UK sponsor licence guide: application to compliance

A UK sponsor licence lets a UK employer hire workers from outside the UK Resident Labour Market who need permission to work — most commonly under the Skilled Worker route. The application takes 8-16 weeks, costs £574 (small) or £1,579 (medium/large), and the licence runs for 4 years before renewal.

Sponsor Management System (SMS): how to use it

The UK Sponsor Management System (SMS) is the Home Office portal that licensed sponsors use to assign Certificates of Sponsorship, report changes about sponsored workers, and manage the licence. Access is restricted to nominated Key Personnel — Level 1 Users get full access, Level 2 Users restricted access. Most reporting duties have a 10-working-day deadline.

SOC codes for UK sponsorship: choosing the right one

A SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code classifies an occupation by skill level and duties. For UK Skilled Worker visas, the SOC code determines whether the role qualifies for sponsorship and what salary threshold applies. Get the SOC code wrong and the visa is refused or the licence is at risk on audit. The current edition is SOC 2020.

Certificate of Sponsorship: how to assign one

A Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is a unique reference number a UK sponsor assigns through the Sponsor Management System (SMS) for a specific worker, role, and visa application. Defined CoS for entry-clearance (visa from overseas) are allocated annually to sponsors in batches. Undefined CoS for in-country switches are issued on demand from the sponsor's rolling allocation.