Home office certificate of sponsorship guidance The overseas worker will need this to support their personal visa application. The explicit prohibition in the guidance illustrates the level of concern within the Home Office about this issue. New guidance on the recouping of certain fees. Breaking Down the Latest Changes to Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence Guidance. It contains guidance on: • how the sponsor applies for DCoS and makes SpAW submissions Jan 7, 2025 · Defined Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) are created for Skilled Worker visa applicants coming from outside the UK. For more information on CoS allocation and to get help and assistance with your situation, call our friendly advisers at 0333 305 9375 . Prohibition on passing fees to sponsored staff Jan 4, 2023 · published for Home Office staff on 9 April 2025; Certificate of sponsorship. With hours left before the New Year, the Home Office updated its Workers and Temporary Workers guidance for sponsors, making it clear that sponsors could no longer pass on the sponsor licence fee or the cost of assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to sponsored workers, which is Dec 9, 2020 · Guidance updated to reflect a commitment given in the Written Ministerial Statement of 28 November 2024 to prohibit the passing on of Skilled Worker sponsor licence or Certificate of Sponsorship Apr 9, 2025 · Points type Description Points available; Sponsorship: You must assign a valid Certificate of Sponsorship to the worker for the job you wish to sponsor them for. 12 March 2024. The Home Office has not yet confirmed when these changes will come into effect. The worker gets a new job in your organisation and you assign them a new Apply for a Skilled Worker visa (formerly a Tier 2 General work visa) if you’ve been offered a skilled job with a UK employer - eligibility, fees, documents, extend, switch or update, bring your Page 1 of 68 Sponsor guidance Part 3: Sponsor duties and compliance - version 04/25 Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors Part 3: Sponsor duties and compliance Version 04/25 This document forms part of the collection ‘Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors’. In many cases, the defined CoS will be granted by the Home Office within one working day but the process can take longer if the Home The Home Office has taken steps to prevent employers from recouping sponsorship fees from sponsored workers. Home Office Crack Down on Immigration Law Breaches and Sponsor Licence Requirements. Once the application is approved, which typically happens within Apr 9, 2024 · Certificates of Sponsorship assigned on or after 4 April 2024 must use the SOC 2020 system. Jan 15, 2025 · Following a change in sponsor guidance in November 2022, sponsors no longer have to notify the Home Office if a sponsored worker starts work before the intended date shown on their Certificate of Sponsorship, provided the new start date is after their visa was approved. uk) and Becoming a Visa Sponsor - Help Sheet for ASC Providers (skillsforcare. Without a valid CoS, an applicant cannot proceed with their visa application. On 31 December 2024, Part 1 of the sponsor guidance was updated. In providing ‘Governing Body Registration’ documents, use your CQC registration documents if applicable. Sponsors must make a specific application to the Home Office for a defined CoS. Feb 17, 2025 · To employ skilled workers from overseas under certain sponsored work routes, most UK employers will need a valid sponsor licence. A Defined Certificate of Sponsorship is not assigned from the sponsor’s annual allocation – there are no limits to the number of Certificates available. Jan 7, 2025 · New rules on recouping sponsorship fees from employees. The prohibited What is Defined Certificate of Sponsorship? Defined Certificate of Sponsorship are used by those who are applying from overseas. In addition, this manual explains who should . How to Withdraw a Certificate of Sponsorship? Apr 7, 2014 · Guide updated due to changes to the Sponsor Management System on 24 May 2021 ahead of the launch of the Graduate Route in July. Definition of Partner or Close . The job must: * be a genuine role Feb 4, 2024 · The Home Office requires that every sponsor get an annual allocation of Certificates of Sponsorship if the employer plans to hire foreign workers from inside the UK. Sponsorship: guidance for employers and educators; Nov 11, 2022 · The guidance on delays to start dates has been too vague for some time. Please see existing guidance for obtaining a sponsor licence –page 10 International recruitment toolkit - March 2024 (skillsforcare. Updated screenshots of the sponsorship management system to reflect Oct 19, 2022 · What Is a Defined Certificate of Sponsorship and Who Needs One? A Defined Certificate of Sponsorship is required by a Skilled Worker applying for entry clearance from outside the UK. The guidance is regularly updated, so it is important that licenced sponsors check regularly to ensure they are up-to-date with the compliance requirements of holding a sponsor licence. The job must: * be a genuine role important messages posted by the Home Office. Jan 30, 2025 · To hire workers through the Skilled Worker route, employers must first apply for a sponsorship licence. Sponsors need to keep up to date to ensure they are meeting their sponsor obligations and are ready for any Home Office audit. important messages posted by the Home Office. Jan 7, 2025 · Before they can apply for a specific Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) via the Sponsorship Management System (SMS), employers must first secure a sponsor licence. The manual . The key changes are set out below. While Authorising Officers may have taken their eyes off the Skilled Worker licence guidance for a moment over new year, the Home Office updated its Guidance for Skilled Worker Sponsor licences with immediately effective changes. Dec 9, 2020 · Guidance updated with a note explaining that we will normally revoke a sponsor licence where a Skilled Worker sponsor seeks to recoup any part of the Certificate of Sponsorship fee from a worker Page 9 of 69 Sponsor guidance Part 1: Apply for a licence - version 04/25 Glossary The table below contains a list of terms and phrases commonly used across all parts of the sponsor guidance for employers, and their definitions. 11 April 2022 Added link to 'Sponsor a Global Business Apr 7, 2014 · Sponsor a worker: sponsor guidance part 2 Workers and Temporary Workers - guidance for sponsors part 1: apply for a licence Sponsorship: guidance for employers and educators Apr 9, 2025 · Step 1: Obtain a Sponsor Licence. Once the application is approved, which typically happens within one working day, the defined CoS is made available in the employer’s SMS account, ready to be assigned to the May 20, 2024 · Revocation of sponsorship: If a sponsor fails to comply with the duties and responsibilities of sponsorship, the Home Office may revoke the sponsor licence, which can have serious consequences for the employer, including loss of the ability to sponsor future employees. For the full Home Office guidance on supporting documents please click here and also see Section L7 Part 1 of the sponsor guidance 3. Please note, guidance only covers the questions which require a specific response from practices, and not the entire application form. You should ensure that you familiarise yourself with Home Office sponsor guidance throughout your recruitment and Sponsor application log in To log in to sponsor application, enter your user ID and password. Dec 1, 2022 · The Home Office has recently made some important changes to their sponsor guidance and to sponsor duties. Certificate costs Jan 22, 2014 · Link to guidance on Sponsor a Scale-up Worker route added to 'Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors' area of collection page. Nov 16, 2022 · An amendment has been made to allow applicants to start work earlier than the start date listed on their Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). At the moment, the fee for a CoS is £239. use SMS and for what purpose. 2. You pay the immigration skills charge for that 2 year period. Jan 7, 2025 · On 31 December 2024, the Home Office published an updated version of the ‘Workers and Temporary Workers Guidance for Sponsors Part 1: Apply for a… Jan 17, 2025 · The Home Office updated its sponsorship guidance recently to further narrow what costs a sponsor can pass on to its sponsored workers. The affected guidance includes: Guidance for sponsor part 1: apply for a licence; Sponsor a worker: sponsor guidance part 2; Guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance; Sponsor a Skilled Worker A worker has a visa from 1 January 2021 to 1 January 2023. Use the SMS to assign an electronic certificate of sponsorship to any overseas worker you wish to employ. a comprehensive troubleshooting section. are included in separate ISC guidance. features a full introduction to SMS as well as . Before they can apply for a specific Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) via the Sponsorship Management System (SMS), employers must first secure a sponsor licence. The Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is assigned through an online portal called the Sponsor Management System (SMS). org. Revised Rules on Recovering Sponsorship Costs Employers are no longer allowed to transfer or recover certain sponsorship-related expenses from sponsored employees. Jan 10, 2025 · On the last day of the year, the Home Office made further updates to the sponsor guidance, clarifying who is permitted to pay for certain Home Office fees, as well as a ban on sponsoring workers in a ‘personal capacity’. Since 31 December 2024, it is now expressly prohibited for a sponsor to recoup (or attempt to recoup): Any part of the Certificate of Sponsorship fee from the sponsored migrant. Contacts Apr 9, 2025 · The Home Office will refuse a sponsor licence application or take the appropriate compliance actions if a prospective or existing sponsor is engaging, or has ever engaged, in such behaviour or Jan 7, 2025 · The Home Office has issued updated sponsor guidance, with a number of key changes to the visa sponsorship regime impacting UK organisations that hold, or are applying for, sponsor licences. This guidance does not replace official Home Office sponsor guidance, Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS): A detailed explanation. Once they’ve got their visa, you can upgrade your licence to an A-rating and request up to 4 additional certificates of sponsorship using the sponsorship management system (SMS). Detailed guidance for Home Office decision makers handling applications for entry clearance and Certificates of Sponsorship, immigration requirements, and conditions of stay • Part 3: Sponsor duties and compliance – this contains detailed information about your duties as a licensed sponsor and the action we can take if you fail to meet these duties • any relevant annexes or appendices referred to in the above documents Page 8 of 77 Sponsor guidance Part 2: sponsor a worker - version 04/25 SOC 2020 occupation code This means the relevant 4-digit code in the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) 2020 system, published by the Office for National Statistics. Jan 13, 2025 · At the turn of the New Year, the Home Office made a number of changes to its primary guidance for holders of sponsor licences. Certificates of Sponsorship assigned on or after 4 April 2024 must use the SOC 2020 system. Identify the right documents you will need to send to the Home Office as part of your registration. Sponsors in the UK should be aware of these changes and take action, where required. This could be frustrating for sponsoring employers and overseas Feb 5, 2025 · Prohibited charges include the cost of a sponsor licence, the cost of assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) and any applicable Immigration Skills Charge (ISC). If you already have a sponsor licence and want to perform your sponsorship duties, you can log into sponsorship management system (SMS) , using the link at the footer of this page. UK visa sponsorship information for employers - requirements, certificates and licences for Workers and Temporary Workers. This comprehensive guide equips Sponsor Compliance Teams (SCT) with the necessary instructions to assess and manage compliance Oct 17, 2024 · If you need help applying for a sponsor licence to obtain a Sponsor management system (SMS) account for purposes which include assigning certificates of sponsorship to your workers, contact us today on +44 (0)333 414 9244 or chat with us online. The guidance has been updated to reflect a commitment given in the Written Ministerial Statement of 28 November 2024 to prohibit the passing on of Skilled Worker sponsor licence or Certificate of Sponsorship fees to sponsored workers by the end of 2024. The lack of clarity and the inflexibility in the previous guidance was a cause for confusion so the measures taken to provide greater certainty for sponsors is a positive step. The guidance states that the Home Office may be able to check certain information online Oct 1, 2013 · Changes to the guidance to reflect the initial phase of the new sponsorship service for selected Government Authorised Exchange sponsors, and to make some other minor amendments and clarifications Jan 7, 2025 · The new Home Office guidance says the Home Office will normally revoke your licence if: You assign a certificate of sponsorship to a sponsored employee on or after 31 December 2024 and you have asked the employee to pay some (or all) of the certificate of sponsorship fee, or you have recouped, or attempted to recoup, some (or all) of the fee Apr 9, 2025 · Points type Description Points available; Sponsorship: You must assign a valid Certificate of Sponsorship to the worker for the job you wish to sponsor them for. While it seems that the announced changes would not involve a significant shift from the Page 1 of 37 Sponsor guidance: Appendix A – version 04/25 Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors Appendix A: supporting documents Version 04/25 This guidance is for employers and other organisations who wish to apply for a sponsor licence on the Worker or Temporary Worker routes. At the end of November, the Home Office announced a planned ‘crack down’ on businesses found to be in breach of immigration laws and sponsor licence requirements. Feb 6, 2025 · The Home Office guidance has also been amended to prevent anyone legally prohibited from being a company director from being key personnel on a sponsor licence, unless a court has given the person permission to act as a director, or to promote or form a business, and as long their sponsorship role doesn’t contravene this permission. To help sponsors manage their key ; personnel, change their Page 4 of 26 Published for Home Office staff on 11 April 2025 About this guidance This guidance tells caseworkers how to consider applications for defined certificates of sponsorship (DCoS) and sponsor a worker (SpAW) submissions. This licence grants businesses the authority to sponsor foreign workers and is a prerequisite for issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). To help sponsors manage their key ; personnel, change their Apply for a Skilled Worker visa (formerly a Tier 2 General work visa) if you’ve been offered a skilled job with a UK employer - eligibility, fees, documents, extend, switch or update, bring your Jan 17, 2025 · Of the changes announced in Parliament on Thursday 16 January 2025, the proposed increase in the cost of a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from £239 to £525 will be the most significant change for trusts. But an employer may receive partial refunds of the ISC direct from UK Visas and Immigration if a worker departs the organisation with at least six months’ sponsorship remaining. 1 December 2020 Updated version of the guide published. Dec 16, 2024 · However, the Home Office enforces strict rules to prevent misuse of the sponsor license system. A Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is an electronic document issued (or “assigned”) by a UK employer to each skilled worker they sponsor. Dec 22, 2022 · The Home Office guidance sets out a sponsor licence holder’s obligations and duties when sponsoring migrant workers. uk). 10 July 2024. Screenshots in pdf version updated. Apr 9, 2025 · Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) The Home Office will refuse a sponsor licence application or take the appropriate compliance actions if a prospective or existing sponsor is engaging, or has Jan 15, 2025 · The government published a number of significant changes to their guidance for work sponsors on 31 December 2024 and 1 January 2025. Sponsors are understandably keen to comply with the Sponsor Guidance and their duties as a sponsor. Apr 7, 2014 · 4 December 2024. It provides information on your duties and expected Nov 22, 2022 · Under the old Home Office guidance, a sponsored worker could not commence their employment with your business until the official start date on the certificate of sponsorship allocated to the worker to enable them to apply for their skilled worker visa or other types of work visa. The Home Office’s official sponsor licence guidance documentation is extensive and includes detailed information for employers on how to apply for a sponsor licence, their responsibilities as a sponsor, and how to comply with immigration rules when sponsoring workers. A Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) must not be assigned by an SMS User to themselves, their partner, or any close relative. Sponsor pays top-up after write-out. This will Jan 17, 2025 · The new year 2025 had hardly begun when the Home Office introduced some significant changes to its sponsor guidance. Home Office will announce when these changes come into effect – when it does, the cost of a sponsorship fee will be £525. Non-compliance with this rule is a mandatory ground for revocation of the sponsor licence. While Authorising Officers may have taken their eyes off the Skilled Worker licence guidance for a moment over new Dec 30, 2024 · 1. It tells you the Feb 3, 2025 · On 22 January 2025, the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) published a detailed Compliance Casework Guidance, offering critical insights into how the Home Office handles compliance cases for sponsor licence holders. Updated to clarify defined CoS expiry time. The guidance now states: “A worker can start working in their sponsored employment as soon as they have permission to enter or stay in the UK, even if this is before the start date recorded on their CoS Jan 8, 2025 · 1. These changes are likely to affect many organisations which hold sponsor licences. Common . Jan 8, 2025 · 1. To obtain a Certificate of Sponsorship in the UK, an employer must first secure a sponsor licence from the Home Office. Jul 6, 2023 · Once your sponsor licence is granted, the Level 1 users will be given access to the Home Office’s online sponsorship management system (SMS). This requires submitting an application, along with the relevant documentation, to demonstrate that the employer is a legitimate organisation and meets the necessary requirements. Here we summarise key changes, and would encourage you to review your processes to ensure you remain compliant. Phrase Meaning Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) An electronic document with a unique reference number Mar 20, 2025 · Basic Compliance Assessment key dates: displayed here are your Student Sponsor status start and end dates, as well as your Student Sponsor status renewal opening date; take note of this date as it Jan 23, 2025 · This includes fees for sponsor licence applications and Certificates of Sponsorship issued on or after 31 December 2024. The changes announced in Parliament on Thursday 16 January 2025 include a proposed increase in the cost of a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). 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