The ISC currently applies to Tier 2 (General) and Tier 2 (ICT) visa holders from outside the EU. Tier 2 Sponsor Licence Guidance. That would be an extra £6,400. How much does an application for a Tier 2 Sponsor Licence cost? is a Tier 2 sponsor licence fee? On this website we use cookies and similar technology to collect and analyse information about visitors to this website. Ceo/Senior official. Many of these won’t apply to EU citizens as they will be applying for an e-visa. This represents the visa application fee plus Immigration Health Surcharge, which are the same for family members as they are for the sponsored worker. They agree that he’ll sponsor Aki for five years. The Immigration Skills Charge (ISC), charged at up to £1,000 for larger companies and £364 for small companies for every year of a visa, will remain. Certificate of sponsorship. Get unlimited access to articles, a thriving forum, free e-books, online training materials with downloadable training certificates, and much more. You may be able to pay £500 to get a decision within 10 working days. Mason Alexander has given details for HO costs and fees In addition the company is going to have to pay a lawyer. Telephone: 0300 123 4699 A Tier 2 sponsorship licence is the permission granted to you as a UK employer to sponsor skilled foreign workers wanting to work for your organisation in the UK under the Tier 2 visa route. Tier 2. We’ll send you a link to a feedback form. Tier 2 sponsorship licence costs. Make sure your files: If your documents are not in English or Welsh, they must be accompanied by a certified translation - there’s more information in part 1 of the guidance for sponsors. The worker then uses the CoS to apply for their Tier 2 visa. LONDON OFFICE: +44 (0) 207 993 63 46 REQUEST A CALL BACK Right now, when an organisation applies for a sponsor licence, the Home Office charges either: Page 10 of the Home Office guidance on sponsor licence applications shows how size and charitable status is determined. You’ve accepted all cookies. A new points based system immigration system for the working category will be launched from the 1st January 2021. Find out about call charges. The Immigration Health Surcharge is on top of the application fee outlined above. UKVI may need to visit your business. The renewal application must be submitted on the Sponsor Management System (SMS) by a Level 1 user. Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence Tier 2 Employer Sponsor Licence has been updated to Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence. We use cookies to collect information about how you use GOV.UK. Got it. Home Office application fee Whether you’re a start-up business or a global company, Immigration UK’ lawyers have extensive expertise to assist you with applying for your sponsorship licence. In general, the definitions in Chapter 1 of the Companies Act 2006 are used to determine size. In this ever changing climate it’s hard to keep up up with the constant change in the UK immigration laws. The Tier 2 Sponsor Licence offers employers the opportunity to bring in staff from other countries outside of the EEA zone. Elected Officers and Representatives. Mason Alexander has given details for HO costs and fees In addition the company is going to have to pay a lawyer. All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated, Sponsorship: guidance for employers and educators, Guidance for higher education providers during the transition period and after 1 January 2021, Guidance for local authority children's services during the transition period and after 1 January 2021, Guidance for providers of further education and apprenticeships during the transition period and after 1 January 2021, Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance and support, Transparency and freedom of information releases, the submission sheet at the end of the application, have descriptive titles, with 25 or fewer characters, your annual turnover is £10.2 million or less, your total assets are worth £5.1 million or less, an ecclesiastical corporation established for charitable purposes, the caseworker processing your application made a mistake, your supporting documents were not considered. To secure a UK visa sponsorship licence, you will need to commit to the Home Office’s sponsor licence application process and pay the relevant fees. The sponsor can, for example, agree that the worker will pay their own application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge. Immigration law changes very rapidly, though. In this article, we will mainly explore Tier 2 Sponsor Licence, as Tier 5 has been severely restricted in scope in recent years. This will enable top priority for the highest of skills while reducing overall immigration. So the Immigration Health Surcharge adds £2,000 to the cost of a five-year visa, £1,200 to a three-year visa and £400 for a one-year visa. You can apply to request a review of your application if you think it was refused because: You cannot apply just because you disagree with the decision. UK visa sponsorship information for employers - requirements, certificates and licences for Workers and Temporary Workers Costs associated with the Tier 2 sponsorship licence are determined by the size of your organisation. Intra Company Transfers. You can also join the premium customer service scheme to get extra support from a licence manager - this costs at least £8,000 a year. Applying to extend the scope of an existing licence You need to pay a fee when you apply. The information and commentary on this website is provided free of charge for information purposes only. You’ll also need a sponsor licence to … Others, such as the sporting categories, have their … It is £400 for each year of leave. A lawyer with 20 years' experience, she also sits on The Law Society’s Immigration Committee. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Like the application fee, it is nominally down to the worker to pay. We try to make sure information is accurate at the date it is published. Tier 2 sponsors must ensure that they file an application for a Tier 2 sponsor licence renewal in good time to avoid losing the ability to sponsor overseas workers. For a medium or large sponsor, the charge is £1,000 for the first year and £500 for each additional six months. The cost of issuing each certificate of sponsorship is £199. Assigning each Certificate of Sponsorship You must assign a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to each foreign worker you employ. The fee depends on the type of licence you’re applying for and what type of organisation you are. We’re here to help you in person, via the phone or online. This is to ensure that they have taken all appropriate steps to try and secure a suitable candidate from within the UK. An employer can complete a sponsor licence application to sponsor either Tier 2 workers or Tier 5 workers. This organisation must also hold a Tier 2 sponsor licence which allows them to sponsor workers from overseas. For a fee of £25,000 per year for a medium/large business, or £8,000 for a small business, a range of extras is promised — you can read about these here. UK businesses and Tier 1 (Investors) can get help from the Business Helpdesk: Business Helpdesk Although there are a number of different types of sponsor licence which can be applied for, this guide focuses on the process for applying for a Tier 2 licence. Yes, you will need to satisfy all the requirements of the Tier 2 General visa application but the main part of this is having a Certificate of Sponsorship from a tier 2 licence holder. Tier 2 also enables employers to transfer existing employees who are non-EEA nationals to a UK branch. The Home Office also operates a premium service for sponsors. Sponsors can get advice from the sponsorship, employer and education helpline: Sponsorship, employer and education helpline Each certificate costs £199. Send enquiry. This week we finally got to see more detail about the 2021 points based immigration system. Subject to the final design of the new system, it looks as though employers sponsoring newly arrived Europeans from 2021  (who do not have any other visa that allows work)  can expect to pay fees at this level. The government’s announcement confirms that every organisation in the UK — from businesses to charities, schools to local shops — will need to become an “approved sponsor” to employ EU citizens who are new to the UK from 2021. Yesterday the government released data showing no changes planned to UK immigration and sponsorship fees for 2020/21. Aki calls Ben a couple of days later and explains that, in addition to paying for the costs of sponsoring her, she can only accept the offer if Ben also pays for visas for her husband and daughter. Some of the fees are levied directly on the employer, while others fall on the worker. Tier 2 Sponsorship Licence and the Resident Labour Test (RLMT) In some instances, an employer will need to undertake the Resident Labour Market Test (RLMT). Preparation of your online Tier 2 Sponsor Licence application portal. The cost will be: Ben decides that a recruitment agent’s fee to find someone in the UK with the necessary skills would be around the same amount, so the cost is just about viable. Immigration Skills Charge. The fee for medium or large sponsors is currently £1,476 (as of 2018), whilst the fee for small or charitable sponsors is £536. Don’t worry we won’t send you spam or share your email address with anyone. Tier 2 Visa Sponsorship Licence - At AWH Solicitors we offer guidance and assistance to UK businesses to obtain and maintain a tier 2 sponsorship status. Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. You must renew your licence in the event that you wish to continue to employ Tier 2 or Tier 5 migrant workers. But for employers who are new to the system, a short explanation about the potential costs of sponsoring migrant workers would have been helpful. Once you’ve finished the online application, you need to send in: Any affidavits or statutory declarations you send must be witnessed by a qualified, independent person - for example, a solicitor, Notary Public, Justice of the Peace, Commissioner for Oaths, or (in Scotland only) a Councillor. This is essentially a tax levied on businesses for employing foreign workers. Among the omissions in the relatively brief announcement was any detail on how much it will cost employers to become an approved sponsor and go through the process of sponsoring someone for a work visa. businesshelpdesk@homeoffice.gov.uk. In this article, we look at the Tier 2 Sponsor Licence in more detail and look at your rights and responsibilities under the scheme. While it is not yet clear how employers will be affected by changes in immigration law after Brexit, freedom of movement will almost certainly cease to operate in the UK. Can you hire migrant workers without sponsoring them? It reduces Tier 2 ICT sponsorship licence holders’ autonomy and will ensure that there is a genuine need for an ICT worker, i.e. Freephone 0800 999 2220. A further fee at the same level is paid when it’s renewed. If the incorrect fee is paid, then the renewal application will be rejected. Monday to Thursday, 10am to 3pm Priority Service. All Tier 2 Sponsorship License matters are handled by our Corporate Immigration group that brings together experienced lawyers from both the Immigration and Corporate and Employment practices. Note that sponsors cannot lawfully pass the Immigration Skill Charge on to individuals. We use this information to make the website work as well as possible and improve government services. The cost of sponsoring someone for five years would be £5,000. The fee for medium or large sponsors is currently £1,476 (as of 2018), whilst the fee for small or charitable sponsors is £536. She regularly provides media comment including for the BBC and FT and is happy to be contacted for comment. The Tier 2 (General) and Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) visa routes allow non-EEA national skilled workers to come and work in the UK at present, and will be extended to EEA nationals entering the UK to work from 1 January 2021. In this article we outline the process for Tier 2 sponsor licence renewal applications. Location: Home » Business Immigration » Sponsor Licence » Tier 2 Certificate of Sponsorship. Being an approved sponsor is already necessary to hire non-EU citizens, or at any rate, those who do not already have permission to work via another type of visa. It is a sponsorship system: a foreign worker cannot simply decide to apply for a Tier 2 visa in order to come and work in the UK. You’ll be told if you can after you apply. There’s a lot of detail missing at this stage – not surprising given the size of the task ahead — and we should see more when the Immigration Bill is published shortly. For a small or charitable sponsor, the Immigration Skills Charge is £364 for the first year and £182 for each additional six months. Tier 2 Employer Sponsor Licence has been updated to Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence. Collation and advice on specific documentation which may best represent your business profile. You can scan or take pictures of your submission sheet and supporting documents and send them to the email address given on the submission sheet. The cost of issuing each certificate of sponsorship is £199. Costs of issuing a Certificates of Sponsorship Each time a licensed sponsor assigns a certificate of sponsorship to a Tier 2 non-EEA migrant worker, the company or organisation will be required to pay a fee of £199. Most applications (8 out of 10) are dealt with in less than 8 weeks. The fee depends on the type of licence you’re applying for and what type of organisation you are. Nichola heads the immigration team at Carter Thomas (www.carterthomas.co.uk). We can only await what the outcome of a review on skill shortages for the IT sector and the new ‘third party contractor’ route will lead to. Therefore, the points-based visa sponsorship system which currently applies to non-EEA nationals could also be extended to EEA and Swiss nationals. The employer will have to pay a number of fees to sponsor a skilled Tier 2 worker, including the sponsor licence application fee of £1,476 or £536 for smaller companies and charities. Company Directors. The worker then uses the CoS to apply for their Tier 2 visa. The cost of applying for a Tier 2 sponsorship licence The fee for a Tier 2 sponsorship licence depends on the size of your organisation – you may be eligible to pay the small sponsor licence fee. Guidance and dedicated support on the submission process, requirements and documentation support. Under the new system the ISC will apply to … The Tier 2 Sponsorship License allows UK companies and employers to sponsor non EU nationals to work in the UK. Certificate of Sponsorship. Tier 2 Sponsor Licence Explained. Under the UK’s new immigration rules, your business will need a sponsor licence to hire skilled workers from overseas from 2021. In order to apply for a Tier 2 UK visa, you must have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from an employer with a Tier 2 Sponsor licence. The fee for a Tier 2 sponsorship licence depends on the size of your organisation – you may be eligible to pay the small sponsor licence fee. For every worker who needs to be sponsored under Tier 2 (General) — that’s the main work visa route — I’ve set out the costs below. Upon approval of the Tier 2 Sponsor Licence application, employers can then issue Certificates of Sponsorship in order to sponsor foreign migrants. There are significant benefits to the scheme as we'll investigate further in the article. The fee for a Tier 2 licence for small or charitable sponsors is £536, while for medium or large sponsors it is £1476. The licence which the employer needs depends on the nature of work the employee will be doing. What is the General Procedure for a Tier 2 Sponsorship Licence Renewal? The older the blog post on this site, the more likely it is that there have been legal developments since it was published. This affords a company a significant competitive advantage as you will have the opportunity to recruit the most appropriate person for the job. He needs to sponsor a Japanese speaker to oversee the growth of sales to that country. Some of these licences can be applied for in conjunction with each other, using the same form and a similar bundle of supporting documents (for example, a Tier 2 General and Tier 2 Intra Company Transfer licence). Many employers cover all immigration fees — otherwise the worker has to pay potentially thousands of pounds out of their own pocket. A company will need to obtain a Sponsorship Licence which is a requirement to issue Certificates of Sponsorship when employing suitable migrant workers. You need to apply online for your licence. Small small and charitable sponsors: licence application fee is £536; Medium and large sponsors: licence application fee is £1,476; The application fee is non-refundable. To recruit skilled labour from outside the single market, companies must have a valid Tier 2 or 5 Sponsor Licence. This is just for the worker alone — family members accompanying them to the UK also have to pay for their visas. Ben eventually interviews Aki who is perfect for the role (and meets the requirements). Every Tier 2 migrant must be assigned a valid Certificate of Sponsorship – commonly referred to as a ‘CoS’. Ben runs a small mail order business with lots of clients in Japan. A certificate of sponsorship, or CoS, is issued by approved sponsors to workers they wish to hire. So the cost of sponsoring someone for five years would be £1,820. Tier 2 Sponsor Licence Fee depends on the size of the business and varies as follows: For a large Tier 2 sponsor, the annual fee is £1,476. Tier 2 Sponsorship Licence Guidance for Employers. Tier 2 Sponsorship licence . Ben just can’t afford that, so sponsorship of Aki can’t proceed. If you are considering sponsoring a Tier 2 migrant, it is important to be aware of the fees associated with making such an application. This ensures that each of our clients is confident during the application process and well-equipped to maximise the value of the Tier 2 Sponsorship License for their business. In order to do so they must be a UK Tier 2 Sponsorship Licence holder and must have access to the Sponsor Management System … Allocated Business Immigration Caseworker for the full Tier 2 Employer Sponsorship Licence application process. If the application is granted, the organisation gets a licence to sponsor migrant workers valid for four years. Before sponsorship goes ahead, I would always urge employers to check with the individual whether they have family and to reach an agreement at the onset on who will bear relevant costs. They are nevertheless notoriously high, both in absolute terms and compared to similar countries (the chart below is from the Institute for Government think tank). For a small Tier 2 sponsor, the annual licence is £536. This is essentially a tax levied on businesses for employing foreign workers. Start the process today. Someone applying from outside the UK for a work visa right now is charged an application fee: The exact fee can vary based on a range of factors; full details are here. There is also no fee for medium or large sponsors when adding a Tier 5 to an existing Tier 2. A Tier 2 Sponsor Licence requirements for Tech start-up in order to obtain the Licence for UK established company. Sorry, the details you entered weren't correct, please try again, Updates, commentary, training and advice on immigration and asylum law, EU Settlement Scheme course now available FREE to members, £536 if the organisation is a charity or defined as a small entity; or, visa up to three years in a non-shortage occupation: £610, visa up to three years in a shortage occupation: £464, visa for more than three years in non-shortage occupation: £1,220, visa for more than years in a shortage occupation: £928, Fees fixed for each stage of your application or appeal, Personal client web access page and messaging system, Online payments, document upload & video calls. This fee is the same whether the certificate is assigned for a 1 or 5 year period. They need a job offer from a UK-based employer. Further, when applying to renew your UK sponsorship visa licence, the cost of doing so will be the same as if you were applying for a licence for the first time. Before a worker can apply for a Tier 2 General visa the employer needs to assign a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to that worker. This will enable top priority for the highest of skills while reducing overall immigration. How much does it cost to become a Tier 2 sponsor? UK employers may wish to take certain steps now which may place them in a better position to adapt to such chan… Restricted Certificate of Sponsorship . Tier 2 Sponsor Licence holders and Tier 2 visa applicants have to pay a number of different fees. Nichola's main work relates to advising businesses, universities and schools on sponsor applications and compliance, and individuals seeking to come under the Global Talent, family and other routes . Tier 2 Sponsor Licence system was introduced by the UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) in 2008. I’ve set out below the basic costs involved in sponsoring someone under the current work visa system, known as “Tier 2”. 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