Sponsor licences · IAA-regulated advice
Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence Advice in Birmingham & London
Hire people from overseas for skilled jobs in your UK business. We check your organisation, your key people and the jobs you want to fill against the Home Office rules, and prepare your licence application and documents with you, for a fixed fee agreed in writing.
Last checked 11 October 2026 · Reviewed by Vishal Gautam, IAA-regulated adviser
Overview
What is a Skilled Worker sponsor licence?
A sponsor licence is the Home Office’s permission for your organisation to employ people who need a visa to work for you. Once you’re licensed for the Skilled Worker route, you assign a certificate of sponsorship to each worker, and they use it to apply for a Skilled Worker visa. You’ll usually need a licence to hire anyone from outside the UK, including most EU citizens who arrived after 31 December 2020.
Skilled Worker is one of the routes on the ‘Worker’ licence, which can also cover Senior or Specialist Workers, Ministers of Religion and International Sportspeople. The licence has no expiry date: it stays valid unless the Home Office revokes it or you surrender it. In return, you take on sponsor duties, such as reporting changes, keeping records and paying your workers what you promised.
✓This is the right licence if…
- You’re a genuine organisation operating or trading lawfully in the UK
- You want to fill jobs skilled to degree level (RQF 6), or jobs on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List
- You can pay at least £41,700 a year and the going rate for the job, unless a lower threshold applies to the worker
- You have suitable people and HR systems to meet your sponsor duties
→Look at another route if…
- You need someone for a short creative, charity or religious roleTemporary Worker licence →
- You’re bringing in staff from an overseas company in your groupGlobal Business Mobility licence →
- You’re an overseas business that hasn’t started trading in the UK yetUK Expansion Worker licence →
- You’re the worker, applying for the visa itselfSkilled Worker visa →
Quick check
Can you sponsor? Six questions, one minute
Answer honestly. Nothing is saved or sent: this is a general guide, not advice on your case.
Is your organisation operating or trading lawfully in the UK?You’ll normally send at least 4 documents to prove it, such as PAYE or VAT registration, bank statements or employer’s liability insurance.
Is the job skilled to degree level (RQF 6), or on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List?The worker doesn’t need a degree, but the job must be at that level. Care worker jobs can only go to people already in the UK.
Can you pay at least £41,700 a year and the going rate for the job?Lower thresholds apply to some workers, for example new entrants (under 26 or recent graduates) and Immigration Salary List jobs.
Do you have a senior person to be Authorising Officer, and a settled employee, director or partner to be Level 1 User?They must be based in the UK and can be the same person. ‘Settled’ includes British and Irish citizens and people with indefinite leave or EU Settlement Scheme status.
Are you and your key people free of unspent convictions for relevant offences and unpaid immigration penalties?A licence revoked in the last 12 months, or refused in the last 6, usually means you must wait before applying.
Can your HR systems track sponsored workers’ attendance, contact details and right to work?You must report most changes about a worker within 10 working days and keep records the Home Office can inspect.
Eligibility
Skilled Worker sponsor licence requirements
The Home Office checks that you’re genuine, trustworthy and able to meet your sponsor duties, and that the jobs you want to fill meet the Skilled Worker rules. It may visit or interview you before it decides.
A genuine UK organisation
- You must be operating or trading lawfully in the UK, with any registration or licence your sector legally needs
- You must be able to offer genuine jobs that meet the skill and salary rules, not roles created to get someone a visa
- You can’t sponsor a worker and then supply them as labour to another business, even under a genuine contract
- Care providers sponsoring care workers in England must be registered with the Care Quality Commission and carry out a regulated activity
Little or no office space? The Home Office is highly likely to carry out a compliance check with your Authorising Officer before deciding.
Your key personnel
- Authorising Officer: the most senior person responsible for sponsored recruitment and your sponsor duties, and a paid member of staff or office holder
- Key Contact: your main point of contact with UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)
- Level 1 User: runs your licence day to day on the sponsorship management system. At least one must be an employee, director or partner who is a settled worker
- Everyone must be based in the UK, must not be a contractor or consultant hired for a specific project, and must pass the Home Office’s checks
No new Level 2 Users can be appointed from 9 September 2026. Existing ones must be upgraded to Level 1 or removed by 8 March 2027.
The jobs you can sponsor
- The job must be in an eligible occupation code. Below degree level, only Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List jobs qualify for new workers
- Temporary Shortage List jobs, and most Immigration Salary List jobs, need a certificate issued before 31 December 2026
- Lower thresholds apply to some workers: new entrants can be paid 70% of the going rate, with a floor of £33,400
- Care worker and senior care worker jobs can only be sponsored for people already in the UK who meet extra conditions
For certificates assigned from 8 April 2026, you must pay at least the going rate for every hour worked in each pay period, and at least a quarter of the required yearly salary over any 3 months (12/52 over any 12 weeks if you pay more often than monthly). The Home Office checks pay with HMRC.
Your duties once licensed
- Report a worker who doesn’t start within 28 days, or is absent without permission for more than 10 working days in a row
- Report pay cuts, significant changes to the job, a new work location, and when you stop sponsoring someone
- Keep records for each worker, including current contact details and evidence of their right to work
- Pay the licence fee, certificate fee and Immigration Skills Charge yourself, and never pass them on to the worker
If you don’t meet your duties, the Home Office can downgrade, suspend or revoke your licence.
Documents
Skilled Worker sponsor licence documents: the easy part
Most organisations send at least 4 documents, plus information about the business and the jobs they plan to fill. The harder part is showing the Home Office that your jobs and systems are genuine.
What everyone needs
- Your online application and the signed submission sheet
- At least 4 documents showing your organisation is genuine and trading
- Proof of any registration or licence your sector legally needs
- Details of your Authorising Officer, Key Contact and Level 1 User
- £Details of each job you plan to fill, including the occupation code and pay
- An organisation chart, and how you found any worker you’ve already chosen
Plus your Care Quality Commission registration number if you’ll sponsor care workers in England, and certified translations of anything not in English or Welsh. Public bodies and some other organisations need fewer documents.
Costs & timeline
Skilled Worker sponsor licence cost and processing time
A Worker licence costs £611 for a small or charitable sponsor, or £1,682 if you’re medium or large. Each certificate of sponsorship costs £525, and the Immigration Skills Charge is £480 or £1,320 for a worker’s first 12 months. Most licence applications are decided in under 8 weeks.
Paid by you, the employer
| Licence fee, small or charitable sponsor£1,682 for a medium or large sponsor | £611 |
| Certificate of sponsorship, per workerthe same for every size of sponsor | £525 |
| Immigration Skills Charge, first 12 months£1,320 if you’re medium or large; then £240 or £660 for each extra 6 months | £480 |
| Home Office total, small sponsorlicence plus one worker for 12 months; £3,527 if you’re medium or large | £1,616 |
Home Office fees from the fees table in force from 8 October 2026, and the Immigration Skills Charge from GOV.UK, checked 11 October 2026. You’re usually a small sponsor if at least 2 of these apply: turnover of £15 million or less, total assets of £7.5 million or less, 50 employees or fewer. Registered charities pay the small fee. A priority decision within 10 working days costs £750 more, with a limited number of places each day. The licence fee isn’t refunded if you’re refused. There’s no Immigration Skills Charge for some research and higher education jobs, for a worker who holds a Student visa when you assign the certificate, or for a visa of under 6 months applied for from outside the UK. The worker’s own visa fee and health surcharge are separate. Our consultation fees →
Check your jobs and people
Before you applyConfirm the jobs meet the skill and salary rules, choose your key personnel and get your HR systems ready.
Apply online and pay
Week 0You submit the online form and pay the fee, then send the signed submission sheet and documents within 5 working days.
Assessment
Possible compliance visitUKVI may visit your premises or interview you by video. Reply to any request for more information within the deadline it gives.
Decision
Usually under 8 weeksOr within 10 working days if you pay £750 for the priority service and a place is available. If granted, you get an A-rating and access to the sponsorship management system.
Assign certificates
Once licensedApply for a defined certificate for each overseas hire (usually decided in one working day). The worker then has 3 months to apply for their visa.
Avoid a refusal
Common Skilled Worker sponsor licence refusal reasons
Most refusals come from gaps in the evidence, the people or the systems, not from the business itself. These are the issues we check first.
Missing or late documents
If a mandatory document is missing, the application is rejected as invalid. If the Home Office asks for more and you don’t reply by the deadline, it refuses and keeps the fee.
We check: every document against the Home Office list before you apply.
Jobs that don’t look genuine
The Home Office must be satisfied you can offer jobs that meet the skill and salary rules, and that your business doesn’t exist mainly to bring people in.
We check: each role, its occupation code and its pay.
Ineligible key personnel
You need an eligible Authorising Officer and a settled Level 1 User. An application sent by a representative on your behalf is refused.
We check: who can fill each role before you name them.
HR systems that can’t meet the duties
If your processes couldn’t tell you that a sponsored worker hadn’t turned up, the Home Office can refuse. A compliance visit may test this.
We check: your HR processes against each sponsor duty.
Past penalties or convictions
An unspent conviction for a relevant offence, an unpaid civil penalty or a recent revocation leads to refusal or a waiting period.
We check: your history, and your key people’s, in confidence.
Placing workers with clients
You can’t sponsor someone and supply them as labour to another business. Agencies can only sponsor staff who work in their own business.
We check: how and where each worker will actually work.
How we help
Our Skilled Worker sponsor licence services
Choose a one-off consultation, or let us prepare your licence application with you from start to finish, for a fixed fee.
Eligibility consultation
We check your organisation, your jobs and your key people against the rules, and tell you plainly about any risk.
Evidence and systems review
We check your documents, job details and HR systems before you apply, and help you prepare for a compliance visit.
Licence application
We help you complete the online form and prepare your documents and covering letter. The Home Office requires you to submit it yourself.
Certificates and compliance
We help you assign certificates, meet your reporting duties and review your compliance before any Home Office action.
Our scope: we’re regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority at Level 1. There’s no right of appeal against a licence refusal. If you’re refused, we explain your options and help you reapply when you’re able to, and we refer you to a solicitor or higher-level adviser where your case needs a higher level of advice.
FAQs
Skilled Worker sponsor licence questions, answered
How long does a sponsor licence last?
It has no expiry date. It stays valid unless the Home Office revokes it or you surrender it, so there’s no renewal application or fee. You must keep meeting your sponsor duties for as long as you hold it.
Are we a small or a large sponsor?
You’re usually small if at least 2 of these apply: annual turnover of £15 million or less, total assets of £7.5 million or less, 50 employees or fewer. Registered charities pay the small fee too. Your size also sets your Immigration Skills Charge, and you must tell the Home Office within 20 working days if it changes.
Can we recover the fees from the worker?
No. You must pay the licence fee, the certificate fee and the Immigration Skills Charge yourself, including any related administrative costs. If you pass them on, or try to, the Home Office will normally revoke your licence.
What’s a defined certificate of sponsorship?
It’s the certificate you need for a Skilled Worker applying from outside the UK. You apply for each one through the sponsorship management system, and most are decided within one working day. Workers applying from inside the UK use undefined certificates from your yearly allocation.
Can we sponsor someone already working for us?
Yes, if they need sponsorship and the job meets the rules. Most people can switch to a Skilled Worker visa in the UK, but visitors and seasonal workers can’t, and students usually can’t start the job until their course has ended. If they hold a Student visa when you assign the certificate, there’s no Immigration Skills Charge.
Can we sponsor care workers?
Only in limited cases. Since 22 July 2025, you can sponsor a care worker or senior care worker only if they’re already in the UK and either already sponsored in that role, or have worked legally for you as a carer for at least 3 months (applying before 22 July 2028). In England, you must also be registered with the Care Quality Commission and carry out a regulated activity.
What happens if our application is refused?
There’s no right of appeal. If the refusal came from a caseworker error, or evidence you sent wasn’t considered, you can send an error correction request within 14 calendar days. Otherwise, you can usually apply again after 6 months, once the problem is fixed.
Can we add other routes to our licence later?
Yes. Your Level 1 User applies through a shortened form, with your Authorising Officer’s approval. There’s usually no fee, but a medium or large sponsor adding a Worker route to a Temporary Worker-only licence pays £1,071.
Related routes
Other sponsor licence pages
Ready when you are
Licensed, sorted.
Book a consultation, or start with the free quick check on this page.