Business Immigration Solicitors and Lawyers

Your business will usually need a sponsor licence if it wants to sponsor a worker from outside the UK under a sponsored work route. You may not need a sponsor licence for workers who already have the right to work in the UK through another route, such as indefinite leave to remain, Irish citizenship, settled status or pre-settled status. The worker's right to work should always be checked before employment starts.

GOV.UK uses the term sponsor licence. Some employers search for "sponsorship licence", but the official wording is sponsor licence. On the website, sponsor licence should be the main wording. Sponsorship licence can appear naturally as a search variation, but it should not replace the official term.

A sponsor licence is held by the employer or organisation. It allows the business to sponsor eligible workers under specific sponsored routes. A work visa is held by the individual worker. The employer-side licence and the worker-side visa are connected, but they are not the same thing.

A Certificate of Sponsorship is an electronic record assigned by an approved sponsor. It is not a paper certificate. The worker uses the CoS reference number when applying for their visa. For employers, the CoS must be assigned carefully because errors can affect both the worker's application and the sponsor's compliance position.

Your business may be able to sponsor a Skilled Worker if it has the correct sponsor licence, the job is eligible, the salary meets the relevant requirements and the business can comply with sponsor duties. This is employer-side advice. Individual Skilled Worker visa advice should sit under the Work Visa section.

A health or care sector employer may be able to sponsor eligible workers if it has the correct sponsor licence and the role meets the relevant immigration requirements. Care providers should also consider sponsor duties, salary, working hours, right to work checks, record keeping and any Home Office compliance risks.

There is no separate GOV.UK self-sponsorship visa. In some cases, a UK company may apply for a sponsor licence and sponsor a genuine eligible role, which may involve a director or business owner. This must be handled carefully. The business, role, salary, genuineness of the vacancy and sponsor licence position should all be reviewed before relying on this strategy.

Sponsor licence duties can include keeping records, reporting certain changes, monitoring sponsored workers, keeping contact details up to date and complying with immigration law and wider UK law. Failing to comply can lead to Home Office action, including licence downgrading, suspension or revocation.

A Home Office compliance visit may involve checking whether the business is genuine, whether sponsored roles are suitable, whether records are being kept properly and whether staff understand sponsor duties. A business may be visited before a licence is granted or after a licence has been approved.

If a sponsor licence is suspended, the business will usually need to respond to the Home Office within the deadline given. The response should deal with the allegations, provide evidence and explain any corrective action. Suspension can affect the business and its sponsored workers, so urgent advice is recommended.

Do not ignore it. A civil penalty notice should be reviewed carefully, including the alleged breach, the right to work checks carried out, the documents held and any possible grounds to object. Deadlines can be short, so it is better to get advice before responding.

The UK Expansion Worker route may be relevant where an overseas business wants to send a senior manager or specialist employee to the UK to set up a UK branch or subsidiary that has not yet started trading. If the UK business is already trading, a different route may be needed, such as Senior or Specialist Worker, depending on the facts.

Yes. The Innovator Founder visa is a business immigration route for people seeking to establish an innovative, viable and scalable business in the UK with endorsement from an approved endorsing body. It is different from sponsor licence or Skilled Worker sponsorship, but it can sit within the wider business immigration section because it concerns business ownership and entrepreneurship.

Business visitors may be able to carry out certain permitted business activities under the Standard Visitor route, such as attending meetings, conferences or negotiating contracts. They must stay within the visitor rules. If the person will be doing paid, productive or ongoing work in the UK, a work or sponsored route may be needed instead.