Sponsor Licenses

Herrington Carmichael is a full service law firm offering legal advice to UK and international businesses as well as individuals and families.
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Sponsor Licenses

All organisations wishing to recruit migrant workers will require a Sponsor Licence. In order to sponsor migrant workers, an organisation must obtain a Sponsor Licence. The Skilled Worker Licence was previously known as the Tier 2 (General) Licence.

Once an organisation’s Sponsor Licence has been granted by the Home Office, it can recruit migrant workers.

The process of applying for a Sponsor Licence can be challenging. The Home Office will undertake routine audits of the HR systems (for organisations employing migrants) and other systems used in your organisation and can revoke or downgrade your licence for non-compliance with your duties. Maintaining compliance with sponsor duties is critical. A failure to comply with your sponsor duties should not be overlooked, as it can have huge ramifications for your business and your migrants, whether they are employees or students.

Different types of sponsorship licences
There are two main types of licences – Worker Licence and Temporary Worker Licence. A ‘Temporary Worker’ licence will let you sponsor people on a temporary basis, including for volunteering and job-shadowing. A ‘Worker Licence’ will let you sponsor people in different types of skilled employment.

Sponsor Licence Application Service
Our immigration services are bespoke and tailored to your needs. Our immigration lawyers are ready to assist your company with preparing for your Sponsor Licence application. We will also ensure that the right systems are in place to comply with your ongoing sponsorship duties.

Our strong relationship with the UKV&I Sponsor Licensing Unit enables us to effectively manage the progress of your licence application. Our applications are normally considered within the processing timelines.

Key contact

Usof Shah PNG
Usof Shah
Legal Director

What our clients say about us

We have also greatly benefited from the excellent work of Usof Shah, Immigration Director, whose expertise has been instrumental in helping our members address critical skills shortages in the construction industry. Usof has provided clear, actionable guidance on immigration laws, empowering our members to legally employ skilled foreign workers and sustain their businesses. His commitment extends beyond traditional legal services - he has delivered live webinars and offered free advice to some of our SME members, which was highly valued and, in several cases, helped save their companies. This combination of deep legal expertise, accessibility, and genuine care for clients' success sets him apart from others in the field.

Throughout my UK career, I came across many solicitors and solicitor firms. But Herrington Carmichael is the best so far. Their quick response, wider knowledge, and straightforward decisions come with a very competitive advisory fee. I can easily recommend them, and I did. Their success rate for me is 100%. In a nutshell, they are brilliant.

The individual deals with my requirements and makes sure I fully understand what he is advising and what the best way to proceed is.

Responsive, commercial, and able to explain immigration requirements in clear, simple terms.

The individuals we work with stand out for being approachable, knowledgeable, and responsive. Usof Shah, in particular, has been extremely professional, helpful, and practical in his advice.

Usof Shah stands out for his strong combination of technical expertise, commercial awareness, and responsiveness. He is able to explain complex immigration matters in a clear and practical way while remaining highly approachable and solutions-oriented throughout the process. What differentiates him from competitors is the level of personal attention and ownership he brings to matters. He is proactive, detail-oriented, and demonstrates a strong understanding of the operational and business needs of his clients rather than approaching matters from a purely technical perspective. I have particularly valued his responsiveness, clear communication, and ability to manage matters efficiently under tight timelines. He consistently provides pragmatic advice and maintains a high level of professionalism, which creates a strong sense of confidence and reliability throughout the engagement.

Usof Shah and his team stood out for their professionalism, responsiveness, and clear communication.

Herrington Carmichael’s team stands out for its strong expertise in immigration matters, combined with a highly personalized and responsive service. Over the past few years, they supported me and three members of my family, managing each of our individual cases efficiently and professionally. Compared to other firms, they are notably more organized and responsive.

Thank you for helping me to apply the exceptional assurance and I got the application succeed very quickly.

Usof was a pleasure to work with and his wealth of knowledge on the topic of immigration law was evident. We collaboratively delivered a successful webinar to hundreds of construction professionals on the post-Brexit immigration system and Usof was able to answer complex questions on the spot, demonstrating his attention to detail and professionalism. We would not hesitate to recommend Usof and Herrington Carmichael.

Usof Shah has been a great source of information and guidance both in setting up to become a sponsor and also in getting candidates sponsored.

The team provides useful guidance and support on the pitfalls and processes of being a sponsor. The team helps set everything up to become a sponsor as well as assisting with processing CoS applications.

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Meet our experts

Dedicated professionals ready to assist you.

Usof Shah PNG
Legal Director
Neelu-Gurung-PNG
Paralegal

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to your most pressing questions about our services and processes.

A Sponsor Licence grants an organisation permission to sponsor migrant workers (including EEA nationals who have not registered under the EU settled status scheme).

A sponsor management system (SMS) is an online tool where the Home Office provides access to an organisation after granting them a Sponsor Licence, so the business can do the following: Draft and assign the certificate of sponsors Report migrant activities Apply for a certificate of sponsor allocations Report changes to your licence

In order to qualify for a sponsor licence, the business must meet the following requirements: They do not have any unspent convictions for immigration offences or other offences such as fraud or money laundering They have not had a Sponsor Licence revoked by the Home Office in the previous twelve months They have an active trading presence in the UK They have appropriate HR systems in place to monitor sponsored employees

The current published processing times for considering Sponsor Licence applications are 8 – 10 weeks. However, please note that all processing times are provided as a guide and are not a definitive timeframe in which we can expect a decision. If the Home Office wish to carry out a pre-licence audit, this could delay the processing time. There is a priority service for which an additional fee of £500; the application will be placed at the front of the queue, and a decision should be made within 10 working days. However, a very limited number of priority slots are allocated daily.

That depends on what type of visa you need for future employees. You can view all work visas here.