How to Sponsor a Skilled Worker in the UK: A Complete Guide for Employers

Sponsoring a Skilled Worker sounds fairly straightforward when it is reduced to a sentence:

Get a Sponsor Licence, give the employee a Certificate of Sponsorship and they apply for their visa.

Technically, that is the basic journey.

In practice, there is quite a lot sitting between those three steps.

The employer needs the correct Sponsor Licence. The job needs to be eligible. The occupation code needs to be correct. The salary needs to satisfy the rules that apply to that particular worker. The vacancy needs to be genuine. The correct Certificate of Sponsorship needs to be assigned and, where applicable, the employer needs to pay the Immigration Skills Charge.

Only then does the worker make their Skilled Worker application.

And once the visa is granted, the employer’s responsibilities do not suddenly disappear.

They are really just beginning.

This guide explains the process from an employer’s perspective, from deciding that you want to sponsor somebody through to employing them as a sponsored Skilled Worker.

What does it mean to sponsor a Skilled Worker?

Sponsorship allows an approved UK employer to sponsor an eligible overseas worker to work in a qualifying job in the UK.

For the Skilled Worker route, the worker generally needs:

• an eligible job;
• an approved UK sponsor;
• an appropriate Certificate of Sponsorship;
• the required salary; and
• to satisfy the remaining immigration requirements for the route.

The Home Office currently states that a Skilled Worker must have an eligible job, work for a UK employer approved by the Home Office and receive at least the applicable minimum salary.

For the employer, sponsorship means taking responsibility for certain aspects of that worker’s employment and complying with the Home Office’s sponsorship system.

This is why a Sponsor Licence is not simply permission to recruit internationally.

It comes with ongoing responsibilities.

Step 1: Check whether you need a Sponsor Licence

If you want to employ somebody under the Skilled Worker route, your organisation normally needs to hold a valid Worker Sponsor Licence covering that route.

If you already hold the appropriate Sponsor Licence, you can move on to checking the proposed job and worker.

If you do not, the first stage is obtaining one.

This is a separate Home Office application made by the employer.

The organisation needs to satisfy the Home Office that it is eligible and suitable to become a sponsor and that it has appropriate systems in place to comply with its sponsorship duties.

That application should ideally be dealt with well before the worker’s existing immigration permission is about to expire.

Leaving the Sponsor Licence application until the last minute can create unnecessary pressure.

If UKVI requests further information, conducts a compliance visit or refuses the application, the intended worker’s immigration timetable does not simply stop while the employer sorts everything out.

Can a small business sponsor a Skilled Worker?

Potentially, yes.

You do not need to be a multinational company with an HR department occupying three floors of an office building.

Small businesses and newer companies can potentially obtain Sponsor Licences and sponsor workers.

The important questions are whether the business satisfies the Sponsor Licence requirements and whether the proposed sponsorship makes sense within the organisation.

A small company proposing to sponsor one genuinely required skilled employee is not automatically a problem.

But the role, salary, business activities and circumstances should fit together credibly.

We have covered this separately in our guide to whether a new or small business can obtain a Sponsor Licence.

Step 2: Check whether the job can be sponsored

This is one of the most important parts of the process.

Having a Sponsor Licence does not mean you can sponsor anybody for any job.

The proposed role needs to qualify for sponsorship.

Since the changes introduced in July 2025, the position has become more restrictive for many occupations below RQF level 6.

For most new Skilled Worker sponsorship, the occupation will generally need to be skilled to RQF level 6 or above. Certain occupations below that level can still qualify in particular circumstances, including where they appear on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List, and transitional provisions exist for some workers who were already in the Skilled Worker route before the changes.

This means employers should not rely on an old list of eligible jobs.

A role that could be sponsored several years ago may not necessarily be sponsorable for a new applicant today.

Step 3: Find the correct occupation code

Every sponsored Skilled Worker job needs to be matched to the appropriate occupation code.

These are currently based on SOC 2020 classifications.

The occupation code matters because it helps determine:

• whether the job is eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship;
• the relevant going rate;
• whether particular salary reductions may apply;
• whether the occupation appears on a relevant salary or shortage list; and
• in some cases, whether other requirements or exemptions apply.

The mistake employers sometimes make is starting with the job title.

They search the occupation tables for something that sounds similar and select it.

But job titles are not conclusive.

What matters is what the employee is actually going to do.

Job title versus job duties

Imagine an employer wants to sponsor somebody as a “Marketing Manager”.

The title itself does not determine the occupation code.

We would want to understand:

• What will this person actually do?
• Who will they report to?
• Will they manage anybody?
• What level of responsibility will they have?
• What proportion of the job involves particular duties?
• How does the role fit into the organisation?
• What skills are genuinely required?

The occupation code should reflect the substance of the job.

Changing the title to something more impressive does not turn an ineligible role into an eligible one.

Calling somebody the “Global Supreme Director of Strategic Operations” may look excellent on a business card.

The Home Office will still want to know what they actually do on Monday morning.

Step 4: Make sure the vacancy is genuine

The Home Office sponsorship system is intended to allow employers to fill genuine eligible jobs.

It is not intended to create immigration permission first and employment second.

The Sponsor Guidance therefore contains genuine vacancy requirements.

The employer should genuinely require the role and the job should not have been created mainly so that a particular person can obtain permission to remain in the UK.

That does not mean an employer cannot already know who it wants to sponsor.

This is a common situation.

For example, a company may employ somebody on a Graduate visa.

The employee performs well.

The company wants to retain them after their Graduate permission expires.

There is nothing inherently unusual about that.

The question is whether there is a genuine qualifying job that the company actually requires.

What might the Home Office consider?

The circumstances can include the nature of the business, the proposed duties, the salary, the company’s structure and whether the role makes commercial sense.

For a small company, context can be particularly important.

Suppose a company with two employees proposes recruiting a senior manager on a substantial salary.

That does not automatically make the role non-genuine.

But we would want to understand why the company needs that position, how it fits into its operations and how the salary will be funded.

The application should reflect the actual business rather than trying to make the business look bigger than it is.

Step 5: Check the Skilled Worker salary requirements

This is where sponsorship becomes considerably more technical.

There is no single salary figure that answers every Skilled Worker case.

For many new Skilled Worker applications, the standard position is currently that the worker must be paid at least the higher of:

£41,700 per year

or

the applicable going rate for the occupation.

But that is only the starting point.

The Sponsor Guidance currently contains several different general salary thresholds depending on the points option being relied upon, including £41,700, £37,500, £33,400, £31,300, £28,200 and £25,000.

That is why simply asking:

“Is £35,000 enough for a Skilled Worker visa?”

does not give us enough information.

We need to know the job and the worker’s circumstances.

The going rate matters as well

Every relevant occupation code has a going rate.

So imagine the worker will earn £42,000.

That clears the standard £41,700 general threshold.

But suppose the applicable going rate for the occupation is £46,000.

The salary would not satisfy the normal salary option merely because it exceeded £41,700.

The applicable salary requirements need to be considered together.

Going rates can depend on working hours

The going rates in the Skilled Occupations tables are generally based on a specified working week and can need adjusting according to the worker’s weekly hours.

This is another area where employers can make mistakes.

Two workers receiving the same annual salary can potentially have different salary calculations if their contractual working hours differ.

The salary should therefore be checked properly rather than comparing the annual figure with a table and stopping there.

Can a Skilled Worker be paid less than £41,700?

Potentially, yes.

There are several circumstances in which a lower general salary threshold or a percentage of the relevant going rate may apply.

Depending on the case, this can include workers relying on provisions relating to:

• new entrants;
• relevant PhD qualifications;
• STEM PhD qualifications;
• jobs on the Immigration Salary List;
• certain healthcare or education occupations;
• transitional arrangements for existing Skilled Workers; and
• other specific salary options within Appendix Skilled Worker.

The current Sponsor Guidance contains different salary options and thresholds for these circumstances.

The key word is potentially.

An employer should not assume that somebody qualifies for a lower salary simply because they are young, recently graduated or currently hold a Graduate visa.

The relevant requirements need checking.

What is a new entrant?

The Skilled Worker rules contain a salary option for qualifying new entrants.

This can sometimes allow sponsorship at a lower percentage of the going rate, subject to the applicable general salary threshold and the other requirements.

But “new entrant” does not simply mean:

Someone starting their first job with us.

It is an immigration rules definition.

The worker must satisfy one of the qualifying conditions.

There are also restrictions on the total period for which someone can rely on the new entrant provisions.

So if you intend to use the new entrant salary option, check eligibility before assigning the CoS.

Do not discover afterwards that the worker did not actually qualify for the salary reduction on which the whole application depended.

What about workers already sponsored before April 2024?

This is another important area.

Some existing Skilled Workers can benefit from transitional salary arrangements where they obtained their first Tier 2 or Skilled Worker Certificate of Sponsorship before 4 April 2024 and have continuously held relevant Skilled Worker permission since then.

For qualifying workers, the current general threshold can be lower than the £41,700 standard threshold. The current GOV.UK guidance refers to £31,300 or the applicable lower going rate in the relevant circumstances, with further reductions potentially available under specific options. These transitional arrangements are currently intended to apply to applications made before 4 April 2030.

This is why two people doing essentially the same job can sometimes have different Skilled Worker salary requirements.

Their immigration history matters.

Step 6: Check the worker’s circumstances

Before assigning the CoS, the employer should understand the worker’s immigration position.

Are they:

• outside the UK?
• on a Graduate visa?
• already a Skilled Worker?
• changing employer?
• on a Student visa?
• switching from another immigration category?
• relying on new entrant provisions?
• relying on transitional salary rules?

These details can affect several parts of the sponsorship process.

They can influence which CoS is required, salary calculations, Immigration Skills Charge liability and the timing of the application.

This is one of the reasons we prefer to look at the employer, role and worker together rather than treating the CoS as an isolated form.

Step 7: Decide whether you need a Defined or Undefined CoS

Once the employer has a Sponsor Licence and has established that the job and worker are suitable for sponsorship, the next stage is normally the Certificate of Sponsorship.

A Certificate of Sponsorship, usually shortened to CoS, is an electronic sponsorship record.

It is not actually a paper certificate.

The worker receives the CoS reference number and uses it for their Skilled Worker visa application.

There are two types relevant to Skilled Workers:

Defined Certificate of Sponsorship

A Defined CoS is generally required for somebody applying for Skilled Worker permission from outside the UK.

The sponsor applies for the Defined CoS through the Sponsor Management System.

Undefined Certificate of Sponsorship

An Undefined CoS is generally used for eligible Skilled Worker applications made from within the UK.

Sponsors normally receive an annual allocation or can request additional Undefined CoS where required.

We have covered this in detail in our separate guide to Defined and Undefined Certificates of Sponsorship.

Getting this distinction wrong can cause unnecessary delay.

Step 8: Assign the Certificate of Sponsorship correctly

This is another stage where care matters.

The sponsor uses the Sponsor Management System to assign the CoS to the worker.

The CoS contains important information about the sponsorship, including details relating to:

• the worker;
• the job;
• occupation code;
• salary;
• working hours;
• employment dates; and
• other sponsorship information.

What goes onto the CoS should match the actual employment arrangement.

This is not a place for approximate information.

If the contract says one thing, the CoS says something else and the employer later explains something different again, the application can quickly become more complicated than it needed to be.

How long is a Certificate of Sponsorship valid?

Once assigned, the worker generally needs to use the CoS to make their visa application within three months.

They also must not apply more than three months before the employment start date stated on the CoS.

Timing therefore matters.

Do not assign a CoS months earlier than necessary simply because you have one available.

Step 9: Pay the Certificate of Sponsorship fee

There is a Home Office fee when a Certificate of Sponsorship is assigned.

This is separate from:

• the Sponsor Licence application fee;
• Immigration Skills Charge;
• worker’s visa application fee;
• Immigration Health Surcharge; and
• any professional fees.

These costs are often confused with each other.

That can result in an employer budgeting for the Sponsor Licence itself and then being surprised when several additional costs arise at the worker sponsorship stage.

Our separate Sponsor Licence fees and costs guide looks at the overall cost structure in more detail.

Step 10: Check whether the Immigration Skills Charge applies

Many employers sponsoring Skilled Workers must also pay the Immigration Skills Charge, commonly called the ISC.

This is paid when the Certificate of Sponsorship is assigned.

The amount depends on the size or charitable status of the sponsor and the length of sponsorship.

As of August 2026, the charge is:

A five-year sponsorship can therefore produce an ISC of up to £2,400 for a small or charitable sponsor or £6,600 for a medium or large sponsor.

That can be a substantial cost.

Does every Skilled Worker sponsorship attract the ISC?

No.

There are exemptions.

For example, the current rules exempt sponsorship in certain specified occupation codes, including a number of scientific, research and higher education roles. Other exemptions can depend on the worker’s circumstances.

The position should therefore be checked before assuming the charge applies.

Can the employer make the worker pay the Immigration Skills Charge?

No.

This is particularly important.

The Home Office states that the sponsor must pay the Immigration Skills Charge itself.

A sponsor must not ask the sponsored worker to pay the charge or costs linked to the Sponsor Licence application, and doing so can put the Sponsor Licence at risk.

So this is not a cost that should simply be deducted from the worker’s salary later.

Step 11: The worker makes the Skilled Worker visa application

Once the CoS has been properly assigned, the employer’s sponsorship stage connects with the worker’s immigration application.

The worker normally needs to make their own Skilled Worker application.

The CoS is an important part of that application, but it does not itself grant immigration permission.

The worker still needs to satisfy the relevant Skilled Worker requirements.

Depending on their circumstances, that can include requirements relating to:

• sponsorship;
• eligible employment;
• salary;
• English language;
• maintenance;
• criminal record certificates for certain occupations;
• tuberculosis testing where applicable;
• identity; and
• immigration history.

So:

CoS assigned does not mean visa granted.

The worker should not be treated as having Skilled Worker permission until the relevant permission has actually been granted or their existing immigration status otherwise lawfully permits the employment.

Can an employee switch from a Graduate visa to Skilled Worker?

Often, yes, provided they satisfy the Skilled Worker requirements.

This is one of the most common sponsorship scenarios.

A company recruits somebody while they hold Graduate permission.

The employee works for the business for a period.

Both sides are happy.

The Graduate visa approaches expiry.

The company decides it wants to retain the employee.

At that stage the employer may need to obtain a Sponsor Licence, if it does not already have one, and sponsor the employee under the Skilled Worker route.

But there is an important commercial point here.

Do not wait until the Graduate visa has three weeks left before starting to think about the Sponsor Licence.

The licence application itself takes time.

There may be supporting evidence to prepare.

The Home Office may ask questions.

There could be a compliance visit.

Then the CoS and Skilled Worker application still need dealing with.

A bit of forward planning can remove a lot of unnecessary panic.

Can an existing Skilled Worker change employer?

Yes, potentially.

But their existing Skilled Worker permission is connected to their current sponsorship.

A new employer wishing to sponsor them will generally need its own appropriate Sponsor Licence and will need to assign a new CoS.

The worker will normally need to make an application to update their Skilled Worker permission before starting the new sponsored job, subject to the applicable rules.

Do not assume that because somebody already has a Skilled Worker visa they can simply move onto your payroll and carry on using it.

The sponsoring employer matters.

Can you sponsor somebody who is already working for you?

Potentially, yes.

This is common with workers on immigration routes that permit employment, such as the Graduate route.

The fact that somebody already works for the company does not prevent the employer from subsequently sponsoring them.

In many cases it actually makes the commercial explanation relatively straightforward.

The employer already knows the worker.

The worker already knows the business.

There is a genuine ongoing role.

But the proposed Skilled Worker job still needs to satisfy the sponsorship requirements.

Previous employment does not bypass the occupation or salary rules.

Step 12: Wait for the Skilled Worker decision

The worker then waits for the Home Office to decide their application.

Processing times depend on where the application is made and the service used.

Priority services may be available in some circumstances.

Employers should avoid making assumptions about the outcome before the decision arrives.

Particularly where the worker is switching immigration categories, it is worth checking what work they are legally permitted to undertake while the application is pending.

Step 13: Complete the right-to-work process

Sponsorship does not replace the employer’s normal right-to-work obligations.

Before employing somebody, the employer needs to carry out the appropriate right-to-work check.

For many workers with digital immigration status, this will involve the Home Office online checking service.

The employer should retain the required evidence of the check.

A Sponsor Licence and a Certificate of Sponsorship do not themselves prove that somebody currently has permission to work.

This distinction matters.

• Sponsorship creates the basis for the immigration application.
• The immigration permission creates the worker’s status.
• The right-to-work check gives the employer its statutory excuse where carried out correctly.

They interact, but they are not the same thing.

Step 14: Start employing the sponsored worker

Once the worker has the necessary immigration permission and right to work, employment can begin or continue as appropriate.

But the employer now has ongoing Sponsor Licence duties.

These can include keeping specified records, monitoring attendance and contact details, reporting certain changes to the Home Office and ensuring the sponsored worker continues to undertake the role for which they were sponsored.

The Home Office’s current sponsor guidance specifically requires sponsors to read the wider sponsorship guidance and comply with the relevant duties throughout sponsorship.

This is why we tell businesses that obtaining the Sponsor Licence is only the first part of sponsorship.

Keeping it is the longer job.

What changes must be reported after sponsorship?

Certain changes involving the worker or organisation may need to be reported through the Sponsor Management System.

Depending on the circumstances, this can include changes involving:

• employment;
• salary;
• working location;
• absence;
• termination of employment;
• significant changes to duties;
• organisational details; and
• other reportable events.

Different reporting deadlines can apply.

We have a separate guide covering Sponsor Licence reporting duties, because this area is detailed enough to justify its own article.

The important point for an employer is simple.

Do not make a significant change to a sponsored worker’s employment and assume that immigration compliance will automatically follow.

Check first.

Can you change a sponsored worker’s salary?

Potentially.

Pay rises will usually be less problematic than salary reductions, but the sponsorship implications should still be considered.

A reduction can potentially affect whether the worker continues to satisfy the salary requirements.

Some changes may need reporting.

More substantial changes to employment can potentially require a fresh immigration application.

If you are changing the worker’s salary, hours, occupation or duties significantly, check the sponsorship position before implementing the change.

It is considerably easier to structure a lawful change before it happens than explain an incorrect one afterwards.

What happens if the sponsored worker leaves?

The employer does not have to employ a sponsored worker forever.

Normal employment relationships can end.

A worker might resign.

They may be dismissed.

The role might become redundant.

The important sponsorship point is that the employer may have a reporting obligation when sponsored employment ends earlier than expected.

The Home Office can then take appropriate action regarding the worker’s immigration permission.

Employers should therefore have a process connecting HR decisions with Sponsor Licence reporting.

HR should not terminate employment on Friday while everybody assumes somebody else will remember the SMS on Monday.

Can you recover sponsorship costs from the worker?

This needs care.

There are different costs involved in sponsorship and they should not all be treated the same way.

In particular, the Immigration Skills Charge must be paid by the sponsor and must not be passed on to the sponsored worker. The Home Office also prohibits sponsors from recouping certain Sponsor Licence-related costs from sponsored workers.

Other costs require separate consideration, including employment law and the sponsorship rules.

If an employer intends to use repayment clauses for immigration or relocation costs, the arrangement should be checked properly rather than putting every expense into a contract and hoping the clause works.

How much does it cost to sponsor a Skilled Worker?

There is no single answer because the total depends on the employer, worker and sponsorship period.

Potential costs can include:

• Sponsor Licence application fee if the business does not already hold a licence;
• Certificate of Sponsorship fee;
• Immigration Skills Charge where applicable;
• Skilled Worker visa application fee;
• Immigration Health Surcharge where applicable;
• priority processing where available; and
• professional fees where advice or representation is used.

As of 8 April 2026, a Worker Sponsor Licence costs £611 for a small sponsor and £1,682 for a large sponsor.

The Immigration Skills Charge can then add hundreds or thousands of pounds depending on the duration of sponsorship and size of the organisation.

This is why the cost should be calculated before deciding the length of sponsorship.

A five-year CoS is not simply a three-year CoS with two free years attached.

How long can you sponsor a Skilled Worker?

A Skilled Worker can potentially be sponsored for several years, subject to the relevant rules and CoS dates.

The employer should decide an appropriate sponsorship period based on the employment arrangement and the costs involved.

Longer sponsorship can provide greater certainty for both sides but can also increase upfront costs, particularly the Immigration Skills Charge.

There is therefore a commercial decision as well as an immigration one.

Does sponsorship guarantee the worker’s visa?

No.

This is worth repeating.

A Sponsor Licence means the organisation is authorised to sponsor workers.

A Certificate of Sponsorship confirms the employer’s sponsorship of that particular job.

Neither guarantees that the worker will receive a visa.

The worker still needs to satisfy the Skilled Worker immigration requirements.

Likewise, a worker appearing eligible does not mean the employer should assign a CoS without checking the sponsorship requirements.

Both sides of the case need to work.

Should employers prepare Skilled Worker sponsorship themselves?

It is possible.

A licensed sponsor can use the Sponsor Management System and assign Certificates of Sponsorship itself.

But the real question is not whether you can physically complete the online process.

The more important questions are:

• Is this role actually eligible?
• Have we selected the right occupation code?
• Does the salary work?
• Is there a lower salary option and does the worker genuinely qualify for it?
• Do we need a Defined or Undefined CoS?
• Does the Immigration Skills Charge apply?
• What dates should go onto the CoS?
• What information needs to be included?
• Does the worker’s current immigration status create any additional issues?

That is where professional assistance becomes useful.

Assigning the CoS itself may only take a relatively short time.

Getting the sponsorship analysis wrong can create a considerably longer problem.

Professional help can be cheaper than correcting a sponsorship mistake

Businesses naturally look at professional fees as another cost.

That is understandable.

Sponsorship is already expensive.

But there is another way of looking at it.

If an incorrect occupation code is used, the salary is calculated incorrectly, the wrong CoS is assigned, an exemption is wrongly assumed or the worker’s immigration position has not been properly considered, the resulting delay or refusal can cost considerably more.

There may also be a worker whose current visa is approaching expiry.

Good sponsorship advice is therefore not simply about filling in the SMS.

It should be about checking the whole arrangement before the employer commits to it.

That means looking at:

• the business,
• the job,
• the salary,
• the worker, and
• the immigration route.

If those pieces work together, the actual CoS assignment becomes the easy part.

We can help with the whole sponsorship process

Some employers come to us before they have a Sponsor Licence.

Others already have the licence and simply need help sponsoring their first worker.

Some have used the SMS many times but have a complicated salary or occupation-code question.

There is no need to turn every sponsorship into a huge project.

The level of assistance should reflect what the employer actually needs.

Where we handle the process, we can review the proposed role and worker, check the relevant occupation code and salary requirements, consider the appropriate CoS and Immigration Skills Charge position, prepare the sponsorship information and guide the worker through the Skilled Worker application where required.

More importantly, if something does not work, we would rather identify it before the CoS is assigned.

That is usually cheaper and considerably less stressful than finding out after the visa application has been submitted.

The Skilled Worker sponsorship process in simple terms

For most employers, the journey looks like this:

• 1. Obtain the appropriate Sponsor Licence
• 2. Check that the job is eligible
• 3. Select the correct occupation code
• 4. Check the genuine vacancy requirement
• 5. Calculate the correct salary requirement
• 6. Review the worker’s immigration circumstances
• 7. Obtain the correct Defined or Undefined CoS
• 8. Assign the Certificate of Sponsorship
• 9. Pay the Immigration Skills Charge where required
• 10. Worker submits the Skilled Worker application
• 11. Complete the appropriate right-to-work check
• 12. Employ and monitor the sponsored worker
• 13. Report relevant changes to the Home Office

None of those stages is particularly mysterious when taken individually.

The difficulty comes from making sure they all agree with each other.

The job description needs to fit the occupation code.

The occupation code affects the salary.

The worker’s circumstances can affect the salary option.

Their location affects the type of CoS.

The sponsorship period affects the Immigration Skills Charge.

And the information on the CoS ultimately feeds into the worker’s immigration application.

That is why Skilled Worker sponsorship is best approached as one connected process, rather than a collection of separate forms.

Get the structure right at the beginning and the rest usually becomes considerably easier.

FAQs

1. Does an employer need a Sponsor Licence to sponsor a Skilled Worker?

Yes. An employer normally needs a valid Worker Sponsor Licence covering the Skilled Worker route before it can sponsor somebody under that route. The business then needs to check the job, occupation code, salary and worker before assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship. The licence itself does not automatically make every role eligible for sponsorship.

2. What salary does a Skilled Worker need in 2026?

For many new Skilled Worker applications, the standard position is that the salary must meet the higher of £41,700 per year or the applicable going rate for the occupation. However, lower thresholds can apply in specific circumstances, including new entrants, relevant PhD holders, some listed occupations and qualifying transitional cases.

3. Can a small business sponsor a Skilled Worker?

Potentially, yes. A small business does not need a large workforce or very high turnover simply to become a sponsor. The company must still meet the Sponsor Licence requirements and the proposed role must genuinely fit the business. The salary, duties, finances and commercial need should all make sense in context.

4. Can I sponsor someone who already works for my company?

Potentially, yes. This is common where an employee currently holds another visa, such as a Graduate visa. The employer must still hold the appropriate Sponsor Licence and the proposed Skilled Worker role must meet the occupation, salary and genuine vacancy requirements. Existing employment does not remove the need for proper Skilled Worker sponsorship.

5. Does a Graduate visa holder need a Sponsor Licence to become a Skilled Worker?

The employer needs the appropriate Sponsor Licence if it wants to sponsor the Graduate visa holder under the Skilled Worker route. The worker can then potentially switch from Graduate permission to Skilled Worker from inside the UK if the relevant requirements are met, including the job, salary and sponsorship requirements.

6. What is the difference between a Defined and Undefined CoS?

A Defined CoS is generally used for a Skilled Worker applying from outside the UK. An Undefined CoS is generally used for an eligible Skilled Worker applying from inside the UK. Employers should check the worker’s immigration position before assigning anything because using the wrong type of Certificate of Sponsorship can create sponsorship and visa problems.

7. Does every Skilled Worker sponsorship attract the Immigration Skills Charge?

No. The Immigration Skills Charge applies to many Skilled Worker sponsorships, but exemptions exist. The amount also depends on the size of the sponsor and the length of sponsorship. Employers should check whether the charge applies before assigning the CoS rather than assuming every worker will attract the same employer-side cost.

8. Can an employer make the worker pay the Immigration Skills Charge?

No. Where the Immigration Skills Charge applies, it must be paid by the sponsor. The Home Office also restricts employers from passing certain other sponsorship costs on to sponsored workers. Employers should therefore be careful with repayment clauses and avoid treating every immigration cost as something that can simply be deducted later.

9. Does assigning a CoS guarantee the Skilled Worker visa?

No. A Certificate of Sponsorship confirms the employer’s sponsorship of the proposed job, but the worker must still satisfy the Skilled Worker immigration requirements. The Home Office can refuse the visa if those requirements are not met. Employers should therefore check the sponsorship properly before the CoS is assigned.

10. Should employers get professional help with Skilled Worker sponsorship?

Professional help can be particularly useful where the employer is sponsoring its first worker or where the salary, occupation code or worker’s immigration history is complicated. The value is not simply completing the SMS. It is making sure the business, role, worker, salary and Certificate of Sponsorship all work together before the application is submitted.