Sponsorship Licence

What is a Sponsorship Licence?

Sponsorship has two main purposes:

it provides evidence that the migrant has a genuine job in the UK
it acts as a pledge from the sponsor that it will accept the responsibilities of sponsorship in respect of the migrant.

Responsibilities of sponsorship

In applying for a licence and subsequently issuing COS (Certificate of Sponsor) to migrants, the employing organisation accepts that they will comply with a number of requirements.
These include:

record keeping
reporting duties
compliance
co-operation with UKBA requests.

The licence

A licence, when granted, will last for four years unless it is withdrawn by the UKBA. The organisation will need to renew the licence prior to the expiry date in order to continue to act as a sponsor. Reminder notices will be issued by the UKBA but the responsibility to remain licensed will lie with the organisation.

There are two categories of sponsor. Organisation will be either rated A or B. Most sponsors will be A-rated but if the UKBA assesses your organisation as posing a risk to recruiting illegal migrants you may be awarded or downgraded to a B-rating. If you receive a B-rating, you will also receive a time-oriented action plan outlining what you must do to regain an A-rating. Failure to comply with the plan may result in loss of licence and therefore an inability to recruit non-EEA nationals. The UKBA may remove your sponsorship licence at any time if you are in breach of the legislation.

Umbrella bodies

Employers will not be able to group together to act as one sponsor. This decision has been made in order for the sponsor to be able to fulfil their duties.

What do I need to do to get a licence?

You will need to apply for a licence by completing the online application form on our website. Prior to submitting the form, Employers are advised to ensure that they have all the appropriate systems in place to ensure an A-rated licence is granted.

A checklist is available to assist employers to complete their sponsorship application.

How much does a licence cost?

There are different fees for each tier and employers must ensure that they send the appropriate payment when submitting their application. UKBA will only accept the following methods of payment:

Cheque in sterling on a UK bank account
Credit or debit card.

The fees are:
Tier 2 - skilled worker

£300 if you are a small sponsor
£1,000 for all other sponsors

You do not have to pay a fee if you have previously registered under another tier and paid either the £400 or £1,000 fee.

Once registered, an organisation will be in a position to issue a COS to individuals under Tier 2. Each COS will cost £170.

Further information can be found on the UKBA website.

How will your application be assessed?

The UKBA will assess your application for a licence by looking at three main questions.

Is the organisation bona fide, operating lawfully in the UK?
Is the organisation trustworthy?
Is the organisation capable of carrying out its duties as a sponsor?

Each application will be assessed against eligibility and suitability criteria.

The following guidance will outline how each of these criteria can be demonstrated to ensure you maximise the opportunity to be granted a licence.

Eligibility
The UKBA will check whether your organisation has a history of unlawful recruitment and whether the key personnel nominated in the application form have been convicted of a criminal offence. If any of these aspects are proven, your application may be refused.

Suitability
This aspect of the assessment will dictate whether your application will be granted an A or B rating or be refused. Each organisation will need to demonstrate that:

they have effective HR systems in place
they not have been issued with a Civil Penalty for Immigration Offences.
the authorising officer, key contact and level 1 user have no criminal convictions in their name.

The list of convictions that may affect your application are featured on the UKBA website.

Status Solutions can also advise on your rights to apply for a visa while you are visiting, coming to live and work in the UK. You do have to be a national from Central Europe or a national of the Accession States to qualify for a residence permit in the UK. You may already be living in the UK having obtained entry clearance on a visa from abroad.

To apply for residence permits you may decide that you would prefer to reside in the UK on a self employed permit (Romanian or Bulgarian Nationals, or be self sufficient, Job Seeker, or wish to exercise your Treaty rights as a EEA National, Workers Registration Scheme Applications Turkish Nationals Employment Permit in the UK. For assistance in qualifying as a Job Seeker or if you wish to apply for an Settlement to an existing visa in the UK please contact us.

Our Office hours are 09:30 to 17:00.
You can contact our offices anytime during office hours on +44 (0)1634 828 288,
alternatively you can email us at: info@statussolutionsuk.co.uk or reception@statussolutionsuk.co.uk