UK Employer Visa Guide (Sponsoring Workers)

  • Updated on Feb 23, 2023
  • Published on Aug 30, 2022
  • 5 minute(s) read
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Who is this article for?

UK employers looking to sponsor individuals outside of the UK for work.

Topics Covered in this Article:

  • Employer Requirements
  • Types of Licenses
  • Applying for a Sponsor License
  • Certificates of Sponsorship
  • Additional Fees and Certificates

The terms "license" and "certificate" are used on government sites throughout the visa process for both the sponsoring employer and the employee being sponsored and often do not have the same meaning or purpose. Therefore, pay close attention to the various "license" or "certificates" you need and seek professional guidance when in question.

If you want to work in the UK or hire a foreigner to work in the UK, they will need to be sponsored by a UK company recognized by The Home Office and issued a certificate of sponsorship.

Employer Requirements:

  • Before applying to become a sponsor, you should check that the jobs you are planning to hire people for will meet the requirements for sponsoring work visas by checking the eligble occupations list.
  • Apply to become a sponsor
  • Pay corresponding sponsor fees
  • Issue sponsor licenses to employees. This includes unpaid work such as running a charity.
  • Check if a worker has a right to work in the UK manually or online through this website.

The employer must meet the following basic criteria:

  • No unspent criminal convictions for immigration offenses or other crimes like fraud or money laundering
  • Not have a sponsor license revoked in the last 12 months

Note: Irish citizens or EU citizens with status under the EU Settlement Scheme don’t need a visa to work in the UK.

Types of Licenses

If you’re employing a foreign worker, you have first to ensure that the job has a suitable rate of pay and skill level and that it also meets other criteria needed for the worker’s visa. This will depend on the type of worker you’ll engage.

  • Workers refer to those who are skilled or offered short-term, long-term, or permanent employment.
  • Temporary workers refer to specific types of temporary employment, which include volunteering and job shadowing.

A license can cover one or both types of employment.

Worker license:

  • Skilled Worker
  • Senior or Specialist Worker (Global Business Mobility) - Intra-company Transfer visa
  • Minister of Religion
  • International Sportsperson

Temporary Worker license:

  • Creative Worker (up to 2 years)
  • Charity Worker (up to 1 year)
  • Religious Worker (2 years)
  • Government Authorized Exchange
    • Work experience (1 year)
    • Research projects or training (2 years)
  • International Agreement
  • Graduate Trainee
  • Service Supplier
  • UK Expansion Worker
  • Secondment Worker
  • Seasonal Worker (working in edible horticulture)

Applying for a Sponsor License

It is highly recommended that the application is made through an immigration professional, such as an attorney.

This can be a long and complicated process. Without assistance, choosing the correct path and proper documentation can be difficult and time-consuming.

  1. Apply for a sponsorship license online.
  2. Once done, send the following documents to the email address listed on the submission sheet. You can scan or take photos of these, as long as they’re clear and readable.
    1. Submission sheet at the end of the application
    2. Supporting documents
  3. Pay the corresponding license fees. These are dependent on your company’s classification. See fee structure here.

A small sponsor meets at least 2 of the criteria below:

  • Have no more than 50 employees
  • Have total assets that are worth less than £5.1 million
  • Annual turnover is not more than £10.2 million

A charitable sponsor is:

  • Registered charity in England or Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
  • Excepted charity
  • Exempt charity
  • Ecclesiastical corporations established for charitable purposes

You can contact the Business Helpdesk (businesshelpdesk@homeoffice.gov.uk) if unsure of your company’s classification. Note: Applications are processed for up to 8 weeks. However, you can pay an additional £500 if you want to expedite the process to 10 working days.

You can also hire a license manager through the premium customer service scheme. Here are the corresponding fees for availing this service:

  • £8,000 per year for small or charitable sponsor
  • £25,000 per year for medium or large sponsors

After checking your application, the UKVI can assign you one of two license ratings.

A rating
You are granted the A rating or the full sponsor license if your application is approved. This means you can begin to assign certificates of sponsorship, and your company will be included in the register.

B rating
The B rating is given if sponsor responsibilities are not met. This means you’re not able to issue new certificates of sponsorship, although you can still provide existing employees with certificates if needed.

The UKVI will provide an action plan for you to follow if you have been downgraded to a B rating. This action plan costs £1,476. Not completing this may lead to UKVI revoking your license. However, if there are still improvements to be made after evaluation, then you’ll be given another B rating. You will then be assigned a new action plan, and pay the same fee again. You can only have two B ratings within your license’s 4-year validity period.

Certificates of Sponsorship

These ‘certificates’ are electronic records or unique reference numbers for each foreign worker employed by your company. These contain all the information relevant to a worker’s job - tasks and responsibilities, working hours, salary.

Once these are issued, the worker must apply for a visa within three months.

There are two types:
1. Defined Certificate

  • For the Skilled Worker visa (outside of the UK)
  • Processed within one working day unless there are additional checks that UKVI has to make.
  • Applied through the SMS (sponsorship management system)

2. Undefined Certificate

  • For the Skilled Worker visa (inside of the UK)
  • Other visas

These are the corresponding fees you need to pay when assigning a certificate of sponsorship:

  • Worker visa (except the International Sportsperson visa) - £199
  • Temporary Worker visa - £21

Additional Fees and Certificates

Immigration Skills Charge
For a Skilled Worker or Senior or Specialist Worker visa, you may need to pay the immigration skills charge. See here for corresponding fees and exceptions to the charge.

You must pay the immigration skills charge if they’re applying for a visa from:

  • Outside the UK to work in the UK for six months or more
  • Inside the UK for any length of time

ATAS Certificate
This is the Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate, and the worker may be required to apply for this.

The ATAS certificate is needed for the following visas:

  • Skilled Worker visa
  • Senior or Specialist Worker visa (Global Business Mobility)
  • Graduate Trainee visa (Global Business Mobility)
  • UK Expansion Worker visa (Global Business Mobility)
  • Service Supplier visa (Global Business Mobility)
  • Secondment Worker visa (Global Business Mobility)
  • Scale-up Worker visa
  • Government Authorized Exchange visa
  • International Agreement visa

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