You must apply online to obtain a sponsorship licence for your business so you can sponsor overseas skilled workers to come and work (paid/unpaid) in the UK.

Please contact our business immigration lawyer on 0161 989 9370 or fill in the enquiry form to take the first step towards your successful UK sponsor licence application.

Below is the step-by-step process to apply for a skilled worker sponsor licence:

  1. Fill in and submit the application online
  2. Send the documents
  3. Waiting for the decision

Step 1: Fill in and submit the application

You need to fill in and submit your sponsorship licence application online. Once you have finished the application, you need to send in the submission sheet at the end of the application.

Step 2: Send the documents

Once you have submitted your sponsorship licence application online, you must send all the required documents as specified in Appendix A within 5 working days.

You will need to scan your submission sheet and all the supporting documents in the correct format and send them to the email address given on the submission sheet.

Step 3: Waiting for the decision

You should get a decision within less than 8 weeks on your sponsor licence application. However, it may take longer if Home Office UKVI need additional information or supporting documents. UKVI may need to visit your business during this process.

Assigning skilled worker Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS)

Once you have been granted a Skilled Worker sponsor licence you will be able to assign certificates of sponsorship (CoS) to migrants who wish to come to, or stay in the UK to work as Skilled Worker Migrants.

For Skilled Worker workers, being assigned a certificate of sponsorship (CoS) is an essential part of qualifying for entry clearance (if they are outside the UK) or leave to remain (permission to extend their stay while in the UK).

Documents required for sponsor licence application

Once you have submitted your sponsorship licence application online, you must send all the required documents as specified in Appendix A within 5 working days.

You must provide the following documents when you apply for a sponsor licence:

  • Provide Job information including job title, occupation code, duties, salary etc.
  • Organisational hierarchy chart detailing any owner, director and board member.
  • Certificate of employer’s liability insurance cover
  • Evidence of registration with HMRC as an employer
  • HMRC VAT registration certificate
  • Latest business bank statement
  • Proof of ownership or lease of your business premises

This is a general list of documents. Depending on type of application and your personal circumstances, you might also need to provide additional documents.

Please contact us for an initial assessment to determine your eligibility, and find out the required list of documents in support of your application.

Read the guidance for the full list of documents you'll need to provide in support of your sponsor licence application.

How to send the supporting documents?

First, you need to scan all the supporting documents including the submission sheet in the correct format. If you do not have a scanner then you can also take pictures of the supporting documents.

Once all the documents are ready then you can send them to the email address given on the submission sheet.

Make sure that all the supporting documents:

  • are in PDF, JPEG or PNG format
  • have descriptive titles, with 25 or fewer characters
  • are high enough quality to be read

If documents are not in English or Welsh, you must provide a certified translation.

Successful application for a sponsor licence

If your application for a Skilled Worker sponsor licence is accepted by the Home Office, UKVI, you will be issued the SMS login ID and password to manage your sponsor licence online. Your sponsor licence will be valid for 4 years and can be renewed online prior to the expiry of the licence.

What if, the sponsor licence application is refused because of a mistake?

You can apply using the pre-licence error correction form to request a review of your application if you think it was refused because the caseworker processing your application made a mistake or your supporting documents were not considered.

Sponsorship licence processing time

Currently, Home Office is taking 8 weeks or less to process a sponsorship licence application. However, it may take longer depending on the complexity of the matter. UKVI may need to visit your business.

You may be able to use priority service to get a faster decision from Home Office on your sponsor licence application.

You may be able to use the 'priority service' when you apply for a sponsor licence to get a faster decision within 10 working days. You'll need to pay £500 in addition to the sponsorship licence application fee.

This service is limited to a small number of applications every working day. Faster decisions are allocated in the order that requests arrive (first come, first served)

You'll be told how to ask for a faster decision after you apply.

UKVI sponsor licence application fee is between £536 - £1,476 depending on the type of licence you are applying for and the size of your organisation/company.

You need to pay a fee when you apply for a sponsor licence.

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

If you need legal advice or help with your sponsorship licence application, Get in touch with our sponsor licence lawyer and get the legal assistance you need.

Start your sponsorship licence application with Rex Law Chambers today by calling us on 0161 989 9370 or filling out our online enquiry form for legal advice.

Sponsor licence lawyer at Rex Law Chambers will:

  • advise you about eligibility criteria and the requirement
  • help you with the selection of the correct type of sponsor licence
  • advise you about who the key personnel should be
  • advise you about how to remain compliant and the employer's duties
  • advise you whether the position you wish to hire for is suitable for sponsorship and if so, under which category
  • check your HR system in place to ensure that you meet the Home Office requirements and expectations
  • provide you with a comprehensive checklist of supporting documents
  • check all the supporting documents
  • fill in and submit your sponsor licence application online
  • prepare a letter of representation to support your application
  • upload all the supporting documents online in their correct format and order
  • deal and respond to any enquiries or correspondence from the Home Office
  • do all the follow-up work on your sponsor licence application until a decision is received from the UKVI
  • provide legal assistance with the Home Office visit in relation to your sponsor licence application

Lawyer fees for sponsor licence application

Our expert UK immigration lawyer will guide you through every step of the sponsor licence application process including advice about legal requirements and eligibility criteria.

Sponsor licence lawyer at Rex Law Chambers charge a fixed fee between £1200-£1500 for the complete legal services in relation to your sponsor licence application. The agreed fixed fee will depend on the complexity of the matter and the casework involved in the matter.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

You must apply online to get a sponsor licence for your company if you meet the eligibility requirements and you need to submit all the supporting documents online along with your sponsor licence application as mentioned in Appendix A.

The "Worker" and "Temporary Worker" are two types of sponsorship licences. It depends on whether an employer is going to hire a worker for long-term employment or temporary employment to fill their jobs.

You should get a decision on the employer sponsor licence application within 8 weeks. However, you may be able to use the pre-licence priority service to fast-track your UK sponsorship licence application.

This pre-licence priority service application does not guarantee your request will be approved.

UKVI sponsor licence application fee is £536 and you need to pay the licence fee when you apply online. The sponsor licence fees depend on the type of licence and size of the organisation.

The sponsor licence fee for medium or large sponsors is £1,476 if they want to hire a worker for long-term employment.

Contact our experienced and friendly immigration lawyer on 0161 989 9370 or fill in our enquiry form to get reliable & confidential immigration advice and legal assistance with a UK visa application or any other immigration matter.

Need legal advice or help from an immigration lawyer?

Call us on 0161 989 9370 or fill in the enquiry form to get legal advice or help with your UK visa application. Our UK immigration lawyer is ready to assist you.

At Rex Law Chambers, we specialise in a wide range of UK visas and nationality applications and our principal immigration lawyer has a wealth of experience and expert knowledge to deal with all types of UK visas and immigration applications. He has successfully handled many complex and high-profile cases and also represented clients in their immigration matters.

Free immigration advice online

Our immigration lawyer can provide one-off FREE general legal advice online via live chat or through the enquiry form. The FREE advice does not cover the advice in relation to complex legal issues or advice about documents to be submitted in support of the application.

If you would like to get detailed immigration advice then please schedule an in-person, Zoom, or phone consultation by using our appointment request form.

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