You’ll usually need a sponsor licence to employ someone to work for you from outside the UK.
You will not need a licence to sponsor certain groups, for example:
- Irish citizens
- those with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
- those with indefinite leave to remain in the UK
Sponsoring someone does not guarantee that they’ll get a visa to work for you in the UK.
How to get a sponsor licence
- Check your business is eligible.
- Check if your job is suitable for sponsorship.
- Choose the type of licence you want to apply for - this will depend on what type of worker you want to sponsor
- Decide who will manage sponsorship within your business.
- Apply online and pay the fee.
After you apply
You’ll be given a licence rating if your application is successful.
You’ll be able to issue certificates of sponsorship if you have jobs that are suitable for sponsorship.
Your licence will be valid for 4 years. You may lose your licence if you do not meet your responsibilities as a sponsor.
Eligibility
To get a licence as an employer, you cannot have:
- unspent criminal convictions for immigration offences or certain other crimes, such as fraud or money laundering
- had a sponsor licence revoked in the last 12 months
- You’ll need appropriate systems in place to monitor sponsored workers and people to manage sponsorship in your business.
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will review your application form and supporting documents. They may visit your business to make sure you’re trustworthy and capable of carrying out your duties.
Job suitability
You can sponsor a worker if the job they’re going to do:
- complies with the UK minimum wage and working time regulations - the worker’s visa may be refused and you may lose your sponsor licence if it does not meets the other criteria needed for their visa
Read more about job suitability, if you’re sponsoring:
- a skilled worker
- a health or care worker
- a worker on any type of ‘Global Business Mobility’ visa (senior or specialist worker, graduate trainee, secondment worker, UK expansion worker or service supplier)
- a scale-up worker
- a worker on a government authorised exchange
- a seasonal worker
- a worker on an International Sportsperson visa
- a worker on an international agreement
- a creative worker
- a charity worker
- a minister of religion or religious worker
You must keep records of when you do not have to advertise the job. You need to prove that there is not a suitable person to take the role, who does not require sponsorship.
There are rules you must follow about how to advertise jobs for religious workers.
Types of licence
The licence you need depends on whether the workers you want to fill your jobs are:
- ‘Workers’ - for skilled or long-term employment
- ‘Temporary workers’ - for specific types of temporary employment
You can apply for a licence covering one or both types of worker.
Worker licence
A ‘Worker’ licence will let you sponsor people in different types of skilled employment. The skilled work can be for a short time, long-term or permanent depending on the worker’s visa.
The licence is split into:
- Skilled Worker - the role must meet the job suitability requirements
- Senior or Specialist Worker visa (Global Business Mobility) - for multinational companies which need to transfer established employees to the UK, previously the Intra-company Transfer visa
- Minister of Religion - for people coming to work for a religious organisation
- International Sportsperson - for elite sportspeople and coaches who will be based in the UK
Temporary Worker licence
A ‘Temporary Worker’ licence will let you sponsor people on a temporary basis, including for volunteering and job-shadowing. You can only get a Temporary Worker licence for specific types of employment and visas.
The licence is split into:
- Scale-up Worker - for people coming to work for a fast-growing UK business
- Creative Worker - to work in the creative industry, for example as an entertainer or artist (up to 2 years)
- Charity Worker - for unpaid workers at a charity (up to 1 year)
- Religious Worker - for those working in a religious order or organisation (2 years)
- Government Authorised Exchange - work experience (1 year), research projects or training, for example practical medical or scientific training (2 years) to enable a short-term exchange of knowledge
- International Agreement - where the worker is coming to do a job which is covered by international law, for example employees of overseas governments
- Graduate Trainee (Global Business Mobility) - for workers transferring to their employer’s UK branch as part of a graduate training programme
- Service Supplier (Global Business Mobility) - for workers with a contract to provide services for a UK company (6 or 12 months)
- UK Expansion Worker (Global Business Mobility) - for workers sent to the UK to set up a new branch or subsidiary of an overseas business
- Secondment Worker (Global Business Mobility) - for workers transferring from overseas to work for a different UK business as part of a high-value contract
- Seasonal Worker – allows people to come to the UK and work in horticulture (for example, picking fruit and vegetables) for up to 6 months, or poultry from 18 October to 31 December each year
If you’re sponsoring a scale-up worker
Your sponsorship responsibilities as a sponsor for a scale-up worker will end 6 months after they get permission to come to or stay in the UK.
After that, a scale-up worker can do any of the following until their visa expires:
- continue working for you without getting a new certificate of sponsorship
- change jobs without getting a new sponsor
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