How to Apply for a UK Sponsor Licence

Hiring skilled workers from overseas can help UK businesses fill important roles when suitable candidates are not available locally. However, if you plan to employ workers who require sponsorship, your organisation will generally need a UK Sponsor Licence.

Knowing how to apply for a UK Sponsor Licence is important, but the process involves more than simply completing an online application. UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) needs to be satisfied that your business is genuine, eligible and able to meet its ongoing sponsor duties.

The UK Sponsor Licence application process involves several key steps. You need to check your eligibility, choose the right type of sponsor licence, appoint your key personnel, prepare the required sponsor licence supporting documents, pay the application fee and submit your application to UKVI.

Once approved, employers must continue to meet their UK sponsor licence compliance requirements and keep accurate records of sponsored workers.

In this guide, we explain how to get a UK Sponsor Licence step by step, including the eligibility requirements, documents, fees, application process and what employers need to do after approval.
Important: UK immigration rules, sponsor licence requirements and Home Office fees can change. Always check the latest GOV.UK guidance before submitting your UK Sponsor Licence application.

What Is a UK Sponsor Licence?

A UK Sponsor Licence allows an eligible organisation to sponsor workers who need immigration permission to work in the UK.

For example, an employer may need a sponsor licence if it wants to recruit an eligible overseas worker under the Skilled Worker route.

However, not everyone needs sponsorship. For example, Irish citizens and people with certain existing UK immigration statuses may be able to work without employer sponsorship.

Having a sponsor licence also does not guarantee that a sponsored worker will receive a visa. The worker must separately meet the relevant immigration requirements.

Who Needs a UK Sponsor Licence?

You will usually need a sponsor licence if your organisation wants to employ someone from outside the UK who requires sponsorship to work in the UK.

This can include workers from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland who arrived in the UK to work after 31 December 2020, depending on their immigration status.

Before applying, employers should check:

• Whether the worker actually needs sponsorship
• Whether the proposed role is eligible for sponsorship
• Which immigration route applies
• Whether the organisation meets the sponsor licence requirements
• Whether the business can meet its ongoing sponsor duties

Step-by-Step: How to Apply for a UK Sponsor Licence

Step 1: Check Whether Your Business Is Eligible

The first step is to establish whether your organisation can hold a sponsor licence.

UKVI assesses whether an organisation is suitable and trustworthy to act as a sponsor. Employers need appropriate systems for monitoring sponsored workers and people who can manage sponsorship responsibilities.

UKVI may also visit your business as part of its assessment.

You should therefore have clear processes for:

• Recording employee information
• Monitoring immigration status
• Tracking visa and document expiry dates
• Checking right to work
• Monitoring sponsored workers
• Reporting relevant changes to UKVI
• Keeping appropriate records
• Managing Certificates of Sponsorship

Certain criminal convictions, including relevant immigration, fraud or money laundering offences, can affect eligibility. Previous sponsor licence refusals or revocations can also affect an application.

A practical tip for employers

Do not wait until UKVI asks for evidence before putting your processes in place.

If your business is applying for its first sponsor licence, make sure your HR and compliance procedures are already organised.

Step 2: Check That the Job Is Suitable for Sponsorship

Having an eligible business is only one part of the process.

The job you want to sponsor must also meet the requirements of the relevant immigration route.

For a Skilled Worker application, employers should check matters such as:

• The occupation
• The relevant occupation code
• Salary requirements
• Required skill level
• Working arrangements
• Immigration route requirements

Do not assume that every job can be sponsored simply because your organisation has a sponsor licence.

The role and the proposed worker must meet the relevant requirements before you assign sponsorship.

Step 3: Choose the Correct Type of Sponsor Licence

You need to select the licence type that matches the workers you intend to sponsor.

For example, employers may apply for a Worker licence, while organisations sponsoring workers under eligible temporary routes may require a Temporary Worker licence.

You can apply for more than one licence type where appropriate.

Choosing the correct licence is important because it determines which types of workers your organisation can sponsor.

Step 4: Appoint Your Key Personnel

One of the most important parts of the sponsor licence application is deciding who will manage sponsorship within your organisation.

Under current Home Office guidance, you need to nominate three key roles:

Authorising Officer

The Authorising Officer is a senior person responsible for the organisation’s sponsorship activity.

They oversee the people managing the sponsor licence and have overall responsibility for ensuring sponsorship is properly managed.

Key Contact

The Key Contact acts as the main contact between the organisation and UKVI.

Level 1 User

The Level 1 User manages the day-to-day sponsorship activities, including tasks such as assigning Certificates of Sponsorship and reporting relevant changes through the Sponsorship Management System.

These roles can be carried out by the same person or by different people, provided the individuals meet the relevant requirements.

Why choosing the right people matters

Your sponsor licence is not something that should sit entirely with one person without proper processes behind them.

If your Authorising Officer or Level 1 User leaves the business, for example, you need a process for updating your sponsor management arrangements.

Step 5: Prepare Your Supporting Documents

Supporting documents are an important part of the application.

UKVI has specific guidance covering the evidence required for Worker and Temporary Worker sponsor licence applications. The current Appendix A guidance was updated on 8 April 2026.

The exact documents you need will depend on your organisation and circumstances.

Documents may include evidence relating to areas such as:

• Business registration
• Trading activity
• Premises
• Financial information
• PAYE registration
• HMRC records
• Employer liability insurance
• Business operations
• Existing employees
• The organisation’s structure

You should use the current Home Office Appendix A guidance to identify the documents that apply to your organisation rather than relying on an old checklist.

If documents are not in English or Welsh, certified translations may be required.

Step 6: Apply Online

Once you have checked your eligibility, selected the correct licence and prepared your supporting evidence, you can submit the sponsor licence application online.

The official application process requires you to:

1. Complete the online application
2. Pay the relevant sponsor licence fee
3. Complete the submission sheet
4. Provide the required supporting documents

The Home Office states that applicants can scan or photograph the submission sheet and supporting documents and send them to the email address provided on the submission sheet. Files should be in an accepted format and clear enough to read.

Apply for a UK Sponsor Licence on GOV.UK

How Much Does a UK Sponsor Licence Cost?

The sponsor licence fee depends on the type and size of your organisation.

According to the current GOV.UK application guidance, the Worker licence fee is £611 for small or charitable sponsors and £1,682 for medium or large sponsors. The Temporary Worker licence fee is £611.

A business is generally considered a small sponsor when at least two of the following apply:

• Annual turnover is £15 million or less
• Total assets are £7.5 million or less
• The organisation has 50 employees or fewer

The fee should be paid by the organisation. Employers must be careful not to pass sponsorship-related costs that they are required to pay on to sponsored workers.

Step 7: Submit Your Supporting Evidence

After submitting the online application, check the submission instructions carefully.

Your documents should:

• Be in the required file format
• Be clear and readable
• Have appropriate file names
• Match the information provided in your application
• Include certified translations where required

The Home Office states that supporting documents can be submitted by email using the address provided on the submission sheet.

A missing or unsuitable document can create unnecessary problems, so it is worth reviewing your application before submission.

Step 8: Prepare for a Possible UKVI Compliance Visit

UKVI may visit your organisation to assess whether it is suitable to hold a sponsor licence.

This means your business should be prepared to explain how sponsorship will be managed in practice.

UKVI may want to understand:

• Who manages sponsorship
• How you monitor sponsored workers
• How you check right to work
• How you maintain employee records
• How you monitor visa expiry dates
• How you report changes
• How your HR systems operate
• Where relevant employee records are stored

The important point is that sponsor compliance should be part of your normal HR processes rather than something created only for the application.

Step 9: Wait for the UKVI Decision

Once your application has been submitted, UKVI will assess the application and supporting evidence.

The current GOV.UK guidance says that most applications are dealt with in less than eight weeks. UKVI may need to visit the business during this period.

There is also a priority service that may provide a decision within 10 working days, subject to availability and eligibility. The current additional fee is £750.

Do not make recruitment plans based solely on an assumed approval date.

What Happens If Your Sponsor Licence Is Approved?

If your application is successful, you will receive a sponsor licence rating.

For most successful applications, the organisation receives an A-rated licence.

An A-rated licence allows the organisation to start assigning Certificates of Sponsorship to eligible workers. The business is also added to the public register of licensed sponsors.

The sponsor licence is not the end of the process.

Once licensed, your organisation takes on ongoing sponsor duties.

What Happens After Getting a Sponsor Licence?

A sponsor licence comes with continuing responsibilities.

You may need to:

• Keep accurate employee records
• Monitor sponsored workers
• Track immigration permission
• Report relevant changes to UKVI
• Maintain right-to-work evidence
• Keep sponsorship records
• Report certain absences
• Report changes in employment circumstances
• Keep your organisation’s information up to date
• Cooperate with UKVI compliance checks

Failure to meet sponsor duties can result in enforcement action.

An A-rated licence can be downgraded to a B-rating if the organisation does not continue to meet its sponsor responsibilities. A B-rated sponsor cannot issue new Certificates of Sponsorship until it completes the required improvements and upgrades its licence.

This is why sponsor licence management needs to be treated as an ongoing compliance responsibility.

What Is a Certificate of Sponsorship?

After obtaining the appropriate sponsor licence, an employer may be able to assign a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to an eligible worker.

The CoS contains information about the job and sponsorship.

The worker then uses the relevant sponsorship information when applying for their immigration permission.

For certain Worker routes, the current CoS fee is £525. Temporary Worker Certificates of Sponsorship currently cost £55.

Employers may also have additional sponsorship costs, depending on the immigration route and circumstances.

For example, the Immigration Skills Charge may apply to certain sponsored workers.

Common Mistakes Employers Should Avoid

Applying for a sponsor licence can become complicated when businesses treat it as a simple online form.

Here are some common mistakes to avoid.

1. Using outdated guidance

Immigration rules, fees and sponsorship processes can change.

Always use the latest GOV.UK guidance before applying.

2. Providing incomplete evidence

Check the current supporting document requirements carefully and make sure your documents support the information in your application.

3. Choosing unsuitable Key Personnel

Your Authorising Officer, Key Contact and Level 1 User have important responsibilities. Make sure they understand what is expected of them.

4. Applying before your HR processes are ready

Your organisation should be able to monitor sponsored workers and maintain appropriate records.

5. Assuming approval is automatic

Meeting the basic requirements does not mean every application will be approved.

UKVI assesses the organisation and may conduct a compliance visit.

6. Forgetting about compliance after approval

Getting the licence is only the beginning.

Your organisation must continue meeting sponsor duties throughout the life of the licence.

UK Sponsor Licence Application Checklist

Before submitting your application, use this checklist:

How RootHR Can Help Employers Manage Sponsor Compliance

Getting a UK Sponsor Licence is only one part of employing sponsored workers.

Once your licence is approved, keeping track of employees, documents, right-to-work evidence and visa dates can become difficult when information is spread across spreadsheets, emails and folders.

RootHR helps UK employers bring HR and workforce compliance processes into one place.

You can use RootHR to help manage areas such as:

• Employee records
• Right-to-work information
• Visa and document expiry dates
• Compliance reminders
• Employee documents
• Workforce information
• HR records
• Compliance monitoring

Instead of relying on manual reminders, employers can build more consistent processes for monitoring important employee and compliance information.

For organisations sponsoring multiple workers, having a clear system can make it easier to stay organised and prepare for potential compliance checks.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to get a UK Sponsor Licence?

Most sponsor licence applications are dealt with in less than eight weeks, according to current GOV.UK guidance. UKVI may also visit your business during the assessment. A priority service may be available for eligible applications, with a decision targeted within 10 working days.

How much is a UK Sponsor Licence?

The current Worker sponsor licence fee is £611 for small or charitable sponsors and £1,682 for medium or large sponsors. The Temporary Worker licence fee is £611.

Can a small business apply for a Sponsor Licence?

Yes. Small businesses can apply for a sponsor licence if they meet the relevant eligibility requirements and can demonstrate that they are capable of meeting their sponsor duties.

Do I need a solicitor to apply for a Sponsor Licence?

You do not have to use a solicitor to submit a sponsor licence application. However, businesses with complex circumstances may choose to obtain professional immigration advice.

Does a Sponsor Licence guarantee a worker’s visa?

No. A sponsor licence allows an eligible employer to sponsor workers, but the sponsored worker must still meet the requirements of the relevant immigration route.

What happens after my Sponsor Licence is approved?

If approved, you will receive a sponsor licence rating. An A-rated licence allows you to assign Certificates of Sponsorship to eligible workers. You must then continue meeting your sponsor duties.

Can UKVI visit my business?

Yes. UKVI may visit your organisation to assess whether it is suitable to hold a sponsor licence and whether you can meet your sponsor responsibilities.

Final Thoughts

Knowing how to apply for a UK Sponsor Licence is important for any UK employer planning to recruit workers who need sponsorship. However, getting the application right is only the beginning.

The process starts with checking your business eligibility and making sure the role meets the relevant requirements. You also need to appoint suitable Key Personnel, prepare the right documents and have reliable HR and compliance processes in place.

Once your application is approved, your responsibilities do not stop. Sponsor licence compliance is an ongoing responsibility, and employers must keep accurate records, monitor sponsored workers and report relevant changes to UKVI.

Putting the right systems in place from the start can help your organisation avoid missed deadlines, incomplete records and unnecessary compliance issues. It also makes it easier to manage your UK sponsor licence as your workforce grows.

Looking for a simpler way to manage workforce and UKVI compliance? Explore RootHR and bring your employee, document and compliance information together in one place.