Temporary worker sponsor licence

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Overview of a temporary worker sponsor licence

You need a temporary worker sponsor licence if you want to hire international workers short-term.

This includes sponsoring someone to get:

• One of the following Global Business Mobility visas: 
  • Senior or Specialist Workers
  • Graduate Trainees
  • Service Suppliers
  • UK Expansion Workers
  • Secondment Workers
• Seasonal Worker visas
• Government Authorised Exchange visas
• Creative Worker visas
• Religious Worker visas
• Charity Worker visas
• International Agreement visas

How to apply

You can apply online for a temporary worker sponsor licence (gov.uk)

You’ll need to:

• Fill in an online form
• Pay the application fee
• Upload the documents listed in Appendix A (gov.uk)

On the form, you’ll need to: 

• Choose the immigration routes you want the licence for
• Estimate the number of workers you want to sponsor in your first year
• Add the contact details for the main point of contact
• Name the key people managing the licence

You can get help with the form, but it must be submitted by your organisation. This means no one can send the application to the Home Office for your organisation.

The Home Office will refuse an application you didn’t submit yourself. They will not refund the fee.

Who can get a licence

The Home Office will decide whether you meet the requirements for the licence you’ve applied for.

For routes other than UK Expansion Worker sponsor licences, you’ll need to send documents in Appendix A (gov.uk). These need to show that show you:

• Are a genuine business
• Work and trade in the UK
• Follow UK law

You’ll need to provide company documents. This will vary depending on the nature of your business.

For example:

• Your Companies House reference number shows that you are a genuine business
• Your company’s filed accounts show that your organisation is working and trading in the UK

You’ll need to check Appendix A for the exact documents you need to provide (gov.uk)

Who is suitable for a licence

The Home Office will decide whether you’re ‘suitable’ for the sponsor licence you’ve applied for.

You’ll need to show that you:

• Behave with integrity and respect
• Follow the law
• Have human resource (HR) and record keeping systems to meet your sponsor duties
• Meet the requirements for the immigration route(s) you’re applying to be licensed for

For certain visas, you’ll need to show you can offer employment that meets the:

• Skill level
• Minimum salary required

The Home Office will look at whether you:

• Have any criminal convictions or fines
• Have followed your sponsor duties in the past, if relevant

Supporting documents

You must send documents from Appendix A (gov.uk)  You’ll have five working days after applying to send your documents.

This includes:

• A submission sheet signed and dated by an Authorising Officer
• Documents in Appendix A, including those for specific visas

An Authorising Officer is responsible for the sponsorship licence. This person must be the most senior in the company and responsible for hiring international workers.

View the list of documents on Appendix A (gov.uk)

You’ll be given an email address to send your supporting documents to. They should be PDF, JPEG or PNG files.

You should include a short letter explaining the business need for the workers you want to hire.

How much it costs to apply

The fee for a temporary worker sponsor licence is £536.

Read about the fees for a temporary worker sponsor licence (gov.uk)

There may be other fees for things like:

• Adding immigration routes to a sponsor licence
• Giving a certificate of sponsorship to a worker

How long it takes to apply

Decisions can take up to eight weeks or more.

There is a priority service to get a decision in 10 working days. It costs £500. It’s not available for every application. The Home Office will let you know if you can apply.

If your application is successful, you’ll be given:

• An A-rated sponsor licence
• Access to the online sponsor management system (SMS)
• A sponsor licence number
• The total number of certificates of sponsorship you can give

You’ll be given an A-rated sponsor licence if your application is successful.

You’ll be given a B-rated sponsor licence if you don’t meet all the requirements. UKVI will give you an action plan that you can follow to upgrade to an A-rated licence. You’ll have to pay £1476 for the action plan.

A sponsor licence is valid without a time limit, as long as:

• You carry out your sponsorship duties
• You don’t give up the licence
• It doesn’t get taken away

If your application is not successful, you might be able to ask for a review or reapply. Read about your options if your application is not successful.

Sponsorship duties

If you get a sponsor licence, it is very important you follow your duties. You could lose your licence if you don’t follow your duties.

You must:

• Tell the Home Office about any changes affecting sponsored workers or your organisation
• Tell the Home Office if a worker isn’t following their visa conditions
• Follow UK immigration, employment and other laws
• Keep up to date records about the workers you’ve sponsored. This includes: 
  • Contact details
  • Proof of right to work
  • Contract
  • Travel information
  • National Insurance number
  • Identity and immigration documents

Read about sponsorship duties (gov.uk) 

Photo credit: Scottish Enterprise