What is a Sponsor Licence?
A Sponsor Licence is a licence that Home Office gives UK employers permission to hire migrant workers from countries or regions outside of the UK.
In other words, this licence allows UK employers to hire migrant workers legally.
A valid sponsor licence is required for a UK organisation that is employing non-UK resident employees.
Why should UK organisations get a Sponsor licence?
- To deal with the post Brexit effect
Due to the Brexit, EU nationals can no longer come and work in the UK freely from 1st January 2021, according to UKVI, UK employers are required to have sponsor licences to hire non-British nationals, including EU and EEA nationals.
Many UK businesses are having difficulty filling positions that used to be supplied by EU workers. They will no longer have that talent accessible and will have to sponsor the talents they want to hire from the EU.
- To deal with staff shortage issues
Not only Brexit has impacted the UK workforce, but the Covid-19 pandemic has also significantly affected the UK’s employment status. People are not returning to the workplace after the pandemic, employers are struggling to cope with labour shortages as the number of job vacancies overcomes the job seekers. According to the data from the Office for National Statics (ONS), the number of unfilled positions in the UK rose to a new all-time high of 1,288,000 in the first quarter of 2022.
Many UK businesses are losing revenues and even had to close down due to the staff shortage issue. Especially for companies from industries like catering, retail, healthcare, home care, construction, agriculture, and farming, the local labour market just doesn’t have the capacity to meet the staff needs in those industries.However, if a company has a valid sponsor licence, they can hire non-British skilled workers to fill the staff needs.
- To access the global talent pool
HR managers may find it challenging to fill a position or identify the ideal candidates in the local market, sometimes, they just need to look outside the box, the ideal candidates exist but are located in another side of the world.
With a sponsor licence, organisations are able to fulfil their talent recruiting needs not only by recruiting from the domestic talent pool, but also the global talent pool.
They will be able to acquire talents that can best fulfil their business needs.
- To get long term and committed employees
Business is about people. No companies like the idea of their staff coming and leaving in a short period of time. It is important for companies to have permanent and committed employees stay in the organisation, it will be a big asset for a business.
However, if you have a sponsor licence, you can sponsor non-British skilled workers, normally the skilled workers under your sponsor are committed to working for you for at least 3-5 years.
Skilled workers who come to work in the UK under a sponsorship are less likely to change jobs frequently. Our clients who have had experience in recruiting migrant workers using a sponsor license state that a sponsored worker remains committed for a long time which ultimately drives business growth.
- To remain competitive in the industry
Did you know, talented and skilled job seekers often check online to find out if a company has a sponsor licence before deciding whether to send their job application to the company?
According to the list of licensed sponsors for skilled workers published by the Home Office, there are more than 55k organisations in the UK that have already applied and hold a sponsor licence, as of today.
Many companies couldn’t understand why they post jobs for months yet nobody applies; Is it the salary? Is it the responsibility? No, the answer could simply be because the potential candidates applied to other companies who have a sponsor licence.
If you want to attract talents and stay competitive in the hiring market, do consider applying for a Sponsor Licence. Having a sponsor licence will boost your recruitment opportunity, it can also ensure that your organisation is at an advantage compared to other companies that do not have a sponsor license.
- Promote the diversity of your organisation
Having a sponsor licence enables an organisation to hire different nationalities from different cultural backgrounds. Including talents from different backgrounds to work in your company will improve your company’s branding, showing that your company value talents more than race, this will attract more talents to join your team. Many big successful companies consider cultural diversity and inclusion to be good company culture and values, therefore they continue to get talents.
Moreover, a diverse workforce in your organisation will help your company in discovering and expanding into new markets and regions.
If you are interested in finding out about the process for sponsor licence application, or want to speak with one of our Immigration Advisors, please email us at sales@workpermitcloud.co.uk or call (+44) 020 8087 2343.
If you want to know what documents are required to apply for a sponsor licence, please see our previous article here.
Interested in applying for a Sponsor Licence?
At WorkPermitCloud Limited, we have a dedicated team to assist you in your sponsorship application process. We offer professional immigration advice regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC).
We will:
- - Evaluate your organisation's sponsorship needs
- - Determine the appropriate type of sponsorship licence for you
- - Recommend mandatory and supporting documents based on the nature of your organisation
- - Review Authorising officer, level 1 user and Key contact person's fitness for the role
- - Assist in responding to Home Office questions with precise answers developed through in-depth situation analysis
- - Provide guidance on sponsorship-related fees
- - Help your organisation to avail fast track service from Home Office
- - Provide expert support for first-time sponsorship license applications or deal with renewal, suspensions and revocations
Related articles:
Who can apply for license to hire migrant workers?
Documents required to apply for a license to hire skilled migrant workers
What’s next after you submit your sponsor licence application?
Reference:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-licensed-sponsors-workers
