Our business and corporate immigration lawyers advise a wide range of organisations, from multi-national corporations to local small businesses and start-ups. We regularly advise on:
- sponsor licence acquisition;
- sponsor duties and compliance;
- Skilled Worker visas; and
- Global Mobility route visas.
Sponsor licenses
A sponsor licence enables a UK business to offer work visa sponsorship for its foreign workers.
Having a licence in place ensures you can respond quickly to international recruitment opportunities. Even if you do not intend to recruit now, obtaining a sponsor licence ensures you can act swiftly in future when you identify an international candidate.
Skilled Workers
The Skilled Worker visa is the UK’s flagship working visa.
To qualify, candidates must:
- Be sponsored by a licensed UK employer;
- Work in an eligible role;
- Meet the minimum salary requirements for their role (generally at least £38,700); and
- Demonstrate English language proficiency.
Global mobility workers
Global Mobility visa routes enable multinational companies to transfer existing employees to the UK. Key visa routes include:
- Senior or Specialist Worker: for experienced employees transferring to UK branches;
- UK Expansion Worker: for senior employees establishing a UK presence; and
- Service Supplier: for overseas workers to provided contracted services in the UK.
How we can help
Our experts work with Skilled Worker sponsorship daily and have a thorough understanding of the challenges businesses face when employing foreign workers. Whether it’s long-term strategy planning or just a one-off issue, our team can help.
We can assist with:
- Preparing and submitting sponsor licence applications;
- Ensuring ongoing compliance with sponsor duties;
- Guiding candidates through the Skilled Worker visa application process; and
- Providing practical global mobility solutions for projects in the UK.
Frequently asked questions
Can I hire an international worker without a sponsor licence?
If a worker already holds a valid UK visa with unrestricted work permission, any employer can freely employ them. If not, you will need to sponsor the worker.
Can any job role be sponsored?
No. The Home Office maintains a list of occupations which it considers to be sufficiently skilled for visa sponsorship. There are numerous roles which cannot be sponsored.
How long does it take to get a sponsor licence?
On average it takes one to four weeks to prepare a sponsor licence application then a further two weeks for a decision, if you pay the Home Office for a priority service. If you do not opt for a priority service, the standard decision-making time is around eight weeks.
What happens if a sponsor licence application is refused?
If your sponsor licence application has been refused, it is usually possible to make another application after resolving issues that were identified in the refusal. Find out more here.
Get in touch with our experts today:
We have a proven track record in business immigration. Our team has extensive experience supporting businesses of all sizes with their international workforce needs. Our recent work includes:
- Global mobility solutions: advising a large multinational manufacturer on the sponsorship of foreign installation workers posted to various UK sites for short-term projects.
- Comprehensive sponsor support: advising numerous UK businesses across all sectors with sponsor licence acquisition and supporting them through the process of sponsoring Skilled Workers.
- Sector-specific compliance: providing specialised compliance advice to care providers facing heightened Home Office scrutiny.
- Training and development: delivering specialised training on sponsorship responsibilities, compliance requirements, and best practices to ensure your HR teams are fully equipped to manage your international workforce.
For further information, contact our immigration law team.
