Calderwood House, Montpellier Parade, Cheltenham GL50 1UA
Our immigration solicitors can advise UK employers on sponsor licence applications and sponsorship matters. We can help with eligibility, licence requirements, supporting documents, compliance responsibilities and the application process.
Business Immigration and Sponsor Licence Advice
Recruiting someone from overseas can be important to a growing business, but sponsorship brings responsibilities beyond issuing a job offer. You may be applying for your first licence, dealing with a difficult vacancy or responding to a Home Office compliance concern. Our business immigration solicitors help you understand what your organisation must demonstrate and who will carry out the sponsor duties. We assess the proposed recruitment alongside your business records and HR processes, so the application reflects how the organisation actually operates.
We can review eligibility, key personnel and supporting documents, and identify weaknesses in record keeping or reporting before they cause problems. Our legal team also advises on Certificates of Sponsorship, changes to the business and compliance action after approval. You receive a clear explanation of the work, government charges and ongoing responsibilities. We help you plan lawful recruitment and practical systems for managing sponsored workers throughout their employment.
Most organisations recruiting a worker who does not already have an unrestricted right to work need a licence for the relevant Worker or Temporary Worker route. The Home Office considers if the organisation is genuine, lawfully operating, capable of carrying out sponsor duties and offering roles that meet the immigration rules.
The organisation appoints an authorising officer, key contact and level 1 user to manage the licence and Sponsorship Management System. After approval, a Certificate of Sponsorship is assigned to an eligible worker, who then makes a separate visa application.
The application fee is generally not refunded after refusal, and incomplete mandatory evidence can cause rejection or refusal. The organisation must choose the correct licence routes, identify suitable key personnel and submit documents within the Home Office deadline.
A licence also creates continuing compliance duties. Weak right-to-work, attendance, contact-detail or reporting systems can lead to a compliance visit, downgrade, suspension or revocation. Legal advice can address the systems before the application rather than after a problem arises.
The Home Office can refuse an application if the organisation is not eligible, the supporting documents are missing, key personnel are unsuitable or the business cannot demonstrate reliable systems for monitoring sponsored workers. Concerns about previous non-compliance, illegal working, the genuineness of proposed roles or inaccurate information can also affect approval.
After a licence is granted, failures to report changes, retain required records, conduct right-to-work checks or sponsor workers in genuine roles on the stated salary can result in a reduced allocation, downgrade, suspension or revocation. We help employers identify weaknesses before application and respond promptly if the Home Office raises compliance concerns.
At 15 September 2026, a Worker sponsor licence costs £611 for a small or charitable sponsor and £1,682 for a medium or large sponsor. Optional priority processing is £750 where available. A Skilled Worker Certificate of Sponsorship costs £525.
An Immigration Skills Charge may also apply, currently £480 per sponsored worker per year for a small or charitable sponsor and £1,320 per year for a medium or large sponsor, with exemptions in specified cases. These employer charges are separate from the worker's visa costs and our legal fee. Our fee depends on the organisation, licence routes, HR audit and support required.
Employers must pay the sponsorship charges that the rules prohibit recovering from a worker, including the Immigration Skills Charge and relevant licence and certificate costs. A repayment clause does not make a prohibited charge lawful. We can review proposed arrangements before recruitment proceeds.
A licence does not guarantee that any particular worker or role qualifies. The organisation must check the vacancy and assign the correct certificate, while the worker separately satisfies the visa rules.
We can assess eligibility, business structure, proposed roles and HR systems; identify the documents required by Appendix A; review the online application; and prepare the organisation for a possible Home Office compliance visit.
After grant, we can advise on Certificates of Sponsorship, reportable changes and sponsor duties. We can also coordinate the employee's Skilled Worker visa application so the sponsorship and personal applications use matching information.
We look beyond the online form. The documents, key personnel, proposed vacancies and HR processes must show that the organisation is ready to act as a sponsor from the date of grant.
Sponsor Licence FAQs
Answers about eligibility, personnel, documents, costs, visits and sponsor duties.
An organisation will usually need a licence to employ a person who requires sponsorship on a Worker or Temporary Worker route. First check the worker’s existing immigration permission and the proposed role. Someone with unrestricted work rights may not need sponsorship, while a person with limited permission may face restrictions unrelated to a sponsor licence.
It checks that the organisation is genuine and operating lawfully, has suitable people and systems, and can comply with sponsor duties. The assessment can include the proposed roles, finances, operating premises and ability to monitor workers. We help connect the supporting records to the actual business rather than relying solely on incorporation documents.
The main roles are authorising officer, key contact and level 1 user. One person can sometimes hold more than one role, subject to suitability rules. They must meet the applicable eligibility and suitability rules, and understand their responsibilities. Appointing a name on the form is not enough if the organisation has no practical arrangements for using the sponsorship system.
The required evidence depends on the organisation and route. Appendix A identifies mandatory documents, and extra evidence may be needed for the sector or vacancy. We identify the organisation-specific documents and submission deadline. Missing mandatory evidence can prevent approval; a long bundle of general business material does not compensate for omitting a required record.
Yes. UKVI can inspect the organisation before or after grant to check operations, vacancies, records and HR systems. Staff may be asked about recruitment, duties, attendance and reporting. Preparation should involve checking genuine records and addressing weaknesses, with accurate answers that reflect how the organisation operates.
The licence fee depends on sponsor size and licence type. Certificate fees, the Immigration Skills Charge, priority service and legal advice may also form part of the recruitment budget. At September 2026 rates, a Worker licence costs £611 for a small or charitable sponsor or £1,682 for a medium or large sponsor. The total recruitment budget also needs separate certificate and, where applicable, skills charges.
The sponsor must pay specified sponsorship costs itself. Passing prohibited costs to the worker can place the licence at risk. This includes restrictions on recovering relevant licence and certificate costs and the Immigration Skills Charge. We review proposed repayment terms against the current rules before they are agreed with a sponsored employee.
Most Worker and Temporary Worker licences remain valid while the sponsor continues to meet eligibility requirements. Some routes have a fixed four-year limit. Ongoing validity does not remove compliance duties. Keep personnel and business information current and report changes when required; approval should not be treated as a permanent exemption from Home Office scrutiny.
The Home Office can downgrade, suspend or revoke a licence. Early advice is important after a compliance concern or notification. The action and response deadline should be reviewed immediately. Suspension and revocation have different consequences for recruitment and existing workers. We assess the allegations, records and permitted response before further certificates are assigned.
Potentially. Size or recent incorporation does not by itself determine eligibility. The organisation must demonstrate genuine lawful operations, suitable roles and the ability to perform sponsor duties. We assess business evidence, funding, key personnel and HR systems against the relevant requirements before recommending the application.
Arrange a telephone call or visit our Cheltenham office by appointment. We will discuss your circumstances, any deadline and the legal work required, then explain the scope and fees before proceeding.
Call 0330 900 0377, email info@pembridgesolicitors.co.uk or request a consultation.
We assist clients in Cheltenham and the surrounding Gloucestershire area, including applications involving family members or applicants overseas.
Pembridge Solicitors
Calderwood House, Montpellier Parade
Cheltenham GL50 1UA
Office visits by appointment.