Tier 2 Sponsorship Licence Renewal
A sponsor licence allows UK employers to recruit foreign workers. Sponsor licences are granted for four-year periods. To continue employing migrant workers, employers must make a sponsor licence renewal application to the Home office.
How To Apply
Sponsor licence holders are able to submit their renewal application up to three month in advance of the expiry day. A sponsor will be required to apply online using the Sponsor Management System (SMS). The employer must ensure that all details displayed on the summary page of the SMS are correct and have been fully updated. In addition to this, the Sponsor Guidance states that all requested documents must be sent within 5 working days. Failure to do so will lead to the refusal of the renewal application and a suspension or downgrading of the current sponsor licence. Therefore, applicants are strongly advised to start preparing their renewal applications. Another reason to apply early is that if an application is rejected prior to the licence expiry date, then a sponsor is able to submit a new renewal application and the licence will continue until a decision has been rejected.
The Fee
The application fee is not fixed and depends on the size of a company. The sponsors of small companies pay £536, while medium and large companies pay £1,476.
UKVI procedure
Following the renewal request, the UKVI officials will make checks as outlined in the Modernised Guidance to determine that the company is:
Operating legally in the UK
Still suitable to be a licensed sponsor
Able to meet their duties at the level we expect
In most cases, general information held by Companies House will be reviewed to check if the company is operating legally in the UK. Moreover, the UKVI will review the sponsor’s immigration history and previous Certificates of Sponsorship.
It is well known that renewal applications attract greater Home Office scrutiny than the initial licence applications. The Home Office uses this opportunity to fully investigate the organisation’s compliance with immigration rules, recruitment policies and other documentation. The compliance visits are highly likely if a sponsor has previously ‘had a tier 2 migrant application refused on the grounds of non-genuine vacancy’.
We understand that the renewal application process can be stressful. Sterling Law is keen to help you with ensuring that the paperwork is correct, preparing for compliance visits and providing remedies in case of a refusal.
CONSULTATIONWe value your time. After the consultation, we will let you know what the next steps are. We will request the documents we need, and only call you when necessary. We are proactive, will update you on your case as soon as we have any news so that you don’t need to call, meaning you can rest assured that no actions are needed from your side.
We haven’t forgotten about you, but we believe you’d rather spend time doing something that really matters than on the phone with a lawyer.
In a nutshell, it is permission to hire workers outside the EU (EEA) and the UK. Not only you will be able to hire applicants based on their skill and not nationality, but you also secure yourself the same right after the end of the transition period (please note, from 1 January 2021 you must have a sponsor licence to hire both EU and non-EU citizens who otherwise do not have right to work in the UK).
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As a result of her efforts, our client from Kazakhstan together with his unmarried partner and their four young children were all successfully granted entry clearance to the UK under the Tier 1 Investor visa.
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Both Start-up and Innovator visa are open to everyone looking to set up a business in the UK for the first time.
Start-up is initially granted for 2 years which allows you to develop your business idea and switch to the Innovator category later on.
