Ward Hadaway has many years of experience in supporting businesses through immigration matters and enabling them to employ people from outside the UK in a seamless and stress-free way.
Our specialist immigration lawyers offer a full sponsorship management service, acting as registered legal representatives and Level 1 Users, as well as providing compliance audits and training for ongoing licence management and duties.
One immigration process that we regularly manage for clients is the sponsor licence application process.
A sponsor licence is required in order for employers to recruit individuals from outside the UK who do not otherwise have the right to work in the UK.
Employers can obtain a sponsor licence to sponsor a Skilled Worker to be a UK based employee or to transfer workers to the UK for a short term contract under the Global Business Mobility routes. Sponsor licences are also needed to sponsor workers temporarily under a Temporary Worker licence.
An employer with a valid sponsor licence agrees to sponsor an individual that is working for them and will have strict compliance conditions that they must adhere to whilst they remain a registered sponsor.
An employer must have a sponsor licence to sponsor any individual who is not a “settled worker” or who does not otherwise have the appropriate immigration permission to work in the UK.
A settled worker is a person who is:
An individual will have appropriate immigration permission which allows them to work in the UK if they have:
This list is not exhaustive. If you are unsure whether an individual has appropriate immigration permission to work for you in the UK, please contact us to discuss this further.
Anyone who does not fall into one of the above categories will require a visa to live and work in the UK.
To become a registered sponsor, you must complete a detailed and extensive online application process, provide supporting documents and a covering letter, all of which must satisfy UK Visa’s and Immigration’s (UKVI) exact criteria.
When assessing your suitability to become a sponsor, UKVI will consider:
For further information on how you apply for a sponsor licence, visit our Visa Guidelines Hub here.
With our extensive experience and specialist immigration skill set, our team of highly qualified solicitors has a 100% success rate with sponsor licence applications and can provide a range of services to assist businesses with the process. Further details can be found on our Visa Guidelines Hub or alternatively, please contact one our immigration lawyers to discuss further.
We have recently launched a dedicated visa guidelines hub which is full of clear, useful guidance to help those wishing to live, work and recruit into the UK navigate the complex legal territory that is immigration law.
Applying for a visa is a complex process. On this dedicated website, our immigration experts have cut through the mountains of regulation. We present clear answers to the frequently asked questions of those who want to move to the UK to work or study, and of businesses wishing to recruit individuals from overseas.
For details in relation to certain immigration applications, please click here.