The Immigration Rules dictate that any UK based business that has hired or wishes to hire an employee who is not from the European Economic Area or does not have an alternative right to work must obtain a prior licence from the UK Home Office.

 

Eligibility to apply for a Licence:

 

• The business must have systems in place to monitor sponsored workers

• The business should choose the type of licence they require, for example, a Tier 2 Licence for long-term employment, or a Tier 5 licence for short-term workers

• The business should decide who it wishes to appoint as its nominated persons to deal with sponsorship licence duties (such as record keeping, accessing the online SMS portal etc)

• Submit a valid sponsorship licence application with the correct fee and documentation.

 

Once your business is listed as an official sponsor, the business may start applying for certificates of sponsorship. These documents form the basis of the employees' visa application. If you are unsure about any of the above, please contact me for an informal discussion as to how I could assist you with your employment needs.

 

If you are granted a Tier 2 or 5, you will gain access to the Sponsorship Management System (SMS). This is an online system that allows the business to securely request sponsorship certificate allowances and also assign these to staff members they have employed, or wish to employ. The system also allows the business to fulfill its reporting and recording duties for sponsored migrants.

 

Assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)

 

A certificate of sponsorship is an electronic document that contains a unique reference number and information about the position and types of activities you will be doing while in the UK. The reference number must be supplied to the visa applicant (employee) to use as part of their application. The applicant should make their application within 3 months of the CoS being assigned to them.

 

The Sponsorship Management System (SMS)

 

The SMS is used for various activities such as :

 

• changing organisation details, such as address or key contact etc

• viewing previous CoS assignments and unused CoS

• reporting worker activities in line with the obligation of a Sponsor

 

If you wish to apply or renew your businesses Sponsorship Licence do not hesitate to contact me by telephone, email or leave your details in the contact form below and I will contact you.