Sponsor licence priority services: Home Office rolls out improvements
The Home Office has recently updated the guidance for sponsors to reflect changes to the priority services available for those businesses applying for a sponsor licence or submitting sponsor licence related updates.
The improvements include removing the cap on the number of pre-licence priority applications that can be submitted each day, and extending the operating hours of the priority change of circumstance service.
Pre-licence priority service
The pre-licence priority service is an optional service which allows organisations to pay for a faster decision on their sponsor licence application.
The priority service costs £500 in addition to the licence application fee, and ensures your application will be considered within 10 working days, rather than the standard processing time of 8 weeks.
The pre-licence priority service is available for eligible applications submitted between 9:00am and 23:59pm Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays. You can request priority service when you make your online application for a sponsor licence or after you have submitted your application, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria.
Previously, the pre-licence priority service was limited to a maximum of 30 applications every working day across all eligible routes. However, the Home Office has now lifted the cap meaning more businesses can now benefit from a faster turnaround time when applying for a sponsor licence.
Priority change of circumstance service
The Home Office’s priority change of circumstance service allows sponsors to fast-track certain administrative changes in relation to their sponsor licence, by submitting an application by email any paying an additional fee of £200 per request.
Successful requests made using the priority change of circumstance service will be considered within 5 working days, a vast improvement on the 18-week processing period sponsors can expect to wait when using the standard service.
Eligible A-rated sponsors can use the priority change of circumstance service to request:
- Additional certificate of sponsorship (CoS) allocation
- Annual certificate of sponsorship (CoS) allocation
- Add a new level 1 user
- Change level one user
- Replace the authorising officer (AO
- Amend the authorising officer (AO)
- Replace the key contact (KC)
- Amend the key contact (KC)
- Add a representative
- Amend your organisation details – moved to new premises.
The priority service is now open from 7:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday. Any requests made outside of this time will not be considered.
Unfortunately, the Home Office has opted to continue enforcing a daily cap on the number of email requests that will be accepted under this service. However, the number of priority slots has increased from the previous daily cap of 60, and the Home Office will now accept a maximum of 100 priority service requests each day.
Advice for employers
Time is often a critical factor when it comes to recruiting international talent, and the Home Office’s standard processing times can sometimes lead to delays in the relocation and onboarding process for your migrant workers.
For this reason, Smith Stone Walters advises employers to make use of the Home Office priority services for sponsors where available, in order to expedite the process. The recent improvements will be welcomed by businesses seeking to onboard new hires or make changes to their sponsor licence in preparation for the new year.
If your business requires support with recruiting international workers, our team of UK immigration experts can help. To find out more about our business immigration services, please contact us today.
