If you are a tech UK business, you might be seeking ways to diversify your staff by using foreign workers. In order to hire us workers or anyone outside of the EEA, your business has to submit the sponsorship license application. This requirement extends to temporary workers who are conducting charity work for your organization or any form of unpaid work.
British businesses that could previously utilize the free movement of workers as part of the agreements with the EU must now obtain what is called a sponsor license. This sponsor license provides a company with permission to sponsor skilled workers from outside of the United Kingdom and bring them to the business.
Requirements for sponsor license applications
Before you submit your application, your business needs to make sure that all conditions are met. Staff members have to be assigned to the rolls of sponsorship management after which the application can be submitted through the mail or online.
To be eligible for this application, your business has to prove that you are legitimate. You also have to prove that you need a non-EEA skilled worker for the job at hand. The employee you plan to sponsor must pass a personality test. Your organization must not have any history of failing to meet their duties or any serious criminal convictions. Similarly, you have to provide an appropriate salary to any of the employees you plan to sponsor from outside of the UK.
Be advised that your application requires many forms and supporting documents. Failure to attach any of the relevant documents for your business or for the employees you plan to hire can result in your application being denied. For this reason and many more it is recommended that you work with qualified immigration attorneys who can help you with sponsor license requirements and verify that you have all of the correct documents before you submit things to Home Office.
Once your application is submitted, your business might get a compliance visit to ensure that you are upholding everything you are supposed to as the hiring entity. These compliance visits might happen periodically as well. If your company needs approval urgently, there are priority services available that allow you to expedite Your sponsorship application by paying a flat fee to expedite the processing of your sponsor license. On average however the official process on average takes about eight weeks before you hear back about your approval or denial.
After your sponsor license application is successful
If your sponsorship license application is successful, then your UK business receives the appropriate A grade license rating from Home Office and gets placed on the register for sponsorship licenses. If your business gets a successfulsponsor license application approval you can then apply for certificates of sponsorship which means you can bring other workers to the United Kingdom for jobs. Using the sponsor management system you can find other employees and bring them here. Once your license application is approved it is valid for 4 years. However, your company is required to follow the strict duties that Home Office outlines.
What types of workers can I sponsor?
Once your business gets approval the types of workers you can sponsor or based on the type of license. If you want to employ someone outside of the EEA to work in the UK you can do so as either a tier 2 work visa or a tier 5 temporary work visa.
What is the difference? A tier 2 work visa includes people who are applying for athletic positions or to fulfill religious positions. A tier 1 Visa is for people with exceptional talent. Being able to differentiate between the Visas and figuring out which types of workers you can sponsor is yet another area where your business might want to confirm with a business immigration attorney beforehand.
After your sponsor license application is rejected
If your application is rejected, you will typically be provided with the reasons for your application reduction or the reasons why a renewal was rejected. This might include failure to comply with the standards outlined by Home Office, failure to inform Home Office of changes to the way your business is run, failure to provide enough documentation for the migrant workers whom you wish to sponsor, failure to pass the compliance audit or the genuineness test, or just not responding in time to requests by Home Office. It is recommended that your business consider working with a business immigration law firm to resolve any of these issues.
