Business Immigration Solicitors | Sponsor Licence & Employer Compliance Advice

What is business immigration?

Increasingly, organisations are looking to attract and retain talent from different countries to expand their recruitment potential and ensure they are able to provide the skills and expertise they need to meet their business needs.

As a result of an often complex series of immigration laws and processes, it is essential that businesses looking to engage workers from overseas understand their legal obligations and the procedures they need to go through.

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Related services

Our business immigration services

Sponsorship licence applications and ongoing compliance
Right-to-work checks
Issuing certificates of sponsorship
Ongoing employment and HR support

How can a business owner sponsor a migrant worker?

Most immigration routes into the UK labour market require an individual to be sponsored by an employer.

A sponsor licence, also referred to as a sponsorship licence, allows UK companies to do this. Only these licenced UK businesses can issue a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ to eligible employees, which in turn allows them to apply for a work visa, most commonly as a “skilled worker”. To become a licensed sponsor, businesses must make an application to the Home Office and meet certain eligibility and suitability requirements.

Here at Wilkin Chapman Rollits, our immigration solicitors can assist your business in applying for and obtaining a UK sponsor licence, generating and assigning certificates of sponsorship, and setting your business up to comply with your ongoing sponsorship responsibilities.

Whether this is your first application or a previous application has been refused, our team are here to help you and your business. We are also able to provide support for already licensed businesses to maintain compliance and continue to benefit from their licensed status.

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Prepare in advance

In order to successfully apply for the license a business must be able to show that it has necessary processes and procedures in place to meet its various sponsor requirements.
Gather necessary documentation and information

The Home Office will want to see evidence of these processes and procedures, as well as various information about the nature of your business. Have these ready before application.
Determine the 'Key Personnel'

Part of being a sponsor requires you to have individuals who are responsible for managing the license and the migrant workers. You will need to name them on the application.
Consider proposed roles

If you have any vacancies in mind for sponsorship, you will need to ensure these are genuine vacancies, and suitable for sponsorship as there are many criteria which must be met, including the nature of the role and the salary levels.
Submission

The application must be submitted by the business online, and it may take up to 8 weeks to reach a decision, so it should be done in ample time.

Right-to-work checks

Employers can be liable for a civil penalty of up to £60,000, and even criminal sanctions for employing someone illegally, i.e. someone who does not have the legal right to work in the UK. Failure to undertake appropriate right to work checks can also lead to businesses having their sponsor license suspended or revoked.

Therefore, conducting suitable checks on immigration status, particularly for of any migrant workers, is imperative. Our team can provide guidance on how to conduct suitable checks and how to address any issues which may arise.

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Support for sponsors

Once a business has obtained a sponsor license, there are certain expectations of it in terms of record keeping, reporting various matters to the Home Office, as well as compliance with wider UK law relating to immigration and employment.

We are on hand to assist in complying with these responsibilities so that businesses don’t risk losing their license or the benefits it brings.

For day-to-day HR and compliance queries, Adaptive HR provides ongoing support and practical guidance to keep you on track.

Why choose us?

Our business immigration solicitors offer unparalleled support to employers in Lincolnshire, East Yorkshire and beyond.

Handling all elements of sponsorship support, our business immigration lawyers are not just there for the duration of your application.

They’re here for you post-approval to ensure ongoing compliance and success for both you and your employees.

We immerse ourselves in your organisation to understand its culture and ethos, taking a hands-on, practical, and proactive approach to provide the tailored legal advice you require at a competitive price.

We help businesses sponsor overseas workers every day.

Check out our frequently asked questions as immigration solicitors.

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What are the sponsor licence eligibility requirements?
To become a licensed sponsor, businesses must be able to show the following:
- It is genuine entity and has an operating or trading presence in the UK
- It has appropriate resources and systems in place to meet its sponsor obligations
- It can offer genuine vacancies which meet sponsorship criteria
- There is no evidence of previous non-compliance with UK immigration law
- The organisation and its directorship have no unspent criminal convictions for immigration related offences
What costs are involved in sponsoring migrant workers?

There is a fee chargeable to any business of over £1,500* (depending on the size of the organisation) for the sponsor license application. Additional fees are payable for expedited applications or premium customer service packages.
Further fees are then payable by both the migrant worker and the sponsor for each individual who is sponsored. The sponsor must pay a fee for issuing a certificate of sponsorship and (in most cases) an immigration skills charge. The individual must pay certain fees as well including a visa fee and the immigration health surcharge.
*As of Sept 2025
How long does a sponsor licence application take?

Once the relevant information and documents have been collated, it does not take long to fill out the online application.
There is then a period of time for the Home Office to make a determination on the application, usually up to 8 weeks. This can be circumvented by using the priority service (for additional cost) which is available, but access to this is not guaranteed.
It is therefore advisable to apply for a license in plenty of time.
How much does a business immigration solicitor cost?

To provide support and guidance through the process of making a sponsor license application, we will charge a fixed fee of between £3,500 and £4,500 excluding VAT. Our fee will depend on the business’ circumstances which we will discuss with you.
Otherwise, our fees are calculated on an hourly rate basis, with the hourly rates being commensurate with the qualification and expertise of the team members. These range from £220 to £330 exclusive of VAT. We will ensure your support is provided by a suitable level of fee earner.
When can a prospective employee apply for a skilled worker visa in the UK?

Timings are very important within this process. An individual can only begin their application once they have been assigned a certificate of sponsorship by the employer.
They then have three months from that date to submit their application. The individual also has three months from the start date listed on their certificate of sponsorship to apply.
As such, these timings must all mirror with when it is proposed that the individual will begin work for the sponsor.