UK employers can obtain a sponsor licence to bring US workers to come and work for their businesses in the UK to boost their workforce. Before you are issued a sponsor licence you must meet some eligibility criteria.
You must also show the Home Office the workers you wish to bring to the UK and the various roles you intend to fill in your business. The type of job a US worker will do for your business will largely determine the type of sponsor licence you must apply for.
Why do UK employers need sponsor licence?
As a UK employer, if you obtain a sponsor licence, you will be allowed to sponsor foreign workers with the required skill set and experience for long-term or short-term work. Bringing US workers to come and work for your business in the UK will help boost the productivity of your business.
Sponsor licence eligibility criteria
You must meet the following eligibility criteria to obtain a sponsor licence that will authorise you to bring US workers to come and work for your business in the UK. You must:
- Be original, trading, and operating in the UK legally.
- Be based in the UK.
- Have key personnel that are dependable and truthful.
- Not pose a threat to immigration control.
- Have sufficient HR systems that will ensure you carry out your licensed sponsor obligations seamlessly and continuously.
Application process for sponsor licence
As a UK employer, before your business applies for a sponsor licence, your Authorising Officer must be satisfied that all systems are in place to ensure that your business complies with its obligations and sponsorship duties. To apply for a sponsor licence, you need to access the online sponsor licence application form through the Sponsorship Management System (SMS).
In the online application form, you will be asked to state your contact information, the key personnel on the licence, the type of licence you want to obtain and other relevant details about your business. Ensure you save your progress from time to time while completing the online application form.
Once you’re done filling out your sponsor licence online application form, you must forward your submission alongside your supporting documents to the UK Home Office. If you want to submit physical copies of your documents, they must be original and officially certified copies. You must include the following documents in your submission:
- Proof that your business is authentic and active.
- Endorsement from a governing body.
- Value Added Tax (VAT) registration certificate.
- Evidence of your UK footprint.
- Evidence that you’re registered with His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
- Franchise agreement.
- Hierarchy chart of your organisation.
- Proof of your overseas training presence.
- Financial report of a registered accountant.
- Proof of ownership or lease of the building from which your business operates.
Note that the above-mentioned documents are not all-encompassing; they are just possible documents you may need to provide. Your type of business, situation and the kind of sponsor licence you want to obtain will determine whether you will provide some of these documents or present additional documents to support your application.
Once you’ve finished attaching all the required documents, you’ll be required to state your reason for seeking a sponsor licence from the Home Office, your business sector, and its operating hours. Below the application form, there’s an email address to which you will send your submission sheet alongside your documents. You need to submit the photos or digital scans of your documents preferably in JPEG, PNG and PDF format, also ensure that their short descriptive titles are readable.
What are the timescales of sponsor licence?
You should expect a decision on your sponsor licence application to be made within 8 weeks. However, you may experience delays in getting the licence processed if you do not provide all the required documents for the sponsor licence type you want to acquire.
For this reason, it’s best to engage a professional immigration lawyer to help you avoid situations that could lead to a delay. Additionally, to expedite the processing time of the sponsor licence, you can pay a priority fee of £500 to get a decision within 10 working days.
What are the fees for a sponsor licence?
Your UK business must be ready to satisfy some financial demands to successfully sponsor US workers to work for you in the UK. The cost of bringing US workers to join your workforce depends on the type and size of your business.
If you have a small business, you are expected to have a balance sheet and a turnover that are not worth more than £5.1 million and £10.2 million respectively. As a small business owner, you’re required to pay £536 as a sponsor licence fee. You will not pay any money to add a worker licence to a pre-existing temporary worker licence. However, if you’re a large business owner, the sponsor licence fee you must pay is £1,476.
Note that, you’ll be required to pay this same amount if your business does not meet the criteria or is exempted from the small business regime. If you want to add a worker to a pre-existing temporary worker licence, you must pay £940.
Alongside the above-mentioned fees, you’ll also pay:
- £1,000 for immigration skills charge yearly or a lower rate of £364 for smaller charities or businesses.
- £239 to assign a Certificate of Sponsorship or £25 for each temporary worker.
- Other fees for the visa applications of your prospective workers.
Final thoughts
The process of obtaining a sponsor licence and bringing US workers to come and support your workforce in the UK is complex. Additionally, the hassle of meeting several eligibility criteria and providing an array of documents to support your sponsor licence application is typically overwhelming.
Keep in mind that the type of licence you need, and the kind and size of your organisation determine the documents you must provide and the corresponding fees you’d pay while applying. You’ll most likely miss out on crucial details while applying, which could cause your application to be delayed or in the worst-case scenario be refused.
This would require you to reapply, incur additional expenses and waste your time in the process. For this reason, it’s best to consult a professional immigration lawyer to help you navigate the sponsor licence application process seamlessly and avoid breaking UK immigration rules while bringing US workers to work for your business in the UK.
