Sponsorship Registration:
Overview
The well known 'Work Permit' scheme no longer exists. Employers wishing to still recruit migrants require a sponsorship licence. Once an Employer obtains a sponsorship licence they can issue migrants with certificates of sponsorship to enable them to apply under tiers 2 or 5. This only applies to migrants from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland.
Solent Immigration Services can help Employers obtain a sponsorship licence and enable them to legally continue recruiting migrant skilled workers.
Criteria
As an employer you must meet the following criteria to join the register:
- You are a legitimate organisation working within the law in the United Kingdom;
- There are no reasons to believe that you are a threat to immigration control; and
- your organisation will meet its sponsorship duties.
You will be awarded an A rating or a B rating on the register. Ratings are based on whether the sponsor has the correct HR Systems to ensure that it will be able to meet its sponsorship duties and whether the sponsor is complying with, or have previously complied with, the work permit arrangements and other immigration law.
A rating will usually be given where an organisation meets all HR/ compliance criteria
B rating will be given to an organisation that only meet some of the requirements
The B rated organisation will be given a sponsorship action plan, which sets out the steps they need to take to gain an A rating.
Once licensed, sponsors can start using the sponsorship management system to assign Tier2 or Tier5 certificates of sponsorship. The sponsorship management system allows two different types of permission access which the sponsor must allocate, Level 1 User and Level 2 User. Only these users will have access to the sponsorship management system.
Sponsors can elect to use a representative such as Solent Immigration Services to apply for certificates of sponsorship with the UKBA. Representatives must be registered with the OISC or the Law Society.
What next
The information here is at a high level and there are many variables to consider before applying for a sponsorship licence. Please contact us to discuss your requirements on +44(0) 23800 16362 or alternatively send us and email to info@solentimmigration.co.uk.