Sponsor Licence under the new UK immigration system
A new UK immigration system will come into effect from 1 January 2021 and will affect Sponsor Licence applications. A UK employer who wishes to hire non-British nationals needs to first apply for and be granted a Sponsor Licence.
Sponsor Licence applications
A Sponsor Licence application is a complex process. Detailed documents must be submitted with the application. Those supporting documents differ according to the UK employer’s business. They must comply with strict immigration rules. A Sponsor Licence application can be refused for a mere omission or a small mistake, for example, in the certification of a document.
Moreover, a detailed job description is submitted with the Sponsor Licence application. It must be one of the acceptable occupations on the restricted list of the Home Office and comply with other immigration requirements.
Furthermore, it is important to note that if a Sponsor Licence application is refused, the UK employer cannot apply again for at least 6 months. However, Barar & Associates can challenge unreasonable and unfair Home Office’s refusals.
Freedom of movement with the EU will end on 1 January 2021 and EEA nationals (except Irish nationals) will need a visa to come to the UK to live, work and study. A new UK immigration system will be in place and the Sponsor Licence application’s process and requirements will be amended. Barar & Associates has summarised those changes for you below.
UK new immigration system: Changes
The current job required skill level is level 6 or above on the Regulated Qualification Framework. This will be changed to level 3 and above which will extend the list of acceptable occupations. The job level 3 is equivalent to A-level standard, where level 6 is equivalent to bachelor’s degree standard.
Additionally, the migrant will still need to satisfy the English language requirement.
Furthermore, the minimum annual salary threshold will be reduced from £30,000 to £25,600. However, this will probably increase each year. In some restricted situations, a migrant will be able to gain ‘points’ from certain characteristics if their salary does not meet the minimum annual threshold.
The Home Office has advised to apply for a Sponsor Licence as soon as possible even if you do not wish to hire migrant workers at the moment or you do not know if or when you will. Barar & Associates will be more than happy to help you go through this process stress-free and efficiently.
If you would like to discuss or should you require more information about your company’s needs for a Sponsor Licence, please do not hesitate to contact our team of expert UK Immigration lawyers at barar.london@bararassociates.co.uk or on 0207 487 8370. You can access more information about us via https://bararassociates.com/.
