Sponsor management · IAA-regulated advice
Sponsor Management System (SMS) Help in Birmingham & London
The sponsor management system (SMS) is the Home Office system where you assign certificates of sponsorship, report changes and manage your licence. We check who should have access, guide your team through the changes coming in 2027 and check entries before they go in, for a fixed fee agreed in writing.
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Last checked 11 October 2026 · Reviewed by Vishal Gautam, IAA-regulated adviser
Overview
What is the sponsor management system?
The sponsor management system (SMS) is the online system UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) gives every licensed sponsor. Your SMS Users use it to assign certificates of sponsorship (CoS), request more certificates, report changes about your workers and your organisation, and read UKVI’s messages.
Who can log in, and what they enter, is part of your sponsor duties. Your Authorising Officer is responsible for everything your SMS Users do, and a mistake in the system, such as the wrong occupation code on a certificate, can lead to a refused visa or action against your licence.
✓This guide is for you if…
- You hold a sponsor licence, or expect one soon
- You need to add, change or remove SMS users, including Level 2 Users before March 2027
- You’re about to request or assign certificates of sponsorship
- Your Authorising Officer wants to know the system is being used correctly
Quick check
Is your SMS set up correctly? Six questions, one minute
Answer honestly. Nothing is saved or sent: this is a general guide, not advice on your case.
Do you have a Level 1 User who is your employee, director or partner and a settled worker?Settled worker: for example a British or Irish citizen, or someone with indefinite leave or EU settled status. Licensed before 1 January 2025? Two users can meet these between them.
Is your Authorising Officer still with you, and the most senior person responsible for sponsorship?They can’t log in to the SMS unless they’re also a Level 1 User.
Have you upgraded or deactivated every Level 2 User?Do it by 8 March 2027. Agency staff can’t be upgraded.
Has every SMS User logged in within the last 12 months, with their own email, mobile number and date of birth on record?These are needed for multi-factor authentication.
Does someone check the certificates your users assign, at least monthly?UKVI recommends your Authorising Officer does this.
Do you know your certificate allocation and when your CoS year ends?Unused certificates don’t carry over.
Eligibility
Sponsor management system requirements
UKVI sets rules for who can use the SMS and how. These are the points we check when we set up or review your account.
Your Key Personnel
- Authorising Officer: the most senior person responsible for recruiting sponsored workers and meeting your duties; a paid member of staff or office holder, never a representative
- Key Contact: your main contact with UKVI; a member of staff, office holder or UK-based representative
- Everyone must be based in the UK, have a National Insurance number (unless exempt) and pass UKVI’s suitability checks
- Contractors or consultants hired for a specific purpose can’t fill any role, and from 9 September 2026 nor can agency staff
The Authorising Officer and Key Contact can’t use the SMS unless they’re also appointed as Level 1 Users.
Level 1 Users
- Level 1 Users run your licence day to day: assigning and withdrawing certificates, requesting allocations and defined certificates, reporting changes and managing users
- Your primary Level 1 User must be your employee, director or partner and a settled worker, unless an exception applies
- Licensed since before 1 January 2025? Two Level 1 Users can meet these requirements between them
- Extra Level 1 Users can be staff, an outsourced HR provider’s employee or a UK-based representative, but not your only Level 1 User
Have enough Level 1 Users to cover absences. If nobody can log in, you must use UKVI’s change of circumstances form instead.
Level 2 Users are being phased out
- Level 2 Users can only assign certificates, and report on the ones they assigned or were given
- Upgrade each one to Level 1 if they’re eligible and still need access, or deactivate their account
- Agency staff supplied by an employment business can’t be upgraded: deactivate them by 8 March 2027
- After that date, UKVI deactivates any Level 2 User accounts that remain
Decide who will assign certificates after March 2027 before you deactivate anyone.
Logging in and keeping accounts active
- Multi-factor authentication is being switched on for all SMS Users in phases from 3 September 2026, and from the start for licences granted on or after 9 September 2026
- Level 1 Users need a correct date of birth, mobile number and email on record; Level 2 Users need an email address
- If UKVI contacts you about an inactive user, they must log in and check their details within 3 months
- If that leaves you with no active Level 1 User, UKVI suspends your licence and gives you 28 days to nominate one
Each user’s email must be personal to them. Never share logins: you’re responsible for everything done in your account.
Certificates of sponsorship
- Undefined certificates come from your annual allocation; defined certificates, for Skilled Workers applying from outside the UK, need a separate request each time
- Unused certificates are removed at the end of your CoS year. A-rated sponsors on most routes get an automatic allocation equal to what they used
- Fix a minor error with a sponsor note; withdraw and reassign for a wrong occupation code or route
- No SMS User may assign a certificate to themselves, or to a close relative or partner
Assigning a certificate to yourself or a relative is a ground on which UKVI will revoke a licence.
Documents
SMS setup documents: the easy part
Most of what you need is already in your HR files. Problems come from who you nominate, and whether their details match what UKVI holds.
What everyone needs
- Contact details for each member of your Key Personnel and every SMS User
- Evidence of each user’s role, such as their contract or appointment
- National Insurance numbers for Key Personnel, or why they’re exempt
- The job details for each certificate: occupation code, duties, pay and hours
- £A way to pay certificate fees and the Immigration Skills Charge
- Your licence number and current SMS login details
Plus any signed submission sheet and documents UKVI asks for, which you must send within 5 working days.
Costs & timeline
Sponsor management system costs and processing times
Each certificate you assign costs £525 on Worker routes, or £55 on Temporary Worker routes. If you’re A-rated, you can pay £350 for a priority decision on some SMS requests within 5 working days; standard change requests can take up to 18 weeks.
Paid by you, the sponsor
| Certificate of sponsorship, Worker routes£55 on Temporary Worker routes | £525 |
| Priority decision on an SMS request (optional)for example extra certificates or a new Level 1 User | £350 |
| One certificate, with a priority allocation requestplus the Immigration Skills Charge for Skilled Workers | £875 |
Home Office fees from the fees table in force from 8 October 2026, checked 11 October 2026. The priority service has a daily limit and doesn’t guarantee approval. For Skilled and Senior or Specialist Workers you’ll usually also pay the Immigration Skills Charge: £480 for the first 12 months if you’re a small or charitable sponsor, or £1,320 if not. You can’t recover any of these costs from the worker. Our consultation fees →
Licence granted
Day 1The Level 1 Users you nominated get SMS access, and you get your first certificate allocation.
Assign certificates
Each time you sponsorCheck the job details, pay the fee and assign. The worker must apply within 3 months.
Report changes
Within 10 or 20 working daysUse ‘Report migrant activity’ for worker changes, and the licence functions for changes to your organisation.
Renew your allocation
Every 12 monthsUnused certificates are removed at the end of each CoS year. If renewal isn’t automatic, request it up to 3 months before.
Level 2 Users end
8 March 2027Upgrade or deactivate any Level 2 Users before then, or UKVI will deactivate them.
Protect your licence
Common sponsor management system mistakes
Most SMS problems come from people and process, not the software. These are the issues we check first.
No eligible Level 1 User
If your only Level 1 User leaves, or isn’t a settled worker employed by you, UKVI will revoke your licence.
We check: who holds each role, and who covers if they leave.
Level 2 Users left in place
No new Level 2 Users can be added, any left after 8 March 2027 are deactivated, and agency staff can’t be upgraded.
We check: every user account, and plan upgrades or removals.
Shared or stale logins
Accounts unused for 12 months are deactivated, and multi-factor authentication needs each user’s own email, phone and date of birth.
We check: that user details are current and personal to each user.
The wrong occupation code
A code that doesn’t fit the job can lead to a refused visa, and a worker doing a job that doesn’t match their certificate is a ground on which UKVI will revoke a licence.
We check: the code and job description before you assign.
Defined and undefined mixed up
Assigning an undefined certificate where a defined one is needed, for a Skilled Worker applying from abroad, is a ground on which UKVI will normally revoke a licence.
We check: which type each worker needs.
Certificates assigned to relatives
No SMS User may assign a certificate to themselves, a close relative or partner. UKVI will revoke a licence for this.
We check: your controls, and the Authorising Officer’s monthly checks.
How we help
Our sponsor management system services
Choose a one-off review, or ongoing help with your SMS, for a fixed fee.
SMS health check
We review your Key Personnel, users and allocation, and tell you plainly what needs fixing.
User changes
We guide you through adding, upgrading or removing users, and check the paperwork before it goes to UKVI.
Certificate checks
Before you assign, we check the occupation code, salary, dates and certificate type.
Training and support
We train the people who use your SMS, and help when something needs reporting.
Our scope: we’re regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority at Level 1. We carry out compliance reviews and help you put things right before any enforcement action. If UKVI proposes to downgrade, suspend or revoke your licence, we explain the process and deadlines and refer you to a solicitor or higher-level adviser.
FAQs
Sponsor management system questions, answered
Who can access the sponsor management system?
Only your SMS Users: Level 1 Users, and any Level 2 Users appointed before 9 September 2026 until their accounts end after 8 March 2027. Your Authorising Officer and Key Contact can’t log in unless they’re also appointed as Level 1 Users.
What’s the difference between a Level 1 and a Level 2 User?
A Level 1 User can do everything in the SMS: assign certificates, request allocations, report changes and manage users. A Level 2 User can only assign certificates and report on the ones they assigned or were given. No new Level 2 Users can be appointed, so upgrade or deactivate any you have by 8 March 2027.
Can our immigration adviser be a Level 1 User?
Yes. A UK-based representative who is qualified to give immigration advice can be your Key Contact and, once your licence is granted, an additional Level 1 User. They can’t be your Authorising Officer or your only Level 1 User: you need at least one Level 1 User from your own organisation.
What happens if our only Level 1 User leaves?
You must have an eligible Level 1 User at all times, or UKVI will revoke your licence. If nobody can log in, use UKVI’s change of circumstances form to add one. Act straight away, and keep a second Level 1 User for cover.
Do we still need to renew our sponsor licence?
No. Since 6 April 2024, licences stay valid until you surrender them or UKVI revokes them; Scale-up and UK Expansion Worker licences last up to 4 years. You do still need to renew your certificate allocation each year through the SMS.
How do we get more certificates of sponsorship?
A Level 1 User can ask for an increase through the SMS, with reasons. A decision usually takes up to 12 weeks, or an A-rated sponsor can pay £350 for a priority decision within 5 working days, subject to a daily limit. Defined certificates, for Skilled Workers applying from abroad, are requested one at a time and are usually approved within one working day.
What is multi-factor authentication on the SMS?
Each login needs a one-time passcode as well as a password, sent by text to a Level 1 User’s mobile or by email otherwise. UKVI is switching it on in phases from 3 September 2026, so make sure each user’s date of birth, mobile number and email are right now.
We made a mistake on a certificate. What now?
If it hasn’t been used yet, a minor error such as a mistyped name can be corrected with a sponsor note. A wrong occupation code or route, or errors in more than one of nationality, date of birth and surname, mean withdrawing it and assigning a new one. Once a certificate has been used, report changes through ‘Report migrant activity’.
Related routes
More on managing your licence
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