IMMIGRATION LAW
Sponsor Licence
RakLAW Solicitors advise UK employers on sponsor licence applications, compliance, audits, renewals and Home Office action against sponsors of all sizes.
About Sponsor Licence
A sponsor licence is what allows a UK employer to hire workers from overseas under the points-based immigration system. The Home Office expects sponsors to meet strict suitability and compliance duties, and the rules change often. RakLAW Solicitors advise employers across every stage of the sponsor journey, from first-time applications and skilled worker recruitment to compliance audits, certificate of sponsorship issuing, and responding when the Home Office suspends, downgrades or revokes a licence. We work with start-ups, care providers, professional services firms and global businesses, giving practical advice that protects the licence and the people behind it.
Who this is for
- UK employers wanting to hire from overseas
- Care providers and NHS-adjacent organisations
- Start-ups and expanding overseas businesses
- Sponsors facing Home Office compliance action
How RakLAW helps
- Prepare sponsor licence applications and evidence packs
- Run mock audits and fix compliance gaps
- Advise on certificates of sponsorship and SMS use
- Defend suspensions, downgrades and revocation decisions
All Sponsor Licence services
Explore our 19 sponsor licence services. Each page covers eligibility, what we do for you, and how to get started.
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Sponsor Licence Application
A sponsor licence application is the formal request a UK business makes to the Home Office for permission to employ workers from overseas.
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Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence
A Skilled Worker sponsor licence allows a UK business to employ overseas nationals in eligible skilled roles on a long-term basis.
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Health and Care Worker Sponsor Licence
The Health and Care Worker sponsor licence lets eligible UK health and social care providers recruit doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and care workers from overseas.
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Temporary Worker Sponsor Licence
A Temporary Worker sponsor licence allows organisations to bring people to the UK for short-term roles under one of several sub-categories, including creative, religious, charity, international agreement and government authorised exchange routes.
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Global Business Mobility Sponsor Licence
Global Business Mobility is a group of routes that allow overseas businesses to send staff to the UK for assignments such as senior transfers, graduate trainee placements, secondments under high-value contracts and service supplier roles.
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UK Expansion Worker Sponsor Licence
The UK Expansion Worker route, part of the Global Business Mobility family, lets an overseas business send senior or specialist staff to the UK to set up a new branch or subsidiary.
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Sponsor Licence Renewal
Sponsor licences have to be kept current with the Home Office, and renewal is a chance to demonstrate that the business and its compliance systems are still in good shape.
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Sponsor Licence Compliance
Holding a sponsor licence is an ongoing responsibility, not a one-off win.
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Sponsor Licence Audit
A sponsor licence audit is a structured review of your records, processes and people to test how you would fare in a Home Office compliance visit.
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Certificate of Sponsorship
A certificate of sponsorship, or CoS, is the electronic record a sponsor assigns to a worker to support their visa application.
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Sponsor Management System
The Sponsor Management System, or SMS, is the Home Office portal sponsors use to manage their licence.
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Authorising Officer Advice
The Authorising Officer is the senior person inside a sponsor organisation who carries personal responsibility for the licence.
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Key Personnel Advice
Every sponsor licence is held together by its key personnel: the Authorising Officer, Level 1 user, Level 2 user where appointed, and Key Contact.
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Right to Work Checks
Right to work checks are how UK employers protect themselves from civil penalties for illegal working.
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Civil Penalty for Illegal Working
If the Home Office believes an employer has hired someone without the right to work, it can issue a civil penalty notice.
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Sponsor Licence Suspension
When the Home Office has serious concerns about a sponsor's compliance, it can suspend the licence while it investigates.
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Sponsor Licence Revocation
Sponsor licence revocation is the most serious sanction the Home Office can impose on an employer.
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Sponsor Licence Downgrade
When the Home Office finds compliance issues that are serious but not fatal, it may downgrade a sponsor licence from A-rated to B-rated.
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Sponsor Licence Action Plan
A sponsor licence action plan is the document the Home Office issues when it expects an employer to fix specific compliance failings within a set period.
Speak to a RakLAW sponsor licence solicitor
Whether you're applying for the first time, extending, switching, or appealing a refusal, book a confidential consultation and we'll tell you exactly where you stand.
Book a consultation