Sponsor Licence Application

Sponsor Licence Application

An UK sponsor licence allows UK businesses to sponsor prospective skilled workers (employees) who are based overseas or those who require a visa from within the UK to be able to work in an eligible job for the organisation if they have not been able to find a settled worker to fill in the role.

Depending on the type of role and needs of your business, there are different types of sponsor licences however the main ones are:

• Worker Licence

This allows sponsoring people who you want to employ short-term, long-term or permanently. This includes:

• Skilled workers – the role must meet the job suitability requirements and be a genuine vacancy meeting the minimum skill and salary.
• Senior or specialist workers (Global Business Mobility) – this is for multinational companies wishing to transfer established employees from their overseas branch to the UK.
• Minister of religion – for those who wish to come to the UK to work for a religious organisation.
• International sportsperson categories – for elite sportspeople and coaches who plan to be based in the UK.
• Temporary Worker Licence

This allows sponsoring people on a temporary short-term basis which includes volunteering and job-shadowing. This includes:

• Scale-up workers – for those wishing to come to the UK to work for a fast-growing UK business.
• Creative workers – for those wishing to work in the creative industry.
• Charity worker – for those who wish to work (unpaid) for a charity.
• Religious workers – for those who wish to work in a religious order or organisation.
• Government authorised exchange workers – for those who wish to gain work experience, take part in research projects or training.
• International agreement workers – for those coming to the UK to do a job which is covered by international law.
• Graduate trainees (Global Business Mobility) – for workers transferring from their overseas employer’s branch to their employer’s UK branch as part of a graduate training programme.
• Service suppliers (Global Business Mobility) – for those who have a contract to provide services for a UK company.
• UK expansion workers (Global Business Mobility) – for those who are sent to the UK from their overseas employer to set up a new branch or subsidiary of an overseas business.
• Secondment workers (Global Business Mobility) – for those transferring from their overseas employer to work for a different UK business as part of a high-value contract.
• Seasonal workers – for those wishing to come to the UK to work in horticulture.

You would need to appoint people within your business to manage the sponsorship process when you apply for a licence. If the sponsor licence is granted you would be required to use the sponsorship management system (SMS).

The roles are:

• Authorising Officer– a senior and competent person responsible for the actions of staff and representatives who use the SMS.
• Key Contact– your main point of contact with UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).
• Level 1 user– responsible for all day-to-day management of your licence using the SMS.
• Level 2 user– once you have your licence. This is an optional SMS user with more restricted access than a level 1 user.

These roles can be filled by the same person or different people however we recommend that there are at least two Level 1 users in case one is unavailable.

We understand the importance of a business wishing to be able to employ the right member of staff to allow that business to operate and grow and therefore it is important to ensure that your UK sponsor licence application is completed correctly. Applying for a UK sponsor licence can be complex and even when a licence has been granted, the UK sponsor must make sure they comply with the compliance requirements of having a sponsor licence otherwise this could lead to potential penalties. We have the experience and knowledge to assist you with your UK sponsor licence application.