SKILLED WORKER SPONSOR LICENCE

The Skilled Worker route is a sponsored route for overseas nationals who have an offer of an eligible skilled job in the UK from a Home Office-approved sponsor.  In order to secure a Skilled Worker visa, applicants need to be sponsored to do a specific job, which meets certain skill and salary requirements, by an employer that holds a valid Skilled Worker sponsor licence. 

This article is primarily for UK-based employers who are considering applying to be authorised by the Home Office to sponsor a non-settled worker as a Skilled Worker.  We provide guidance for employers as to the main general and route-specific requirements that they will need to satisfy in order to successfully apply for a Skilled Worker sponsor licence.  You can also read about some of our recent successful Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence applications.

Who Needs to Be Sponsored on the Skilled Worker Route?

You will need to sponsor any overseas national you wish to employ if they are not a settled worker or do not otherwise have immigration permission to work for you in the UK.  This includes most EU, EEA and Swiss nationals who arrived in the UK after 31 December 2020.  In order to sponsor a Skilled Worker you will need to be authorised by the Home Office as a licensed Skilled Worker sponsor.

There is no limit on the number of workers that a Skilled Worker sponsor licence holder can sponsor.  However, when applying for a Skilled Worker sponsor licence the online sponsor licence application form will ask for an estimate of the number of Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) you may wish to assign in your first year.  You will need to assign a CoS to any worker you wish to sponsor before they can apply for a Skilled Worker visa. You will therefore need to think carefully about how many workers you are likely to employ during your first year.  You must be able to justify your Certificate of Sponsorship allocation request.

How to Apply for a Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence 

In order to successfully apply for a Skilled Worker sponsor licence, you will need to satisfy various general and route-specific requirements.

General Requirements for a Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence

In terms of general requirements, as part of your Skilled Worker sponsor licence application you will need to satisfy the Home Office that:

• You are a genuine organisation operating lawfully in the UK;
• You are honest, dependable, reliable and are not engaging and have not engaged in behaviour or actions that are not conducive to the public good;
• You are capable of carrying out your sponsor duties and evidencing your compliance in a timeframe and manner set out in sponsor guidance.

Route-specific Requirements for a Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence

In terms of requirements that are specific to the Skilled Worker route, when you apply for a Skilled Worker sponsor licence you will need to satisfy the Home Office that:

• You can offer employment which meets the skill level requirement of the Skilled Worker route; 
• You can offer employment which meets the salary level requirement of the Skilled Worker route;
• The job(s) you are looking to sponsor is (are) genuine;
• There is a direct employer-employee relationship between you (the sponsor) and the worker and you are not looking to sponsor a role which will involve hiring a worker to a third party to undertake an ongoing or routine role.

In the remainder of this article we explore these general and route-specific requirements for a Skilled Worker sponsor licence in more detail.

To discuss your Skilled Worker sponsor licence application with one of our immigration barristers, contact our business immigration team on 0203 617 9173 or complete our enquiry form below.

Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence Requirements

General Requirements for a Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence

Genuine organisation operating lawfully in the UK

To satisfy the Home Office that you are a genuine organisation operating lawfully in the UK, you will need to provide at least four specified documents as set out in Appendix A of the sponsor guidance.  The exact documents you will need to provide will vary depending on the circumstances of your application.  

Appendix A is split into four tables. Table 1 confirms that a public authority or a company listed on the London Stock Exchange does not have to submit documents other than those specific to the licence they are applying for. Table 2 covers starts-ups (organisations that have been trading for less than 18 months), as well as franchises and charities. Table 3 lists the specific evidence that needs to be sent for a particular tier.

Table 4 then lists all the other possible documents you could provide, one of which must be the latest set of audited accounts if the organisation is legally obliged to submit them.

In addition to information about your organisation, the proposed job role, and the candidate in mind, you will also need to explain to the Home Office why you are applying for a Skilled Worker sponsor licence.

Honest, dependable and reliable

When assessing whether you are honest, dependable, reliable and are not engaging and have not engaged in behaviour or actions that are not conducive to the public good, the Home Office will look at the history and background of your business, the backgrounds of the Key Personnel named in your application (see below) and also the backgrounds of any people involved in the day-to-day running of your business.

Capable of carrying out sponsor duties 

If you are granted a sponsor licence, you will need to fulfil various sponsorship duties, including reporting duties, record-keeping duties and a duty to comply with UK immigration law.

In order to assess whether you are capable of carrying out your sponsor duties and evidencing your compliance in a timeframe and manner set out in sponsor guidance, the Home Office will look at your current human resources and recruitment procedures to make sure that you will be able to fulfil your sponsor duties.  

Sponsorship duties include reporting certain information about sponsored workers, your business and using the sponsorship management system. If something needs to be reported, this must be done within either 10 or 20 working days of the event, depending on the matter to be reported.  Events that require reporting for a skilled worker include changes to start dates and change of work location.

Your sponsorship duties will also include keeping records of employment such as contracts of employment, salaries, and evidence of genuineness of any vacancies advertised. Appendix D: keeping records for sponsorship sets out further details.

You should be aware that the Home Office can visit you as part of the Sponsor Licence application process, to check that your systems are sufficient. This will usually occur if your organisation is newly formed, or, if the application is high risk. Not only can the Home Office inspect your organisation during the application process, they can also visit at any time whilst you are a Sponsor Licence holder.  Home Office visits may be announced or unannounced, meaning it is essential to ensure that sponsor duties are complied with, especially in relation to record-keeping. During the visit(s), the Home Office will check your HR systems, and speak to the appointed Authorising Officer. They may also ask to interview sponsored employees.

If the Home Office finds that you are not meeting your duties and obligations, they can revoke or suspend your licence, resulting in curtailment of any sponsored workers visas.

• Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence Success Stories
• How To Apply For A Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence
• Key Personnel in Sponsor Licence Applications
• Certificates of Sponsorship: All You Need to Know
• Sponsor Licence Duties: A Checklist for Employers
• New Right to Work Check Guidance for Employers

Route-specific Requirements for a Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence

Skill Level Requirement

Before applying for a Skilled Worker sponsor licence, employers should ensure that the job they are seeking to recruit for will meet the skill-level requirement of the Skilled Worker route.

The job the applicant is being sponsored to do must normally be skilled to level 3 or above (A-level equivalent) on the Regulated Qualifications Framework for England and Northern Ireland, or the equivalent level in Wales or Scotland. The prospective Skilled Worker does not need to have A-levels or an equivalent qualification, but the work they will be doing must be at this level.  

Eligible occupations are listed in Appendix Skilled Occupations and Appendix Immigration Salary List of the Immigration Rules. Each eligible job has a SOC 2020 occupation code. You will be able to sponsor a worker for a job in a Skilled Worker eligible SOC 2020 occupation code in either Appendix Skilled Occupations or Appendix Immigration Salary List. 

If the job is not listed as eligible for the Skilled Worker route, then the worker will not meet the skill-level requirement for a Skilled Worker visa.  If this is the case then an application for a Skilled Worker sponsor licence will not be appropriate.

As a sponsor you will also need to choose an appropriate SOC 2020 occupation code.  If the Home Office has reasonable grounds to believe that you have not chosen the most appropriate occupation code, then the applicant’s application for a Skilled Worker Visa will be refused.

In assessing whether you, as the sponsor, have chosen the most appropriate occupation code, the Home Office will consider factors such as whether you have shown a genuine need for the job as described, whether the applicant has the appropriate skills, qualifications and experience needed to do the job as described and your history of compliance with the immigration system.

Salary Level Requirement 

Before applying for a Skilled Worker sponsorship licence, employers should also ensure that they can offer employment which will be paid a salary which equals or exceeds both a general salary threshold and the ‘going rate’ for the applicable SOC 2020 occupation code.

The salary you pay a Skilled Worker will usually need to equal or exceed the following:

• The general salary threshold – for most jobs this is £38,700 per year, but may be £34,830 or £30,960 per year if the worker scores ‘tradable points’ (see below). The exceptions to the above are as follows:
  • For workers previously granted permission as a Skilled Worker before 4 April 2024 and applying before 4 April 2030, the general salary threshold is £29,000, but may be £26,100 or £23,200 if the worker scores ‘tradable points’ (see below);
  • For workers sponsored for a Health and Care ASHE salary job, the general salary threshold is £29,000, but may be £26,100 or £23,200 if the worker scores ‘tradable points’ (see below);
  • For workers sponsored in a Health or Education SOC 2020 occupation code where going rates are based on national pay scales, the general salary threshold is £23,200 (see below); and
• The applicable ‘going rate’ for the SOC 2020 occupation code in Appendix Skilled Occupations – or a percentage of the ‘going rate’ if the worker scores ‘tradable points’ (see below).

If the general salary threshold is higher than the going rate for the occupation, then you will need to be paid at least the general salary threshold.  If the general salary threshold is lower than the going rate for the occupation, then you will need to be paid at least the going rate.

The general salary threshold is calculated based on actual gross earnings, up to a maximum of 48 hours per week, unless the applicant is being sponsored to work on a pattern where the regular hours are not the same each week, resulting in uneven pay, in which case work in excess of 48 hours in some weeks can be considered towards the salary thresholds, providing the average over a regular cycle (which can be less than, but not more than, 17 weeks) is not more than 48 hours a week. Any unpaid rest weeks will count towards the average when considering whether the salary thresholds are met.

The going rate is calculated on the basis of a 37.5 hour working week. Going rates must be pro-rated based on the weekly working hours stated on the certificate of sponsorship (CoS).

Tradable points

Some sponsored skilled workers applying under the Skilled Worker route may be paid less than £38,700 per year, where they are awarded additional so-called ‘tradable points’ for other attributes:

• An applicant with a PhD qualification which is relevant to the job may be paid a salary which equals or exceeds both £34,830 per year and 90% of the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code;
• An applicant with a PhD qualification in a STEM subject which is relevant to the job may be paid a salary which equals or exceeds both £30,960 per year and 80% of the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code;
• An applicant with a job offer for a job on the Immigration Salary List may be paid a salary which equals or exceeds both £30,960 per year and the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code;
• An applicant who is a new entrant to the labour market at the start of their career may be paid a salary which equals or exceeds both £30,960 per year and 70% of the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code.

Salary Requirements for Skilled Workers Granted Before 4 April 2024

Applicants who were granted permission as a Skilled Worker under the rules in place before 4 April 2024, have held permission as a Skilled Worker continuously since and apply for further leave before 4 April 2030 may be paid a salary which equals or exceeds the following:

• The general salary threshold – for most jobs this is £29,000 per year, but may be £26,100 or £23,200 per year if the worker scores ‘tradable points’ (see below); and
• The applicable ‘going rate’ for the SOC 2020 occupation code in Appendix Skilled Occupations – or a percentage of the ‘going rate’ if the worker scores ‘tradable points’ (see below).

Some Skilled Workers who were granted permission as a Skilled Worker under the rules in place before 4 April 2024 may be paid less than £29,000 per year, where they are awarded additional so-called ‘tradable points’ for other attributes:

• An applicant with a PhD qualification which is relevant to the job may be paid a salary which equals or exceeds both £26,100 per year and 90% of the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code;
• An applicant with a PhD qualification in a STEM subject which is relevant to the job may be paid a salary which equals or exceeds both £23,200 per year and 80% of the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code;
• An applicant with a job offer for a job on the Immigration Salary List may be paid a salary which equals or exceeds both £23,200 per year and the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code;
• An applicant who is a new entrant to the labour market at the start of their career may be paid a salary which equals or exceeds both £23,200 per year and 70% of the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code.

Salary Requirements for Health and Care Visa Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) Applicants 

Applicants who are being sponsored for a Health and Care Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) job may be paid a salary which equals or exceeds the following:

• The general salary threshold – for most jobs this is £29,000 per year, but may be £26,100 or £23,200 per year if the worker scores ‘tradable points’ (see below); and
• The applicable ‘going rate’ for the SOC 2020 occupation code in Appendix Skilled Occupations – or a percentage of the ‘going rate’ if the worker scores ‘tradable points’ (see below).

Some sponsored Health and Care Workers applying for a Health and Care Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) job may be paid less than £29,000 per year, where they are awarded additional so-called ‘tradable points’ for other attributes:

• An applicant with a PhD qualification which is relevant to the job may be paid a salary which equals or exceeds both £26,100 per year and 90% of the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code;
• An applicant with a PhD qualification in a STEM subject which is relevant to the job may be paid a salary which equals or exceeds both £23,200 per year and 80% of the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code;
• An applicant with a job offer for a job on the Immigration Salary List may be paid a salary which equals or exceeds both £23,200 per year and the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code;
• An applicant who is a new entrant to the labour market at the start of their career may be paid a salary which equals or exceeds both £23,200 per year and 70% of the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code.

Salary Requirements for Health and Education SOC 2020 Occupation Codes where Going Rates are Based on National Pay Scales 

Applicants who are being sponsored for a job in an eligible health and education SOC 2020 occupation code where going rates are based on national pay scales may be paid a salary which equals or exceeds the following:

• The general salary threshold – £23,200 per year; and
• The applicable ‘going rate’ for the SOC 2020 occupation code in Appendix Skilled Occupations.

What is the ‘Immigration Salary List’?

The Home Office maintains a list of skilled roles where employers find it difficult to secure adequate numbers of workers with the required skills to fill their vacancies.  As set out above, employers are able to recruit migrants to fill occupations on the Immigration Salary List on a salary below the general salary threshold.

Skilled Worker eligible occupations that are on the Immigration Salary List may be paid a salary which equals or exceeds both £30,960 per year and the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code.  Meanwhile, occupations that are eligible for a Health and Care Worker visa (other than national pay scale occupations) and are on the Immigration Salary List may be paid a salary which equals or exceeds both £23,200 per year and the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code.

Who is a ‘New Entrant to the Labour Market’?

New entrants to the labour market include those under the age of 26 at the date of application (or switching from a Student or Graduate Visa), those sponsored in specified postdoctoral research positions and those working towards professional qualifications, registration or chartered status.  As set out above, if you qualify as a new entrant to the labour market then the salary threshold requirement will be reduced.

An applicant will not qualify as a new entrant if granting their application would result in their combined period of permission as a Skilled Worker, Tier 2 Migrant and/or Graduate exceeding 4 years in total.

Hourly rate

If you will be sponsoring the worker in an occupation code listed in Table 1 of Appendix Skilled Occupations, you will need to pay the worker the minimum hourly rate requirement of £15.88 per hour. This hourly rate requirement will apply even where the worker is eligible for a discount on the going rate based on tradable points and £15.88 is more than 70%, 80% or 90% of the stated going rate.

If you will be sponsoring the worker in an occupation code listed in Table 2 of Appendix Skilled Occupations, you will need to pay the worker the minimum hourly rate requirement of £11.90 per hour. This hourly rate requirement will apply even where the worker is eligible for a discount on the going rate based on tradable points and £11.90 is more than 70%, 80% or 90% of the stated going rate.

The hourly rate requirement does not apply if the worker will be sponsored in an eligible health or education occupation code listed in Table 3 of Appendix Skilled Occupations.

If the amount you, as the employer, intend to pay the Skilled Worker is below the appropriate salary rate then the worker will not qualify for entry clearance or permission to stay and so an application for a Skilled Worker sponsor licence will not be appropriate.

The Immigration Rules and Sponsor Guidance contain complex rules on the calculation of applicable skilled worker salary rates, including rules on allowances and pro-rating.  You may wish to seek expert legal advice in relation to the skilled worker salary requirement.

Genuine Employment Requirement

As part of your Skilled Worker sponsor licence application, the Home Office will want to be satisfied that you will offer a genuine vacancy which will meet the skill and salary requirements under the skilled-worker route.

If there are reasonable grounds to believe that the job(s) an employer is looking to sponsor does (do) not exist, is (are) a sham or has (have) been created mainly so that the worker can apply for a Skilled Worker Visa then the sponsor licence application will be refused.  You should ensure that there is a credible need for the role that you are looking to sponsor in your business.

Working for a Third Party Requirement

When applying for a Skilled Worker sponsor licence, the Home Office will also want to be satisfied that you will not assign a Certificate of Sponsorship to a worker for a role which amounts to filling a temporary or permanent position with a third party who is not the sponsor, or undertaking contract work which involves undertaking an ongoing routine role or providing an ongoing routine service to a third party who is not a sponsor.

There will need to be a direct employer-employee relationship.  You (the sponsor) will be the employer and will be responsible for paying the sponsored worker.  

To find out how we can assist your Skilled Worker sponsor licence application, contact our business immigration barristers on 0203 617 9173 or complete our enquiry form below.

Appointing Key Personnel

Once you are satisfied that you will be able to meet the above-mentioned sponsorship requirements of the Skilled Worker route, you should appoint an Authorising Officer to manage your sponsorship licence, a Key Contact to act as the main contact between your business and the Home Office and nominate at least one Level 1 User to carry out day-to-day sponsorship activities using the Sponsorship Management System (SMS).  

• Authorising Officer – Usually someone senior within the company or organisation, who is involved with recruitment and/or HR. This person will be ultimately responsible for the licence, and ensuring that Sponsor Licence duties are met;
• Key Contact – The primary point of contact for the Home Office. A legal representative can undertake this role for you; and
• Level 1 User – This person will be responsible for all day-to-day management of the Sponsor Licence through an online portal, known as the Sponsorship Management System (SMS). This person must be an employee at the time of application, however once the Sponsor Licence has been assigned, others, including legal representatives can be set up at Level 1 Users, or Level 2 Users who are able to undertake certain limited tasks on the SMS.

These key personnel will need to be in place when you apply for your Skilled Worker sponsor licence. The roles can be filled by the same person or a combination of different people.

Each of your Key Personnel must be based in the UK for the period they will fill the role you have appointed them to, not have any unspent criminal convictions, civil penalties or other adverse history (including adverse immigration history) and be a paid member of your staff or engaged by you as an ‘office holder’ (unless an exception applies).

Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) Allocation

When you apply for a Skilled Worker sponsor licence, you will be asked to estimate and justify the number of Undefined CoS that you wish to assign in your first year as a licensed sponsor.  

If your sponsor licence application is approved, the Home Office will notify you of your CoS allocation for the year. You will then have up to 12 months to use your CoS.

It is possible to apply to increase a CoS allocation part way through a CoS year.  However, it typically takes 18 weeks for an in-year allocation increase unless a priority service is used.

Although unused CoS cannot be carried over to the next CoS year, during the validity period of your licence it will be possible to apply for a further allocation for the next CoS year.

Applying for a Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence

Once you have decided how many workers you are likely to sponsor in your first year, you will apply for your Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence by completing an online application form, paying an application fee and submitting all relevant supporting documents specified in Appendix A to the sponsor guidance within 5 working days of submitting your application. 

You will also have to give information about the key personnel you are appointing, as well as what documents and evidence you are providing to meet the eligibility criteria set out above.

A legal representative can help you complete the application form, but the application form must be submitted by the sponsor themselves.

How Much Does a Sponsor Licence Cost?

The fee for submitting a sponsor licence application will vary depending on the size of your organisation. A small company or charity will be charged £536.00, and a medium or large sized company will be charged £1,476.00.

How Long Does It Take To Get a Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence?

Sponsor licence applications typically take up to 8 weeks to be decided by the Home Office. There is a priority service which costs £500.00, and will return a decision within 10 working days.

Duration of a Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence

If your Skilled Worker sponsor licence application is successful, your licence will be valid for 10 years.  If you wish to continue to sponsor skilled workers after the end of the 10 year period you will need to apply to renew your sponsor licence before it expires. 

If, however, your Skilled Worker sponsor licence application is refused, there is no right of appeal and there will be a six-month cooling off period.

Sponsor Licence Rating

If your Skilled Worker sponsor licence application is approved, you will be rated ‘A’ on the published register of licensed sponsors. 

If, during the validity period of your sponsor licence, the Home Office considers that you are not able to comply with your sponsor duties or otherwise act in an appropriate way then they may downgrade you to a B-rating. If you are downgraded to a B-rating, you will need to meet a time-limited sponsorship action plan which sets out the steps you will need to take to regain an A-rating. If you do not meet the requirements of your action plan then your sponsor licence will be revoked.

Immigration Requirements for a Skilled Worker Visa

Employers should also keep in mind that workers who wish to come to the UK on a Skilled Worker Visa will themselves need to satisfy various eligibility requirements set out in the Immigration Rules.  

Before assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), you should check that the worker that you wish to sponsor is eligible for a Skilled Worker Visa.

In addition to their job being at an appropriate skill level and being paid an appropriate salary, applicants must have English language skills at level B1 or higher on the Common European Framework of Reference for language in all 4 components (speaking, listening, reading, writing).

Skilled workers also need to satisfy a financial requirement.  However, once you are an A-rated sponsor you will be able to certify that the financial requirement is met when you assign a CoS, if you wish.

Applicants who are applying for entry clearance and being sponsored for certain jobs (broadly comprising jobs in the health, care, welfare and education sectors) must, unless it is not reasonably practical to do so, provide a criminal record certificate for any country in which they have been present for 12 months or more (whether continuously or in total) in the 10 years before the date of their application, since the age of 18.  Where this requirement applies, sufficient time should allowed to make sure that the necessary documentation can be obtained.

You can read more about the requirements for a successful Skilled Worker Visa application here.

Immigration Skills Charge

You may have to pay the Immigration Skills Charge each time you assign a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to a worker on the Skilled Worker route.

How Our Immigration Barristers Can Help

Our business immigration barristers assist UK employers to obtain the right sponsor licence, maintain their licence at the highest rating and comply with their sponsor duties.

Whether you require an assessment of your prospects of successfully applying for a Skilled Worker sponsor licence, advice on the correct company-related documentation to provide in support of a Skilled Worker sponsor licence application or assistance with drafting a compelling business case that will satisfy the Home Office that you meet the requirements for a Skilled Worker sponsor licence, our immigration barristers can manage your Skilled Worker sponsor licence application on your behalf.

We pride ourselves on being approachable and proactive in understanding and meeting our business clients’ needs. We are a highly driven team, dedicated to providing clear and reliable immigration advice directly to employers as part of a professional and friendly service.