UK Sponsor Licence · For Businesses Hiring International Talent

Obtain Your UK Sponsor Licence and Hire Globally

For UK companies hiring engineers, product specialists, researchers and senior operators from outside the UK — handled end to end by an IAA-regulated immigration firm.
IAA-regulated work
Full application + compliance
Indefinite licence (no renewal)
Check Your Business EligibilityBook an Assessment Call
Initial 30-minute scoping call with our team. The licence application itself is regulated immigration work handled by Tech Nomads Limited.
Why It Matters

What is a UK Sponsor Licence and why it matters

A UK Sponsor Licence is permission granted by the Home Office that allows a UK-based business to sponsor non-UK workers under specific visa routes — most commonly the Skilled Worker visa. Without a Sponsor Licence your business cannot issue a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), and without a CoS the worker cannot apply for a Skilled Worker visa. As of April 2024, sponsor licences no longer require renewal — once granted, the licence remains valid indefinitely, subject to ongoing compliance.

Hire globally

Recruit engineers, product specialists, scientists and senior operators from any country, in any role meeting the Skilled Worker criteria.

Indefinite validity

No renewal required from April 2024 onwards. The licence stays valid as long as your business meets ongoing compliance duties.

Talent pipeline

Build a structured international hiring capability rather than ad-hoc visa decisions per candidate.
See If Your Business Qualifies
Official source
GOV.UK
UK visa sponsorship for employers
Who It's For

Who needs a Sponsor Licence?

A Sponsor Licence is required by any UK business that wants to employ a worker who needs permission to work in the UK and who is not eligible under another route (such as Global Talent or an unsponsored work category).

Scaling tech companies

Series A–C tech companies hiring engineering, product and AI talent from the EU, US, India and other markets.

Established employers

UK companies with structured international hiring needs across engineering, research, finance and consulting.

Startups & founders

UK-incorporated startups planning to hire international co-founders, early engineers or specialised technical roles.

UK subsidiaries

Subsidiaries of overseas companies wanting to bring senior staff or specialists into the UK.

Research organisations

Research institutions, labs and innovation centres hiring international researchers and technical specialists.

Professional services

Consulting, legal, financial and engineering firms hiring international experienced hires.
Check Your Business Eligibility
Primary conversion

Start with a 30-minute licence scoping call

A Tech Nomads Global Mobility Expert discusses your hiring plans, business profile, role types and timeline. After the call, your case is reviewed internally — and if Tech Nomads can take it forward, the regulated application work is handed to Tech Nomads Limited, our IAA-regulated UK immigration firm.

What we discuss on the call

Business profile
Trading history & financials
Roles to sponsor
Hiring volume
Category selection
Key personnel
Compliance readiness
Timeline & fees

Possible outcomes

ACCEPT

Ready to apply

Business looks ready — we can move into the regulated application.
ACCEPT

Gaps to close

Eligible, but specific documentation, structure or financials to close first.
ACCEPT

Not yet eligible

Business does not currently meet the sponsor eligibility threshold.
These are Tech Nomads' internal commercial decisions about whether to take the case — not Home Office eligibility rulings.
Book an Assessment Call
The Handover

What happens after your call

After the scoping call, your case is reviewed internally by the Processing Team. If we proceed, the regulated application work is led by a UK immigration lawyer at Tech Nomads Limited from that point onwards.
1
Scoping call
Commercial · 30 minutes.
2
Internal processing review
Commercial decision to proceed.
3
Engagement letter
Regulated from here
4
Application work begins
Led by a UK immigration lawyer.
These are Tech Nomads' internal commercial decisions about whether to take the case — not Home Office eligibility rulings.
Ready to start? Book an Assessment Call
Licence Types

Sponsor Licence categories

There are two main licence types. Most UK businesses applying for the first time need a Worker Licence covering the Skilled Worker route. Some also need a Temporary Worker Licence for routes such as Scale-up or Creative Worker.

Worker Licence

Long-term skilled roles

Skilled Worker — most common; for skilled roles meeting the minimum salary and skill threshold.

Senior or Specialist Worker — intra-company transfer of senior or specialist staff (Global Business Mobility).

Minister of Religion — long-term religious roles.

International Sportsperson — elite sportspeople and coaches.

Temporary Worker Licence

Short-term & programme routes

Scale-up — for fast-growing UK companies meeting scale-up criteria.

Creative Worker — short-term creative engagements.

Charity, Religious & Government Authorised Exchange — programme-specific routes.

Seasonal Worker & International Agreement — sector-specific or treaty-based routes.

A business can hold a Worker Licence, a Temporary Worker Licence, or both. The right category depends on the roles you plan to sponsor.
Find the right category — Book an Assessment Call
Official source
GOV.UK
Which licence you need
Requirements

Business eligibility requirements

The Home Office will only grant a licence to businesses that can demonstrate they are genuine, lawful, and capable of meeting sponsor compliance duties.

Genuine UK presence

Registered UK business with a verifiable trading address, bank account, and trading history or evidence of operations.

Genuine vacancies

Real roles that meet the skill level and salary thresholds of the chosen sponsorship route.

Honest history

No serious immigration or criminal history affecting key personnel. No previous revocation within the cooldown period.

Systems for compliance

HR processes to track sponsored workers' right-to-work, attendance, address and reporting obligations.

Key personnel in place

Authorising Officer, Key Contact and Level 1 User identified — see below.

Supporting documents

Companies House records, financials, employer's liability insurance and evidence of trading or operations.
Discuss your profile — Book an Assessment Call
Official source
GOV.UK
Sponsor eligibility & suitability
Often Misunderstood

Key personnel roles

Every sponsor must nominate specific named individuals to manage the licence on the Sponsor Management System (SMS). Choosing the wrong people — or leaving these roles vacant — is one of the most common reasons applications are refused or licences later suspended.
AO

Hire globally

Recruit engineers, product specialists, scientists and senior operators from any country, in any role meeting the Skilled Worker criteria.
KC

Key Contact

Main point of contact with the Home Office. Can be the AO or someone else, including a regulated adviser.
L1

Level 1 User

Day-to-day SMS operator who assigns Certificates of Sponsorship and reports changes. Must be someone within the business.
All three roles must be filled by people meeting Home Office honesty requirements. Convictions, prior immigration breaches or undischarged bankruptcy can disqualify a nominee.
Official source
GOV.UK
Staff to manage sponsorship
The Real Workload

Ongoing compliance duties

Obtaining the licence is the start, not the finish. Sponsors carry continuous compliance duties enforced by Home Office audits and unannounced compliance visits. Failing to meet these duties is the most common reason licences are suspended or revoked.

Reporting duties

Report changes to sponsored workers (start dates, salary, location, absences)
Report changes to your business (mergers, key personnel, address, ownership)
Meet reporting deadlines — often 10 working days from the change

Reporting duties

Right-to-work checks documented before employment starts
Up-to-date contact, attendance, role and salary records
Records available immediately on Home Office request

Reporting duties

Track sponsored workers' immigration status and visa expiry
Monitor that workers continue to meet salary and role requirements
Identify and report non-compliance promptly

Compliance visits can happen at any time

The Home Office may visit unannounced — typically within the first 6 months after licence grant. Tech Nomads can prepare you for compliance visits and support ongoing record-keeping.
Discuss ongoing compliance support
Official source
GOV.UK
Staff to manage sponsorship
Deliverables

What Tech Nomads prepares

The full application is regulated immigration work, prepared and submitted by Tech Nomads Limited (IAA-regulated). This is fundamentally different from non-regulated case preparation seen on individual visa routes.
Sponsor Licence application form (SMS)
Business eligibility evidence pack
Companies House & financial documentation review
Key personnel checks and nominations
Genuine vacancy and role-fit analysis
Job descriptions matched to SOC codes
Compliance policies and HR templates
Supporting evidence pack (insurance, trading proof, premises)
Submission and Home Office liaison
Pre-visit compliance audit and preparation
See pricing for this service ↓
After Grant

After your licence is granted

Once the licence is granted, the ongoing workload begins. Tech Nomads offers post-licence services depending on how much of the compliance burden you want to handle in-house.

CoS allocation & assignment

Issuing Certificates of Sponsorship for each new sponsored worker.

Sponsored visa applications

Preparation and submission of Skilled Worker visa applications for the candidates you sponsor.

Compliance management

Record-keeping audits, reporting management, key personnel changes and mock compliance visits.
Discuss post-licence support
Tech Nomads fees

Choose the level of
support you need

Both service levels cover full endorsement case preparation. Government fees are separate and paid directly to UK authorities.
Sponsor Licence — Small Company

£2,500

Small / charity sponsor
Eligibility review & route selection
Full application preparation (SMS)
Business evidence & document pack
Key personnel guidance
Submission & Home Office liaison until decision
For businesses meeting the small/charity sponsor criteria.
Discuss My Business
Sponsor Licence —
Medium Company

£4,500

Medium / large sponsor
Everything in Small Company, scaled for larger structures
Multi-entity & group structure review
Multiple role types & SOC-code mapping
Larger evidence & financials review
Pre-submission compliance audit
For businesses above the small/charity sponsor thresholds.
Discuss My Business
Most common
Managed Compliance

from £350 /mo

Ongoing retainer
Ongoing compliance audits
Reporting & CoS allocation tracking
Sponsored visa applications
Response to Home Office queries
Add to either licence package.
Add Managed Compliance
Book an Assessment CallCheck Your Business Eligibility
Final fees depend on business size, licence category, sponsored worker volume and chosen service scope. Small / charity sponsor status applies if your business meets at least two of: turnover ≤ £10.2m, balance sheet ≤ £5.1m, ≤ 50 employees. Home Office fees are paid separately.
Official Costs

Home Office fees

Home Office fees are paid directly to UK Visas and Immigration. They are not Tech Nomads service fees and should be verified before application — fees change.
GOVERMENT FEE
AMOUNT
NOTES

Sponsor Licence application — small / charity

£574
One-time application fee

Sponsor Licence application — medium / large

£1,579
One-time application fee

Priority Service (optional)

£500
10 working day decision instead of standard

Certificate of Sponsorship (Skilled Worker)

£239
Per CoS assigned

Immigration Skills Charge — small / charity

£364 / yr
Per sponsored worker, per year

Immigration Skills Charge — medium / large

£1,000 / yr
Per sponsored worker, per year
Fees verified at the time of writing — always check GOV.UK before payment.
Get a full cost breakdown on a call
Official source
GOV.UK
Visa fees table
GOV.UK
Immigration Skills Charge
The Process

Global Talent Visa
application process

The process has two main stages: endorsement and visa application. The endorsement stage proves the strength of your profile; the visa stage confirms the immigration application after endorsement is issued.
01
Step 1

Scoping call & review

A 30-minute commercial call, then internal review of your business profile.
02
Step 2

Document collection

We collect Companies House records, financials, insurance and trading evidence.
03
Step 3

Application drafted

A UK immigration lawyer prepares the SMS application, key personnel and SOC-mapped roles.
04
Step 4

Submission to Home Office

We submit and liaise with the Home Office, including any compliance visit.
05
Step 5

Decision

Standard decisions are typically around 8 weeks; Priority Service usually within 10 working days.
The Home Office may request additional information or schedule a compliance visit before granting the licence.
Start at Step 1 — Book an Assessment Call
Official source
GOV.UK
How to apply — sponsor guidance
Proof

Real Sponsor Licence case study

Digital Technology · Tech Nation

100+ hrs

Compliance time saved each year, plus 2 skilled-worker hires

RWorld Express — Global Logistics Company

Operating since 2004 · 50+ staff worldwide
Challenge
RWorld Express needed international talent blending logistics expertise with technology, but faced a shortage of local candidates, limited time, and no in-house immigration expertise.
How Tech Nomads helped
We secured their UK Sponsor Licence, managed all compliance activities, pre-screened candidates and brought 2 skilled workers on board — handling the process end to end.
Outcome
✓ Sponsor Licence granted · 2 skilled-worker hires onboarded · 100+ compliance hours saved a year · logistics efficiency doubled.
 Read RWorld Express's full story
Why Us

Why choose Tech Nomads for your Sponsor Licence?

IAA-regulated
End-to-end service
Audit-ready prep
Ongoing compliance
Official source
IAA
Check the register
Tech Nomads Limited is an IAA-regulated UK immigration firm. Sponsor licence work is regulated immigration advice, and only authorised firms and advisers may provide it. We have prepared sponsor licence applications across tech, scale-up, professional services and research sectors.

IAA-regulated firm

Verified on the IAA register. Regulated to provide UK immigration advice.

End-to-end service

Application, post-grant CoS work and ongoing compliance under one team.

Audit-ready preparation

Compliance audit and document pack designed to withstand Home Office compliance visits.
Keep Learning

Resources for hiring managers & founders

Official guidance and deeper reading for teams preparing to sponsor international talent.
GOV.UK Guidance

Workers & Temporary Workers: Apply for a Licence (Part 1)

Read on GOV.UK
GOV.UK Guidance

Sponsor a Worker & Assign a CoS (Part 2)

Read on GOV.UK
GOV.UK Guidance

Sponsor Duties & Compliance (Part 3)

Read on GOV.UK
GOV.UK Tool

Check a Job's Eligibility & SOC Code for Skilled Worker

Open the tool
GOV.UK

Skilled Worker Visa — Requirements for Workers

Read on GOV.UK
GOV.UK Register

Register of Licensed Sponsors (Workers)

View the register
FAQ

UK Sponsor
Licence FAQs

Each answer cites GOV.UK as the source.
Book an Assessment Call

How long does the Sponsor Licence application take?

Standard processing is typically around 8 weeks from submission. Priority Service (£500) usually returns a decision within 10 working days. The Home Office may request additional documents or schedule a compliance visit, which can extend the timeline.

Do I need a Sponsor Licence to hire from outside the UK?

Yes — if the worker needs permission to work in the UK and is not eligible under another route (such as Global Talent or an unsponsored category), your business must hold a Sponsor Licence to employ them.

How much does it cost?

Home Office application fees are £574 for a small/charity sponsor and £1,579 for a medium/large sponsor, plus a Certificate of Sponsorship (£239) and the Immigration Skills Charge per sponsored worker per year. Tech Nomads service fees are separate.

Does the licence need to be renewed?

No. Since April 2024, sponsor licences no longer require renewal. Once granted, the licence remains valid indefinitely, subject to ongoing compliance with Home Office duties.

What is a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)?

A CoS is an electronic record you assign to each worker you sponsor. The worker uses its reference number to apply for their visa. You can only assign a CoS once your licence is granted.

What happens during a Home Office compliance visit?

A compliance officer checks that you are meeting your sponsor duties — right-to-work records, reporting, HR systems and that sponsored workers are doing the approved role at the declared salary. Visits can be unannounced, often within the first 6 months after grant.

Can a startup get a Sponsor Licence?

Yes. UK-incorporated startups can apply, provided they can show genuine UK operations, genuine vacancies meeting the route's skill and salary thresholds, and the systems and key personnel to meet compliance duties.

What if our application is refused?

Depending on the reason, you may be able to request an error correction or re-apply after addressing the issues. A cooldown period can apply in some cases. A pre-application audit is the best way to avoid refusal in the first place.

What is the Immigration Skills Charge?

It is a fee employers pay for each sponsored Skilled Worker — £364 per year for small/charity sponsors and £1,000 per year for medium/large sponsors, paid upfront for the period of sponsorship.

Ready to hire globally? Start with a licence scoping call

If your business is planning to hire international talent, the first step is a 30-minute scoping call. We'll discuss your business profile, the roles you want to sponsor, and whether Tech Nomads Limited can take your case forward as regulated immigration work.

Check Your Business EligibilityBook an Assessment Call
Initial scoping calls are commercial conversations. Sponsor Licence application work is regulated UK immigration advice provided by Tech Nomads Limited (IAA-regulated).

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