Sponsor Licence: How Long Does it Take?
When applying to the Home Office for a sponsor licence, it is helpful for employers to understand how long the sponsor application takes to process. This can assist with planning recruitment and onboarding activity. The longer the processing time, the more likely there will be issues if a candidate has already been identified as they may […]
Sponsor Licence Key Personnel Duties
One of the requirements on sponsor licence holders is that they appoint key personnel to be responsibile for certain duties related to managing the organisation’s licence. Key personnel must be appointed into the following roles when making an application for a sponsor licence: Authorising Officer Key Contact Level 1 User Once the sponsor licence […]
Authorising Officer SMS & Compliance Duties
Among the many compliance duties placed on sponsor licence holders is the requirement to nominate an ‘Authorising Officer’ as one of the key personnel roles. It will be critical for the individual holding this role to fully understand the extent and importance of their duties as the AO, since the Home Office can impose significant […]
Sponsor Licence Expired?
If your organisation’s sponsor licence has expired, you will need to take action quickly to regain status as a sponsor licence holder. Without a valid sponsor licence, you are not permitted to lawfully employ sponsored migrant workers. This leads to a number of immigration problems directly affecting the immigration status of your sponsored employees, resulting […]
Temporary Worker Sponsor Licence
A temporary worker licence is a licence that allows you to sponsor workers to come to the UK from overseas to work for a short period of time, generally between 6 and 24 months. Under the UK’s new points-based immigration system, a number of different types of temporary worker licence are available: Creative Worker – […]
Register of Licensed Sponsors List 2021
The Register of Licensed Sponsors, previously known as the Tier 2 sponsor list, is a public list of all UK organisations which hold a valid sponsorship licence. The Home Office maintains the sponsorship list to identify all employers that have the required permission to employ sponsored workers under routes such as the Skilled Worker visa, Intra-Company […]
Appendix D Sponsor Licence Records
One of the common areas of immigration compliance risk among sponsor licence holders relates to record-keeping. Sponsor licence holders must retain the relevant documents as listed in Appendix D. Failure to comply with your sponsor duties, such as record-keeping, can lead to the sponsor licence being downgraded, suspended or even revoked. In turn, this can […]
Sponsor Licence Suspended? (Act Now!)
If your organisation’s sponsor licence has been suspended, your next steps will be critical. Receiving a sponsor licence suspension notice from the Home Office is justifiable cause for concern. After the initial panic, your immediate thoughts might turn to how the suspension the impacts your sponsored workers’ visas? How do you respond to the allegations? […]
Sponsor Licence Revoked?
If an organisation with a sponsor licence does not satisfy the various compliance duties as required under the Immigration Rules, the Home Office has powers to take enforcement action. Where serious compliance breaches are alleged, the Home Office may send a notification letter stating that the organisation’s sponsor licence has been revoked or suspended pending […]
Employing EU Citizens in the UK
New rules on employing EU citizens came into force in the UK from 1 January 2021. For UK employers, the changes impact how you recruit and onboard EU nationals, requiring you to ensure the organisation is properly licensed and legally compliant in verifying EU workers’ Right to Work in the UK. Hiring EU nationals […]
