TRW & Co · UK immigration
How to Get a Sponsor Licence in the UK
A sponsor licence lets a UK organisation employ most overseas workers. To get one, you must prove the business is genuine and trading lawfully, appoint suitable key personnel, show HR systems that can meet sponsor duties and submit the Appendix A documents. GOV.UK says most applications are decided in under eight weeks.
Key pointUKVI decides on evidence of a real, lawful UK operation and capable HR systems, not on the hiring need. Most refusals come from applying too early or naming the wrong key personnel, and a refusal normally blocks a fresh application for six months.
At a glance
Licence fees
A Worker licence costs £611 for small or charitable sponsors and £1,682 for medium or large sponsors, according to GOV.UK in October 2026.
Processing time
GOV.UK says most applications are decided in under eight weeks; a limited £750 service can deliver a decision within ten working days.
Three key roles
Every licence needs an authorising officer, a key contact and at least one level 1 user, all subject to Home Office suitability checks.
Documents in five days
The submission sheet and Appendix A documents must reach UKVI within five working days of completing the online application.
Duties after grant
Sponsors must monitor workers, keep records and report significant business changes within 20 working days, or risk downgrade or revocation.
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The short answer: how to get a sponsor licence
A sponsor licence is the Home Office permission a UK organisation needs before it can employ most people from overseas on work routes such as the Skilled Worker visa. To get one, the organisation must show it is genuine and trading lawfully in the UK, appoint suitable key personnel, have HR systems capable of meeting sponsor duties, apply online, pay the fee and send the documents listed in Appendix A to the sponsor guidance.
GOV.UK states that most applications are decided in under eight weeks, and that UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) may visit the business before deciding. A faster decision within ten working days is available for an extra £750, but only for a limited number of applications each day. As of October 2026, the Worker licence fee is £611 for small or charitable sponsors and £1,682 for medium or large ones.
The licence is not a formality. The guidance describes sponsorship as a voluntary scheme granted at the Home Office's discretion, and it can be refused or later revoked on a reasonable suspicion that the organisation is not suitable.
Who needs a sponsor licence, and who does not
GOV.UK says a licence is usually needed to employ someone from outside the UK, including citizens of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland who arrived after 31 December 2020. That includes unpaid work, such as running a charity.
No licence is needed to employ Irish citizens, people with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, or people with indefinite leave to remain. People on routes that allow work without sponsorship, such as the Graduate or Global Talent visas, can also be employed without one, subject to right to work checks.
Employment agencies face a specific limit. The guidance allows an agency to sponsor only workers employed directly in running its own business. It cannot sponsor a worker and then supply them as labour to a client, whatever the contractual arrangements.
The legal and regulatory framework
The Immigration Act 1971 underpins the Immigration Rules, which set the requirements for each work route. The licensing regime itself is set out in the Home Office's guidance for sponsors, published as a series of documents in the sponsorship guidance collection. Part 1: apply for a licence was most recently reissued in August 2026, and Appendix A lists the supporting documents.
The guidance sets four core tests. The applicant must be a genuine organisation operating or trading lawfully in the UK; it must hold any registration or licence its sector requires; it must be honest, dependable and reliable; and it must be capable of carrying out sponsor duties. UKVI judges the last test by looking at existing HR and recruitment practices and may carry out a compliance check before granting the licence.
Separate legislation governs illegal working, and the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 controls who may give immigration advice. The guidance warns that a representative who gives immigration advice without being qualified under that Act may be committing a criminal offence. Solicitors regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority are among those permitted to advise.
Eligibility: the checks UKVI applies
An applicant cannot have unspent convictions for immigration offences or other listed crimes, such as fraud or money laundering. The list is in annex L4 of the Part 1 guidance. The same suitability checks extend to the authorising officer, key contact and level 1 users.
History matters. GOV.UK states that a licence will not be granted if the organisation had a licence revoked in the last 12 months, or in the last 24 months if it has had more than one revocation. An applicant refused in the last six months will not usually succeed, subject to narrow exceptions. Key personnel associated with revoked licences can also cause a refusal.
UKVI also checks that any sponsored roles are genuine and meet the route's skill and salary rules. For the Skilled Worker route, most new roles must now be graduate level and pay at least £41,700 or the going rate if higher; our guide to the Skilled Worker visa explains the job tests.
Licence types and fees
The licence type depends on the workers the organisation wants to sponsor. A Worker licence covers skilled or long-term employment, including the Skilled Worker and Senior or Specialist Worker routes. A Temporary Worker licence covers specific temporary categories, including Scale-up, Creative, Charity, Government Authorised Exchange and the UK Expansion Worker route. An organisation can apply for one or both.
| Licence | Small or charitable sponsor | Medium or large sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| Worker | £611 | £1,682 |
| Temporary Worker | £611 | £611 |
| Worker and Temporary Worker | £611 | £1,682 |
| Add Worker to an existing Temporary Worker licence | No fee | £1,071 |
| Add Temporary Worker to an existing Worker licence | No fee | No fee |
An organisation is usually a small sponsor if at least two of these apply: annual turnover of £15 million or less, total assets of £7.5 million or less, and 50 employees or fewer. Registered and other recognised charities count as charitable sponsors. Size also drives the immigration skills charge, which is paid when a certificate of sponsorship is assigned and must not be recovered from the worker.
Most licences remain valid for as long as the sponsor continues to meet the requirements. GOV.UK states that Scale-up and UK Expansion Worker licences last four years.
Key personnel: the people who run the licence
Every application names key personnel, who manage sponsorship through the online sponsorship management system:
- Authorising officer. A senior, competent person responsible for everyone who uses the system. The guidance requires a paid member of staff or office holder; a representative cannot fill this role.
- Key contact. The main point of contact with UKVI. This can be a UK-based legal representative qualified to give immigration advice.
- Level 1 user. Responsible for day-to-day management of the licence. At least one level 1 user must be an employee, partner or director and a settled worker.
One person can hold all three roles. Key personnel must usually be based in the UK most of the time, must not be contractors engaged for a specific project, and must not be subject to bankruptcy or debt relief restrictions. GOV.UK states that new level 2 users can no longer be appointed and that existing level 2 accounts will be deactivated automatically after 8 March 2027.
The guidance says the organisation must make the application itself. A representative may help complete the form but must not submit it, and if UKVI finds that has happened it will refuse the application and keep the fee. Choose an authorising officer with real authority over HR, and a deputy who understands the system.
The application process and Home Office checks
The steps below reflect GOV.UK and the Part 1 guidance. Timings are UKVI's published service levels, not guarantees.
- Confirm eligibility and roles. Check that the business is trading lawfully, that any sector registration is in place, and that planned roles meet the skill and salary rules for the route.
- Prepare HR systems. Put in place right to work checks, record-keeping, attendance monitoring and reporting procedures, because UKVI may test them before granting the licence.
- Appoint key personnel. Confirm each person passes the suitability checks and understands the duties.
- Register and apply online. Complete the online form, choose the licence type, estimate the number of certificates needed in the first year and pay the fee.
- Send the documents. Email the submission sheet and the Appendix A documents within five working days, in PDF, JPEG or PNG, with certified translations where needed.
- Respond to UKVI. If UKVI asks for further documents, the guidance usually allows five working days. Be ready for a compliance visit.
- Decision and rating. A successful applicant receives an A-rating and appears on the register of licensed sponsors. UK Expansion Worker sponsors with an overseas authorising officer receive a provisional rating first.
After grant, "defined" certificates for overseas Skilled Worker hires are requested through the system and, GOV.UK says, usually approved within one working day. In-country hires use "undefined" certificates from the annual allocation. If a refusal resulted from a caseworker error or documents not being considered, the organisation can request a review, but not simply because it disagrees.
Supporting documents: what UKVI expects
Appendix A sets out mandatory documents and a menu of further evidence, which varies with the type of organisation and the route. In practice, the evidence needs to prove the business is genuine and present in the UK, and that the people named are who they say they are. Expect to assemble:
- Corporate and trading evidence, such as accounts, employer PAYE and VAT registration, a UK business bank account and premises evidence.
- Any sector-specific registration or licence required to operate lawfully.
- For new or overseas-owned businesses, evidence of the UK footprint and funding.
- Organisation charts and job descriptions for the roles to be sponsored.
- HR policies covering right to work, record-keeping, absence and reporting.
Where information is available online, the guidance allows applicants to give the website and registration number so that UKVI can check it directly. Inconsistent figures between documents are a common trigger for further questions.
An illustrative scenario
This example is illustrative only; the parties are fictional.
A Dhaka-headquartered textiles group sets up a London subsidiary to manage its European buyers, having first considered whether to register an overseas company or incorporate. It wants to sponsor an experienced merchandising manager and, later, two analysts.
Because the subsidiary has no trading history yet, the group compares two paths: a Temporary Worker licence for the UK Expansion Worker route, which is designed for overseas businesses establishing a first UK presence, or waiting until the subsidiary is trading and applying for a Worker licence. It chooses the UK Expansion route for the first move and plans a Worker licence once revenues and payroll are established.
Before applying, the subsidiary opens a UK bank account, registers for PAYE, signs an office lease and appoints a UK-based director as level 1 user. The HR manual sets out right to work and reporting procedures. When UKVI requests further evidence of funding, the parent's board resolution and bank confirmation are ready within the five-day window.
Risks and common mistakes
Applying before the business can prove it is trading
UKVI must be satisfied that the organisation is genuine and operating or trading lawfully in the UK. Newly incorporated companies often apply with a certificate of incorporation and little else. Without accounts, payroll, premises or a UK bank account, the application is exposed to refusal, and a refusal usually blocks a new application for six months.
Where an overseas group has no UK trading presence yet, the UK Expansion Worker route may be the better starting point. Otherwise, build the evidence first and apply when it is complete.
Choosing the wrong key personnel
An authorising officer who is rarely involved in HR, a level 1 user based overseas, or someone with an unspent relevant conviction can each lead to refusal or later compliance problems. Previous involvement with a revoked licence is also checked.
Run the suitability questions past every proposed person before the form is completed, and record that you have done so.
Underestimating ongoing duties
Once licensed, sponsors must monitor immigration status, keep specified records, track attendance, keep contact details up to date and report problems. GOV.UK says significant changes, such as insolvency, a merger or takeover, or a substantial change in the business, must be reported within 20 working days. Change-of-circumstances requests can take up to 18 weeks, or five working days through a £350 priority service.
A sponsor that falls short can be downgraded to a B-rating and must pay £1,579 for an action plan within ten working days. Only two B-ratings are allowed while a licence is valid. Our guide to sponsor licence compliance covers audits and revocation risk.
Passing costs to workers
GOV.UK warns that a licence may be revoked if the sponsor asks the worker to pay the licence fee, the certificate fee, the immigration skills charge or other costs linked to the application. Clawback clauses that recover these costs on early departure carry the same risk.
Visa fees and the health surcharge are a different matter: they are the worker’s costs, although many employers choose to fund them. Draft relocation and repayment terms with that distinction in mind.
Cross-border and transactional points
The sponsor guidance states that a licence is not transferable, and that mergers, takeovers and changes of ownership must be reported within 20 working days. Where a business is sold as a going concern, or a share sale transfers a controlling interest to a new owner, the licence will be revoked or made dormant, and the new owners must hold or obtain their own licence to keep employing the sponsored workers.
Under TUPE, sponsored workers can move without new visa applications if the transferee already holds a suitable licence and their duties are unchanged. A transferee without one must apply within 20 working days of the transfer, or the workers' permission may be cancelled. Our M&A team builds these steps into deal timetables.
Bangladeshi and other overseas groups expanding into London should plan the immigration route alongside corporate structure, banking and tax. Our UK expansion team for Bangladeshi companies coordinates these workstreams from London and Dhaka.
What to do next: a sponsor licence checklist
- Confirm the organisation is trading lawfully in the UK, with any sector registration in place.
- Decide which licence type fits the roles and the business stage.
- Work out whether you are a small or charitable sponsor for fees and the skills charge.
- Appoint suitable key personnel and train a deputy.
- Assemble the Appendix A documents before applying, ready to send within five working days.
- Put HR systems in writing and prepare for a compliance visit.
- Budget for certificates and the immigration skills charge, and never recover them from workers.
TRW & Co's London office is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Our business immigration team prepares sponsor licence applications, acts as key contact where appropriate and supports sponsors through audits. We cannot guarantee a Home Office decision, but we can make sure the application is complete and consistent. To start, contact us at info@trw.co or +880 1779 127165.
Frequently asked questions
01How long does a sponsor licence application take?
GOV.UK states that most applications are dealt with in less than eight weeks, and that UK Visas and Immigration may visit the business before deciding. A faster decision within ten working days is available for an extra £750, but only a limited number of these requests are accepted each working day, on a first come, first served basis. Preparation is often the longer stage: assembling Appendix A documents, appointing key personnel and putting HR systems in place before applying.
02What documents do I need for a sponsor licence?
Appendix A to the sponsor guidance lists mandatory documents and further evidence, depending on the organisation and route. In practice you need to prove the business is genuine and trading lawfully in the UK, for example through accounts, employer PAYE and VAT registration, a UK bank account and premises evidence, plus any sector registration. Documents must be sent within five working days of the online application, with certified translations of anything not in English or Welsh.
03Can a new company get a sponsor licence?
It can, but it must still show it is a genuine organisation operating or trading lawfully in the UK, which is harder without trading history. A newly incorporated company should usually have a UK bank account, payroll registration, premises and funding evidence before applying. Overseas businesses with no UK trading presence may instead consider the UK Expansion Worker route, which uses a Temporary Worker licence with a provisional rating and is valid for four years.
04Who can be the authorising officer?
The authorising officer must be a senior, competent person responsible for the actions of staff and representatives who use the sponsorship management system. The guidance requires a paid member of staff or office holder within the organisation; a representative or someone from another organisation cannot fill the role, except where an insolvency practitioner is appointed. The person must usually be based in the UK and pass suitability checks, including on unspent convictions and links to revoked licences.
05What happens if a sponsor licence application is refused?
There is no appeal, but you can request a review if the refusal resulted from a caseworker error or documents not being considered; disagreement alone is not enough. GOV.UK states that a new application will not usually succeed within six months of a refusal, subject to limited exceptions. It is usually better to identify and fix the weakness, such as missing trading evidence or unsuitable key personnel, before reapplying.
06Can we use a solicitor to manage our sponsor licence?
Yes, within limits. A UK-based legal representative qualified to give immigration advice can be named as key contact when you apply, and can later be added as a level 1 user. They cannot be the authorising officer, and the guidance says the organisation must submit the application itself. Solicitors regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority are qualified to give immigration advice.
Sources and official materials
- GOV.UK: UK visa sponsorship for employers — Eligibility, licence types, fees and ratings
- Sponsor guidance Part 1: apply for a licence — Eligibility, key personnel and Appendix A
- Sponsorship: guidance for employers and educators — Full set of Home Office sponsor guidance
- Register of licensed sponsors: workers — Published list of licensed sponsors
- GOV.UK: Immigration skills charge — Rates and exemptions for sponsors
General information only, current as at 21 October 2026. It is not legal advice and does not create a solicitor–client relationship. It reflects the law of England and Wales unless stated otherwise; Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate legal systems, and the law changes frequently. Check current official sources and take advice on the facts of your matter.