Getting a sponsor licence to hire from abroad: the employer's guide

If the candidate you want is not British, Irish or already holding a visa that lets them work for you without sponsorship, you need a sponsor licence before you can employ them on a Skilled Worker visa. Applying is straightforward for a genuine, well-run business; the ongoing duties are where employers get caught out.

Do you need one?

You do not need to sponsor someone who already has:

• a Graduate visa (they can work for you for its full length; you only need to sponsor them when it runs out);
• a dependant visa, pre-settled or settled status, or a Youth Mobility visa;
• indefinite leave to remain.

For everyone else, the job must be eligible: at RQF level 6 or above for most occupations since July 2025, and paid at least the general threshold (£41,700 in 2026) or the occupation's going rate.

What the Home Office checks

• A genuine business with the systems to monitor sponsored staff: HR records, attendance tracking, a reporting process.
• Key personnel: an authorising officer (a senior employee responsible for the licence), a key contact, and at least one level 1 user of the Sponsorship Management System. All must be based in the UK and pass background checks.
• Documents, usually four from the Home Office's list: for example a bank statement, proof of employer's liability insurance, VAT registration, PAYE registration.
• A genuine vacancy at the right skill and salary level.

Costs in 2026

Item	Small sponsor or charity	Medium or large
Licence application (four years)	£574	£1,579
Certificate of Sponsorship, per worker	£525	£525
Immigration Skills Charge, per worker per year	£364	£1,000

"Small" follows the Companies Act definition (two of: turnover under £15m, balance sheet under £7.5m, 50 or fewer employees). The Immigration Skills Charge is paid upfront for the whole visa length: a three-year visa at a medium employer costs £3,000. The white paper proposed a 32 per cent rise in the charge; check the GOV.UK page for the current figure before budgeting.

The worker's own visa fee and health surcharge are separate; many employers cover them.

How long it takes

Standard processing is around eight weeks from submission; a priority service (£500, limited slots released daily) cuts it to ten working days. Plan for three months from decision to start date once the certificate of sponsorship and the visa application are added.

Duties once licensed

• Report changes within ten working days: the worker starts late, does not turn up, changes role, salary or location, or leaves.
• Keep right-to-work evidence, contact details and attendance records for every sponsored worker.
• Keep the business's own details current on the system.
• Comply with UK employment law generally; the Home Office audits.

Failure means downgrading, suspension or revocation, and every sponsored worker's visa is curtailed if the licence goes.

Where AnyRoot fits

AnyRoot does not apply for the licence for you. It handles what happens after the offer: the worker's visa checklist, right-to-work share codes, and the first 30 days (bank, NI, GP, housing) tracked on one dashboard, so your sponsored hire is settled instead of stalled. See employer services.