Sponsor overseas workers

You need a sponsor licence to employ anyone who needs permission to work in the UK, including citizens of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland who arrived after 31 December 2020. Unpaid work, such as running a charity, counts. You do not need a licence for Irish citizens, people with status under the EU Settlement Scheme or people with indefinite leave to remain. Sponsoring someone does not guarantee that they will get a visa.

Check your business and the job are eligible

You cannot get a licence if you have an unspent criminal conviction for an immigration offence or certain other crimes, such as fraud or money laundering. You need systems to monitor sponsored workers and people to manage sponsorship. UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) may visit to check that you are trustworthy and capable of meeting your duties.

You will not get a licence if yours was revoked in the last 12 months, or the last 24 months if it has been revoked more than once. You will not usually get one if you applied unsuccessfully in the last 6 months.

The job must comply with the National Minimum Wage and working time rules. For a Skilled Worker, a certificate of sponsorship assigned on or after 22 July 2025 must normally be for a job skilled to level 6 (graduate level) or above, or one on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List. The worker does not need a degree, but the work must be skilled to that level. You must pay at least the higher of the general salary threshold and the going rate for the occupation code.

Choose your licence

Most employers need a Worker licence, which covers the Skilled Worker route. A Temporary Worker licence covers short-term routes such as Creative Worker, Charity Worker and Seasonal Worker. You can apply for one or both. You can only sponsor on the routes you are licensed for.

Appoint your key personnel

Name the people who will manage sponsorship when you apply. The same person can fill all three roles. You cannot use a contractor or consultant hired for a specific purpose.

Apply for your licence

Apply online yourself. A representative can help you fill in the form but must not send it for you. After applying, send UKVI the submission sheet and any supporting documents it asks for within 5 working days. Documents not in English or Welsh need a certified translation.

The fee is not refunded if UKVI refuses your application or you withdraw it once it has started considering it.

Most applications are decided within 8 weeks. You can pay for a decision within 10 working days, but only a limited number of these are available each day. If your application is approved you get an A-rating, which lets you assign certificates of sponsorship, and your business appears on the register of sponsors. Your licence usually stays valid for as long as you keep meeting the eligibility requirements.

Assign a certificate of sponsorship

You must assign a certificate of sponsorship to each worker you sponsor. It is an electronic record with a reference number the worker uses to apply for their visa. The worker must apply within 3 months of the date you assign it, and not more than 3 months before the job's start date.

Pay the certificate and Immigration Skills Charge fees

You pay a fee when you assign each certificate, and you must pay it yourself. UKVI will normally revoke your licence if you ask a sponsored worker to pay, or try to recover from them, your licence fee, the certificate fee or the Immigration Skills Charge.

You get a full refund of the Immigration Skills Charge if the visa application is refused or withdrawn, or the worker does not come to work for you, and a partial refund if they get less time than you sponsored.

Meet your sponsor duties

Your duties start the day UKVI grants your licence, and your responsibility for each worker starts when you assign them a certificate. You must:

• carry out a right to work check on each worker before they start, and keep evidence of it
• have HR systems that monitor each worker's immigration status, record their attendance and keep their contact details up to date
• make sure the sponsored role matches the occupation code and job description on the certificate, and pay at least the salary it states
• give UKVI any documents it asks for to check your compliance

What happens if you fall short

UKVI can reduce your allocation of certificates, downgrade your licence to a B-rating, suspend it, revoke it or report you to the police. Under a B-rating you cannot assign new certificates until you complete an action plan, which you pay for within 10 working days. You can have only two B-ratings: if you still need to make improvements after your second action plan, you lose the licence. UKVI will revoke your licence if a sponsored worker is doing a job that does not match their certificate, unless the change is a permitted one. You cannot appeal a revocation, but you can apply again after 12 months.