How to apply for a sponsorship licence?

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

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.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)