Sponsor licence
A sponsor licence lets UK employers sponsor workers from outside the UK — including EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who arrived after 31 December 2020.
- £611
- Worker licence (small or charitable) or Temporary Worker licence
- £1,682
- Worker licence — medium or large sponsor
- Under 8 weeks
- Most applications decided
- £750
- Optional priority service — decision within 10 working days
Who needs a sponsor licence
UK employers who want to recruit workers from outside the UK need a licence to sponsor them.
Hiring from outside the UK
Any UK employer that wants to sponsor workers from outside the UK needs a sponsor licence.
Hiring EU, EEA and Swiss citizens after Brexit
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who arrived after 31 December 2020 require sponsorship in the same way as other overseas workers.
Growing UK businesses
Companies that need access to skilled workers, specialists or temporary workers not available in the local labour market.
New and expanding operations
Including businesses scaling up, opening UK branches or running structured programmes such as Government Authorised Exchange or Seasonal Worker schemes.
You do not need a licence to employ
The two licence categories
Worker licence
For skilled and long-term roles: Skilled Worker, Senior or Specialist Worker (Global Business Mobility), Minister of Religion and International Sportsperson.
Temporary Worker licence
For shorter-term and programme-based roles: Scale-up Worker, Creative Worker, Charity Worker, Religious Worker, Government Authorised Exchange, International Agreement, Graduate Trainee, Service Supplier, UK Expansion Worker, Secondment Worker and Seasonal Worker.
Fees and processing
- Worker licence — small or charitable sponsor
- £611
- Worker licence — medium or large sponsor
- £1,682
- Temporary Worker licence — any size
- £611
- Optional priority service (decision within 10 working days)
- £750
- Standard decision — most applications
- Under 8 weeks
Priority slots are limited each day and are allocated first come, first served.
The employer pays the fee
Sponsor size and licence validity
Your organisation is treated as a small sponsor if at least two of the following apply.
- Annual turnover of £15 million or less
- Total assets of £7.5 million or less
- 50 employees or fewer
Most licences remain valid for as long as you keep meeting the sponsor requirements. Scale-up and UK Expansion Worker licences last 4 years.
How it works
- 1Step 1
Check business eligibility
Confirm your organisation is genuine, lawfully operating in the UK and has no unspent serious convictions or history of non-compliance.
- 2Step 2
Check the job is suitable
Make sure the role you want to sponsor meets the requirements of the chosen immigration route.
- 3Step 3
Choose the licence type
Decide whether you need a Worker licence for skilled and long-term roles, or a Temporary Worker licence.
- 4Step 4
Decide who will manage sponsorship
Appoint key personnel responsible for using the Sponsorship Management System and meeting sponsor duties.
- 5Step 5
Apply online and pay the fee
Submit the online application and pay the Home Office fee. The licence fee must be paid by the employer — the worker must not pay it.
- 6Step 6
UKVI suitability check
UKVI may visit your premises to check you are suitable to sponsor and that systems are in place to meet your duties.
- 7Step 7
Decision and licence rating
Once approved, your business is added to the register of sponsors with a licence rating and can assign Certificates of Sponsorship to workers.
- 1Step 1
Check business eligibility
Confirm your organisation is genuine, lawfully operating in the UK and has no unspent serious convictions or history of non-compliance.
- 2Step 2
Check the job is suitable
Make sure the role you want to sponsor meets the requirements of the chosen immigration route.
- 3Step 3
Choose the licence type
Decide whether you need a Worker licence for skilled and long-term roles, or a Temporary Worker licence.
- 4Step 4
Decide who will manage sponsorship
Appoint key personnel responsible for using the Sponsorship Management System and meeting sponsor duties.
- 5Step 5
Apply online and pay the fee
Submit the online application and pay the Home Office fee. The licence fee must be paid by the employer — the worker must not pay it.
- 6Step 6
UKVI suitability check
UKVI may visit your premises to check you are suitable to sponsor and that systems are in place to meet your duties.
- 7Step 7
Decision and licence rating
Once approved, your business is added to the register of sponsors with a licence rating and can assign Certificates of Sponsorship to workers.
Common mistakes
These are the errors that most often lead to refusal or revocation.
- Making the worker pay the sponsor licence fee — the licence can be revoked if the employer does this.
- Choosing the wrong licence category for the role being offered.
- Failing to appoint suitable key personnel to manage sponsorship duties.
- Inadequate HR systems to track attendance, contact details and right to work evidence.
- Underestimating UKVI suitability checks — the application can be refused if systems are not in place.
- Not maintaining ongoing compliance, which can lead to the licence being downgraded, suspended or withdrawn.
Related
Other routes worth checking
Sponsor licence application service
What a managed end-to-end application covers, stage by stage, and how our fees are quoted.
Read moreSponsor licence for small businesses
The small-sponsor size test, the £611 fee band, and what a smaller or newer company has to prove.
Read moreImmigration compliance
The right to work checks, sponsor duties and SMS reporting you take on once the licence is granted.
Read moreSkilled Worker visa
The main route your licence will be used for, and what the worker needs to qualify.
Read moreHR compliance software
Systems for tracking attendance, contact details and right to work evidence across your workforce.
Read moreSkilled Worker Sponsor Licence
Guide to the Skilled Worker sponsor licence: eligibility, the eight-week process, fees and sponsor duties.
Read moreReady when you are
Ready to move forward?
Book a consultation with an IAA-regulated adviser and get a clear, honest assessment of your options — including what we would not recommend.