Sponsor License

• You must not have any unspent criminal convictions for immigration offences or other crimes, such as fraud and money laundering.
• Must not have had a sponsor licence revoked in the last 12 months.
• You must have appropriate systems in place to monitor sponsored employees and certain people to manage sponsorship in your business.

2) Suitability Requirements

• As the sponsor, you will generally be the employer and therefore responsible for payment of the sponsored worker, however, there are certain circumstances where there is no direct employer-employee relationship.
• You must be able to offer genuine employment that meets the skill level of 3 or above on the Regulated Qualifications Framework for England and Northern Ireland or the equivalent for Wales or Scotland.
• You must have human resource and recruitment systems in place to meet your sponsor duties.
• You must choose the most relevant occupation code for the job in question from the below link.
  • https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-skilled-occupations 

Category Specific Requirements.

You are able to register for a sponsorship license for the following routes:

A Skilled worker

• The employee must be paid at least the minimum salary for the type of work they’ll be doing of at least;
  • £25,600 per year,
  • £10.10 per hour or,
  • The “going rate” for the type of work completed.

A health or care worker

• The employee must be paid at least the minimum salary for the type of work they’ll be doing of at least;
  • £20,480 per year or,
  • the “going rate” for the type of work completed if the “going rate” for the specific job is higher than the figure above.
  • You may need to meet different salary requirements based on the occupation code which the type of work completed is under.

An intra-company worker

• There are 2 intra company routes;
  1. Intra-Company Transfer: this is for established employees who are being transferred by their overseas employer to do a skilled job for a linked employer in the UK.
  2. Intra-Company Graduate Trainee: this is for employees taking part in a structured graduate training program who are being transferred by their overseas employer to a linked employer in the UK. 

• The salary requirements for intra-company workers are the same as the requirements for skilled workers.

A government Authorised Exchange worker

• The employer must be endorsed by a government department; and
• And will be administered by an overarching sponsor and not an individual employer.
• Individual employers cannot sponsor workers on this route unless they are;
  • A Higher Education Institution (HEI)
  • UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
  • A government department or one of its executive agencies
  • An organisation endorsed by UKRI, in their Science, Research and Academia program, and are recruiting a;
    1. Sponsored researcher,
    2. Visiting academic who will give lectures, act as an examiner or work on a supernumerary research collaboration.

A seasonal worker

• To apply for a seasonal worker sponsor licence you must be an overarching body which is;
  • Endorsed by the department for environment, food and rural affairs (DEFRA),
  • Licensed by Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority.

A Sportsperson or Sporting worker

• Your organization must be a UK-based sporting body, sports club, events organizer or other organizer operating, or intending to operate, in the sporting sector.
• You must be endorsed by the relevant Home Office-approved sports governing body.
• You cannot sponsor workers on this route if you are;
  • An overseas-based sports club or organization,
  • Or an agent.

An International Agreement worker

• You must be able to and intend to sponsor;
  • Private servants in diplomatic households or in households of officials working for recognized international organisations,
  • Employees of an overseas government or international organization,
  • Contractual service suppliers or independent professionals in a sector specified in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) or,
  • Another international agreement under which the UK has similar commitments.

A Creative worker

• To be eligible for a licence to sponsor creative workers you must be operating, or intending to operate in the creative sector. Please find some examples below:
  • A national arts body
  • An events organizer
  • A producer
  • A venue
  • An agent
  • A promoter or promotion company
  • A production company
  • A media organisation
• You will be able to employ;
  • Dancers, ballet or other
  • Film and TV performers
  • Theatre and opera performers
  • Film and TV workers
  • Models.

A Charity worker

• To be granted a Charity worker sponsor licence you must be;
  • A registered, an excepted or an exempt UK charity in line with the relevant charity legislation in force in your part of the UK, or
  • An ecclesiastical corporation, either sole or body corporate, which has been established for charitable purposes.

A Minister of Religion or Religious worker

• To be eligible for a Minister of Religion or Religious worker licence, you must be a bona fide religious organization which:
  • Has charitable status,
  • Is the structure for a faith-based community with a common system of belief and spiritual goals, codes of behavior and religious practice, which exists to support and/or propagate common beliefs and practices and where beliefs:
    • • Include any religious belief or similar philosophical belief in something transcendental, metaphysical or ultimate
      • Exclude any philosophical or political belief concerned with man, unless that belief is similar to religious belief.
      • Does not exclude anyone from your community on the basis of gender, nationality or ethnicity
      • Received financial and material support for your core religious ministry from your congregation or community, on a voluntary basis, without promise or coercion.
      • Does not breach, or encourage others to breach, any UK legislation
      • Does not work against public interest, or have a detrimental effect on personal or family life as commonly understood in the UK.

Your responsibilities

1. Monitoring Employees
   • You must have HR systems in place which let you monitor;
     • Employees immigration status
     • Keep copies of relevant documents for each employee, such as passport and right to work information
     • Track and record employees attendance
     • Update employee contact details
     • Report to UKVI if any issues arise, such as if your employee stops coming to work.
2. Reporting duties
   • If there are any significant changes regarding a sponsored worker that this is promptly reported on your sponsorship management system.
     • Changes you must report within 10 days:
       • If a sponsored worker does not start their intended role for sponsorship, you must include in your report any reasons given for their non-attendance.
       • If the sponsored worker is absent for more than 10 consecutive days, you must report this 10 days from the 10^th day.
       • If the sponsored workers contract ends earlier than intended.
       • If you stop sponsoring a worker for any reason.
       • If there are any significant changes in the sponsored workers employment, such as a promotion or change in job title.
       • If a sponsored worker’s employment is affected by TUPE or similar protection.
       • If a worker’s sponsor changes but they will remain working for the same employer and in the same employment
       • If the size or charitable status of your business changes.
3. Changes you must report within 20 days:
   • • • Change of you companies name or the name of any of your branches.
       • Sell all or part of your business.
       • Are involved in a merger or are taken over.
       • Stop trading or go into an insolvency procedure.
       • Substantially change the nature of your business
       • Convicted of a relevant offence.

Fees

You are able to register for a sponsorship license for the following routes:

Small or charitable organisation

Medium or large sponsors

Small or charitable sponsor

• You are a small sponsor if;
  • Your annual turnover if £10.2 million or less,
  • Your total assets are worth £5.1 million or less,
  • You have 50 employees or fewer.
• You are a charitable sponsor if;
  • You are a registered charity in England or Wales,
  • You are a registered charity in Scotland,
  • You are a registered charity in Northern Ireland,
  • You are an excepted charity,
  • An exempt charity,
  • An ecclesiastical corporation established for charitable purposes.

Validity Period

Your licence will be valid for 4 years. However, you may lose your licence if you do not meet your responsibilities as a sponsor.

The Home Office have the power to undertake in person compliance during the period you hold a license in order to determine whether you are adhering to your responsibilities as a sponsor.