Employment Case Law Update 2025 Round Up
Higgs v Farmor’s School February 2025 In Higgs v Farmor’s School, Kristie Higgs, a Christian pastoral administrator at Farmor’s School in Gloucestershire, was dismissed for gross misconduct in 2019 after sharing Facebook posts critical of LGBTQ+ relationship education in primary schools. Her posts, shared on her personal account, expressed concerns about teaching “gender […]
Employment Rights Bill Clears Lords Stage
Employment Rights Bill Clears House of Lords With the Lords now allowing the Employment Rights Bill to proceed, the focus shifts away from whether the reforms happen and toward when they take effect, how they are staged and how the government chooses to ‘operationalise’ them. Employers should assume therefore that 2026 will bring […]
CoS Allocation Priority Service UK Guide
Section A: What is the CoS Allocation Priority Service The Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) allocation priority service is a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) facility that allows A-rated sponsor licence holders to obtain additional undefined CoS more quickly than through the standard process. Officially known as the Home Office priority change of circumstances […]
Increase in Immigration Skills Charge from 16 Dec 2025
Immigration Skills Charge Increase from 16 December 2025 The Immigration Skills Charge is a mandatory fee paid by most UK employers when sponsoring overseas workers under either the Skilled Worker or the Global Business Mobility Senior or Specialist Worker visa routes. The charge is paid up front when a Certificate of Sponsorship is […]
Self Sponsorship Visa UK Cost Guide
Section A: Planning for Self Sponsorship Visa Costs The self sponsorship visa route enables individuals to apply for a Skilled Worker visa by establishing or working within a UK company that holds a sponsor licence. Unlike traditional employer-led sponsorship, the applicant arranges for the sponsoring entity to be set up or controlled by […]
How to Sponsor Someone in the UK | 2026 Licence & Process
Section A: How to Sponsor Someone to Work in the UK Sponsoring a worker in the UK is not as simple as issuing a job offer. Employers must hold Home Office approval in the form of a sponsor licence before they can lawfully recruit most overseas nationals who do not already have permission […]
Defined & Undefined Certificates of Sponsorship Guide
Section A: What is a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)? One of the mandatory requirements of sponsored work routes such as the Skilled Worker visa and Global Business Mobility visas is that the applicant has a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from a licensed employer. The CoS is an electronic record with a unique […]
PBS Licence Guide for UK Employers
Section A: What is a PBS licence? A PBS licence is the permission needed from UKVI to be able to recruit overseas nationals to work in the UK under certain sponsored immigration routes of the UK’s points-based immigration system. The PBS licence is required to verify that the sponsoring employer agrees to meet […]
Trump Gold Card: Applicants’ Guide
Section A: What is the Trump Gold Card? The Trump Gold Card is a newly-announced United States immigration programme offering a high-cost route to lawful permanent residence for wealthy individuals and corporate sponsors. It is being presented by the US Administration as a fast-track alternative to existing investor routes, with a focus on upfront […]
MAC Report December 2025: Skilled Worker Visas & UK Tax
Section A: MAC Report December 2025 The Migration Advisory Committee’s report on the fiscal impact of immigration is a technical assessment of how immigration interacts with the UK’s public finances, and it is written for policymakers who increasingly justify immigration rules through economic and fiscal outcomes. For employers who rely on the Skilled […]