Assign a Certificate of Sponsorship without putting your licence at risk
A Certificate of Sponsorship is the record you create in the Sponsorship Management System before your worker applies. Get the SOC code, salary or job description wrong and the visa can be refused — and the error sits on your sponsor record. We check and prepare every CoS before it is assigned.
- CoS fee (per certificate)
- £525
- Skilled Worker general threshold
- £41,700/yr
- Hourly rate floor
- £12.82
- IAA regulated advisers
- ILPA member (9304)
- ICO registered (ZB830408)
- Professional indemnity insured
What we do before a CoS is assigned
- Confirm the role's SOC 2020 occupation code and its published going rate
- Check the salary against the applicable threshold and the hourly rate floor
- Review the job description, hours and start date for consistency with the contract
- Confirm you hold the right allocation type and enough allocation on the licence
- Draft the CoS wording and check it against the supporting documents
- Record the decision trail so the file stands up at a compliance visit
Why CoS errors are expensive
A CoS cannot simply be edited once it has been assigned and used. Mistakes usually mean a refused application, a new certificate and a second set of fees — and repeated errors are exactly what the Home Office looks at when deciding whether a sponsor is meeting its duties.
- Refusals caused by an incorrect SOC code or salary figure
- Certificates assigned for roles that do not meet the skill level
- Salary shown on the CoS not matching the contract or payslips
- Allocations used up on certificates that then have to be replaced
Salary thresholds we check against
Most Skilled Worker roles must meet the general threshold of £41,700 a year or the occupation's going rate, whichever is higher. Discounted routes — such as new entrants, relevant PhD holders and Immigration Salary List roles — can lower that to £33,400, and separate rules apply to national pay scale roles.
- Going rate for the exact SOC 2020 code, pro-rated for the contracted hours
- Hourly rate floor of £12.82, whatever the annual salary
- Which discount, if any, the worker genuinely qualifies for
Who this is for
- Sponsors assigning their first Certificate of Sponsorship
- HR teams who want a second pair of eyes before using an allocation
- Employers whose previous application was refused on salary or SOC grounds
- Sponsors sponsoring an unfamiliar role or an unusual working pattern
Home Office costs linked to a CoS
| Certificate of Sponsorship | £525 |
|---|---|
| Immigration Skills Charge — small or charitable sponsor (per year sponsored) | £480 |
| Immigration Skills Charge — medium or large sponsor (per year sponsored) | £1,320 |
Home Office figures as published in our fee data (effective 8 April 2026). Our professional fees are quoted separately once we know what the role involves.
Have a CoS checked before you assign it
Tell us the job title, salary and hours and a regulated adviser will confirm the occupation code, the salary position and anything that needs fixing first.
- IAA regulated advisers
- ILPA member (9304)
- ICO registered (ZB830408)
- Professional indemnity insured