UK Employers’ Guide To Sponsorship Licence Applications
What is a Sponsor Licence?
A sponsor licence gives a UK company permission to hire Non-British migrant workers from overseas and within the UK.
If a foreigner wants to work in the UK, they need a work permit from the UK Immigration and Visa office. The organisations who are employing foreigners also need a special permit to sponsor these workers. The sponsor licence can only be issued to organisations and not individuals.
Companies with sponsor licences can support residents of the EEA and EU looking to work in the UK. Such systems are implemented to prevent the mistreatment of immigrant workers coming to the UK.
Securing this sponsor licence can be a tedious and lengthy process, involving documents and fees that the sponsoring company must submit. The documents and all relevant fees are paid to the UK Home Office. They will grant a sponsor licence to the organisation only if the company meets the eligibility requirements and have the ability to carry out sponsor duties, in addition, the company needs to display the vacancies and the employees they plan on hiring for the position.
Why is it Important to Get a Sponsor Licence if you Want to Hire Workers from Overseas?
Since Brexit, EU nationals who seek employment in the UK after 1st January 2021, can no longer work freely. They have to be sponsored and provide a visa to work in the UK. For a UK company that wants to hire someone from the EU who does not have a settled status, the UK employer must have a valid sponsorship licence to sponsor them.
In addition to this, due to Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, many organisations in the UK have been suffering from staff shortage issues as they struggle to find skilled labourers from the domestic market, their solution is to look for skilled labourers from outside the country or people who are non-British citizens.
Sponsoring workers from overseas can be tricky. When companies choose to hire these workers, they must comply with all UK worker and immigration laws to avoid sanctions. Failure to comply with the sponsor licence duties may lead to hefty fines and penalties for the company.
Which Roles Can Be Sponsored for a Skilled Worker Visa?
A Skilled Worker Visa enables a person to enter and reside in the UK to do an eligible job with an approved employer.
The individual must qualify for 70 points to obtain a skilled worker visa. They can be awarded 50 points if they can speak English and already have a job offer from an approved employer for a skilled job.
The sponsor licence holder can determine if the role can be sponsored as a skilled worker visa by the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code given out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Once the code has been identified, the vacant job should be cross-referenced with the list of eligible jobs under the Skilled Worker route.
Not all roles can be sponsored as a skilled worker visa; skill and salary levels differ between sponsoring a skilled worker and other types of work visa.
Sanctions for Non-compliance
Sponsoring non-UK resident workers requires a strong knowledge of the law and rules regarding immigration to the UK. The Home Office can decide to investigate all sponsor licence holders before, during or after granting the licence to ensure compliance. Sanctions for non-compliance with UK law can vary depending on the severity of the situation.
If your licence is downgraded, the sponsor licence holder must pay UKVI for an action plan of all the issues the company must remedy before getting their licence back. Companies with revoked licences may be banned from applying for a new licence for six to twelve months. This cool-off period allows the company to take a more proactive approach when remedying the present issues.