Sponsor Licence Application

A sponsor licence is the Home Office permission a UK organisation needs before it can employ most overseas workers under the sponsored work routes, such as Skilled Worker and the Global Business Mobility routes. Without a licence, the organisation cannot assign a Certificate of Sponsorship, which the worker needs to apply for their visa.

The application is not simply a form. The Home Office assesses whether your organisation is genuine, whether the people running the licence are suitable, and whether your HR systems are capable of meeting sponsor duties. Preparing properly reduces the risk of refusal and of later compliance problems.

Who can apply

An organisation may be eligible if it is operating and trading lawfully in the UK. Individuals generally cannot be sponsors in their own right unless they are sole traders sponsoring someone to work in their business. Sponsorship must relate to the organisation's business, not to a personal arrangement.

Key requirements

• Genuineness: the organisation must be genuine and the roles it intends to fill must be genuine and meet the skill and salary requirements of the relevant route.
• Suitability: the organisation and its key personnel must be honest, dependable and reliable. Previous non-compliance or relevant adverse history may lead to refusal.
• Capability: HR and recruitment systems must be able to monitor sponsored workers, keep the required records and report changes on time.
• Key personnel: suitable people must be appointed to the mandatory roles.

The Home Office may carry out a compliance check before the licence is granted. See our page on Home Office compliance visits.

Key personnel

There are three mandatory roles, and the same person can hold all of them:

• Authorising Officer: the most senior person responsible for the recruitment of all sponsored workers. They must be a paid member of staff or office holder. A representative cannot be the Authorising Officer.
• Key Contact: the main point of contact with the Home Office.
• Level 1 User: manages the licence day to day on the Sponsor Management System (SMS). The primary Level 1 User must be an employee, director or partner, and generally must be a settled worker. Level 1 Users must be based in the UK.

From 9 September 2026, organisations can no longer appoint new Level 2 Users. Key personnel cannot be contractors or consultants hired for a specific purpose, and from the same date workers supplied by an employment business can no longer be appointed.

Documents

The supporting documents that must be submitted depend on the type of organisation and the routes applied for, and are listed in Appendix A of the Home Office sponsor guidance. They must be sent within 5 working days of completing the online application. Missing or incorrect documents are a common reason for refusal, so we check every item against Appendix A before submission.

Fees

At the time of writing, the Home Office application fee for a Worker licence is £611 for small or charitable sponsors and £1,682 for medium or large sponsors. A licence covering only Temporary Worker routes currently costs £611 whatever the size of the organisation. An organisation is usually a small sponsor if at least 2 of the following apply: annual turnover of £15 million or less, total assets of £7.5 million or less, and 50 employees or fewer.

Once licensed, sponsors also pay a Certificate of Sponsorship fee (currently £525 for Skilled Worker and certain other routes, and £55 for Temporary Worker routes) and, where it applies, the Immigration Skills Charge. These costs must be paid by the sponsor. The Home Office will normally revoke a licence if the sponsor recovers, or attempts to recover, them from the worker.

Decision and licence rating

An application may be rejected as invalid, refused, or granted with an A-rating. UK Expansion Worker licences are granted with a Provisional rating. A priority service, for a decision within 10 working days, is available for an additional fee of £750 at the time of writing, subject to availability.

If an application is refused, a cooling-off period of 6 months generally applies before a new application can be made.

How long a licence lasts

Since 6 April 2024, sponsor licences no longer need to be renewed every 4 years. Once granted, a licence generally remains valid unless it is surrendered or revoked. The exceptions are licences for the UK Expansion Worker and Scale-up routes, which last for a maximum of 4 years. Staying compliant is therefore an ongoing responsibility; see sponsor licence management and compliance.

Recent changes to be aware of

• Skilled Worker roles for new applicants must generally be at RQF level 6 since 22 July 2025.
• Overseas recruitment of care workers and senior care workers closed from 22 July 2025.
• No new Level 2 Users from 9 September 2026; existing Level 2 Users must be converted to Level 1 (where eligible) or deactivated by 8 March 2027.
• Two-factor authentication for SMS users is being rolled out from September 2026 and is on by default for licences granted on or after 9 September 2026.

How Stonebridge can help

• Assessing eligibility and identifying risks before you apply.
• Advising on key personnel and the right licence routes for your plans.
• Reviewing HR systems and preparing staff for a possible pre-licence visit.
• Preparing the online application and checking documents against Appendix A.
• Advising on assigning your first Certificates of Sponsorship.

To discuss a sponsor licence application for your organisation, book a consultation.