Sponsor Licence Support
Get sponsor-ready, and stay compliant
To hire most overseas workers, a UK employer needs a Home Office sponsor licence. We get your HR records, payroll and processes ready for the application and the compliance checks that follow, working alongside your regulated immigration adviser.
Sponsor licence checklist
- Genuine, operating UK business
- Evidence ready
- Authorising Officer & Key Contact
- Appointed
- Appendix A documents
- Collected
- Right to work processes
- In place
- HR records & reporting
- Set up
What a sponsor licence is
Permission to employ workers who need a visa
A sponsor licence lets a UK employer assign certificates of sponsorship to workers on routes such as the Skilled Worker visa. The Home Office checks that your business is genuine and that you can meet a sponsor's duties: keeping records, reporting changes and making sure sponsored workers do the job you sponsored them for.
Most refusals and revocations come down to HR and record-keeping gaps, not the visa itself. That's where we help.
- Licence fee: £611 (small or charitable sponsor) or £1,682 (medium or large)
- Certificate of sponsorship: £525 per Skilled Worker
- Immigration Skills Charge: £480 or £1,320 for the first 12 months
Cost of sponsoring one worker for 3 years
Medium or large sponsor, Home Office fees
- Certificate of sponsorship
- £525
- Immigration Skills Charge
- £3,960
- Total per worker
- £4,485
How we help
Before, during and after your application
Readiness review
We check your HR documents, contracts, right to work records and payroll against what the Home Office expects to see.
Document preparation
We help you gather the supporting documents listed in Appendix A and organise them for submission.
Key personnel
We explain the Authorising Officer, Key Contact and Level 1 User roles so you appoint the right people.
Payroll for sponsored workers
We pay sponsored workers at or above the salary on their certificate, and keep the payroll records sponsors must hold.
Reporting duties
We help you track the changes you must report through the sponsor management system and the deadlines that apply.
Compliance health checks
Periodic reviews of your sponsor records, so you're ready for a Home Office compliance visit.
Important
We're not immigration advisers, and we say so
Giving immigration advice in the UK is regulated. We don't advise on whether a person qualifies for a visa or which route they should use, and we never promise outcomes. That advice must come from an adviser regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) or a solicitor.
We work alongside your regulated adviser on the parts of sponsorship that are HR, payroll and record-keeping, which is where many sponsors run into trouble.
FAQ
Sponsor licence FAQs
How long does a sponsor licence application take?
The Home Office says most applications are dealt with in less than 8 weeks. A priority service is available for an extra fee. See our sponsor licence application guide.
What salary does a Skilled Worker need?
For most new applications, at least £41,700 a year or the going rate for the job, whichever is higher, with lower thresholds in some cases. Our guide to the Skilled Worker salary threshold explains the details.
Can an employer of record sponsor my worker?
For the Skilled Worker route the sponsor is normally the worker's employer, with its own licence. Whether that can be arranged through an EOR depends on the role and the circumstances, so talk to us and your immigration adviser early.
What happens after we get the licence?
You must keep records, report certain changes within set deadlines, pay sponsored workers correctly and check their right to work. Failing these duties can lead to a downgrade or the licence being revoked.
Read next
Sponsorship guides
Sponsor Licence Application: A Step-by-Step Guide for UK Employers
A sponsor licence lets a UK employer hire people from overseas. Here is what the Home Office checks, what the application costs, how long it takes and what you must do once you have it.
Skilled Worker Visa Salary Threshold 2026: What Employers Must Pay
The headline figure is £41,700, but the going rate, the hours worked and what you include in salary all change the answer. Here is how to check a role before you assign a certificate of sponsorship.
Right to Work Checks in the UK: An Employer's Guide for 2026
Every UK employer must check that a new hire is allowed to do the job before their first day. Here is how the three check methods work, what to keep, and what changed on 1 October 2026.
Planning to sponsor overseas talent?
Tell us about the roles you want to fill and where you are with your licence, and we'll explain how we can help.