether an exemption applies and confirm the total cost for your business.
- Priority service for expedited processing of sponsor licence applications (optional) – if you want a fast-track decision on your application for a Sponsor Licence, there is the option to pay an additional £500 payment. Subject to this request being accepted by the Home Office, this potentially reduces the decision-making timescales from the standard eight weeks to 10 working days.
Q: How long can we sponsor a worker for?
The length of time you can sponsor a worker depends on the visa route and the terms of the job. In general:
- Skilled Workers can be sponsored for up to five years at a time, and subject to the requirements being met, the sponsored worker could apply for settlement (indefinite leave to remain) after five continuous years in the UK.
- Temporary Workers, such as those on the Seasonal Worker visa, can be sponsored for three to six months, subject to the role. Other Temporary Worker visas can be sponsored for six to 24 months, depending on the specific visa route.
Our specialist Immigration Law team can advise you on the appropriate duration based on your needs and the visa category.
Q: What steps should I take to recruit an international worker?
The first step is to apply for a Sponsor Licence and ensure you meet all the Home Office requirements including providing the necessary documentation and nominating key personnel within your organisation.
Once your licence is granted and you have identified a suitable candidate, you will need to assign them a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) and pay the applicable fees, including the Immigration Skills Charge, where relevant.
The sponsored worker can then use the CoS to submit a Skilled Worker visa application. This is their individual application, but we can support both you and the worker throughout the process.
Fixed-fee initial consultation for immigration and visa advice
For employers of any size, navigating the requirements for hiring overseas staff can be complex and also divert resource away from core activity.
To help you get started and simplify the process, our immigration team at Lindsays offers an initial fixed-fee consultation where we find out your own circumstances and needs and provide clear actionable advice.
Find out more here.
