Do you hold a Tier 2 & Tier 5 Sponsor Licence?

Does your company hold a sponsor licence under the Points-based System? Are you registered to employ someone from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland to work in the UK?

According to the latest figures published by the Home Office, 29,240 organisations are currently licensed to sponsor migrants under Tiers 2 & 5 of the Points-Based System. This represents an average of 270 UK businesses successfully registering with UK Visas and Immigration every month since the points-based scheme was introduced in 2008.

For each of these UK businesses granted with a Tier 2 or Tier 5 licence, a significant trust has been placed on them by the Home Office. With this trust comes a responsibility to act in accordance with the Immigration Rules and the Tier 2 and Tier 5 schemes.

The Home Office will only issue licenses to those companies they believe are in a position to discharge their responsibilities. Failure to do so could result in the company being denied a licence or having their existing sponsor licence revoked.

Make sure you meet your obligations!

The Home Office takes action against those businesses which employ illegal workers and do not undertake the correct checks. Every company seeking to retain a sponsor licence must therefore not only show they are a genuine organisation operating lawfully in the UK but also demonstrate their ability to carry out essential sponsor duties via their existing human resources and recruitment practices.

Immigration rules and sponsor duties are frequently updated. As such, it is strongly recommended that all sponsors familiarise themselves with the most up-to-date Home Office guidance on a regular basis. The current Home Office Tier 2 & Tier 5 guide runs to 205 pages but do not let this put you off.

The document is an essential read and should not only be observed by those seeking a new sponsor licence but also those businesses already in possession of one. The longer a sponsor holds a licence, the greater number of obligations they can expect to attract. 

Whilst the Home Office has issued almost 30,000 sponsor licences to date, it has also rejected or revoked hundreds more. Do not be caught out. Make sure your internal HR and recruitment processes stand up to the Home Office’s current set of sponsor licence obligations.

For support and guidance on all UK immigration and sponsor licence matters, contact Smith Stone Walters today.