Sponsor Licences – What are they and why are they necessary?
The recent changes in the immigration system following the end of free movement have made it challenging for employers to recruit talent. It is imperative that business have sponsor licences in place if they want to be able to employ non-UK or non-UK settled workers.
To employ workers from outside the UK, employers must first hold a sponsor licence. Sponsor licences are granted for a period of four years and allow employers to assign Certificates of Sponsorship to each worker. To be eligible, employers cannot have unspent criminal convictions for immigration offences (or certain other crimes) or had a sponsor licence revoked in the last 12 months. In addition, businesses must have appropriate systems (and people) in place to monitor the sponsored employees.
The sponsor licence application fee is usually £536 for a small sponsor or £1,476 for a medium or large sponsor. Employers must also pay a fee when assigning the Certificate of Sponsorship to each worker, which depends on the type of sponsor licence the business holds. For a business that holds a Worker sponsor licence, the cost per certificate is £199.Business may also be required to pay the immigration skills charge, depending on the worker’s job type, which is usually charged at £364 for the first 12months, and then £182 for each additional 6 months (for a small sponsor).
It can take up to 8 weeks to obtain a Sponsor Licence, but for an additional Home Office fee of £500, applicants maybe able to request a fast-track decision.
For more information, contact our specialist Immigration solicitors at Surenity Legal Services.
