SMS Level 1 User Guide
The role of key personnel in managing an organisation’s sponsor licence can’t be underestimated in ensuring compliance with the employer’s duties under its sponsor licence. The management of the sponsorship licence is conducted through the sponsor management system and therefore it is essential that the key personnel, in particular any level 1 user(s), are able […]
Sponsor Licence Application Guide 2022
You need a sponsor licence to employ most types of workers from outside the UK, including Skilled Visa workers. To secure a UK visa sponsorship licence, you will need to make an application to the Home Office and pay the relevant fees. The Home Office will only grant a sponsor licence to an organisation that […]
Sponsor Licence Renewal Fee
Sponsor licences are granted for a period of four years. To maintain permission to hire non-UK resident workers past the four-year mark, sponsors have to make a sponsor licence renewal application. Under the UK immigration system, employers who do not have a valid sponsor licence will be unable to hire new skilled workers from either […]
Register of Licensed Sponsors List 2022
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 […]
Sponsor Licence with a Criminal Record?
When applying for a sponsor licence, your organisation will need to satisfy various suitability criteria, not least that those responsible for the day-to-day running of your business, including the key personnel assigned to use the sponsor management system, are all honest, dependable and reliable. The following guide is for UK employers and HR departments when […]
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 […]
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 – […]
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 […]
