License types and rating

What is sponsorship?

All employers in the UK have to obtain authorisation from the Home Office to employ a person who does't have the immigration permission to work in the UK. This approval and authorisation is also referred to as sponsor licence and the employer who has been granted one, is called a sponsor.

A worker on the other hand, needs to have a job offer from an approved sponsor to enter or remain in the UK. When a worker applies for a UK visa, they have to prove that they indeed have been offered a job by an approved employer (a.k.a. sponsor). This is done by specifying a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) in the visa application. CoS is basically a reference number which is assigned by the sponsor. When a sponsor assigns a CoS to a worker, they're confirming that they have offered a job to the worker, as well as pledging that they will carry out their duties and responsibilities as a sponsor.

How to become a sponsor?

Employers need to apply to the Home Office for authorisation to employ certain people. This involves filling an online application form and submiting the required documents in order to prove that they're capable of fulfilling their responsibilities and duties as a sponsor.

What are the sponsor license types?

When you apply to become a sponsor, you're asked which immigration route(s) you want to sponsor workers on. These routes are, for convenience, classified into "Worker" or "Temporary Worker" routes:

• Worker Routes:
  • Skilled Worker
  • International sportsperson
  • Minister of Religion
  • The follwoing Global Business Mobility (GBM) route:
    • Senior or Specialist (formerly known as Infra company transfer)
• Temporary Worker Routes:
  • Creative Worker
  • Chartiy Worker
  • Religious Worker
  • Seasonal Worker
  • Scale Up
  • Government Authorised Exchange
  • International Agreement
  • The following Global Business Mobility (GBM) routes:
    • Graduate Trainee
    • UK Expansion Worker
    • Service Supplier
    • Secondment Worker