Business Immigration: the Speedy Sponsor Licence to Sponsor Skilled Migrant Workers

You probably don’t associate the Home Office with speed. However, if you are a UK business applying for its first sponsor licence to recruit skilled migrant workers on skilled worker visas the delay in securing a decision on your sponsor licence can mean you can't fill contracted orders or your company can't continue with your expansion plans until your new recruits are in place. Business immigration and employment law solicitors understand the frustrations of waiting for Home Office decisions. In this article, our immigration solicitors look at whether it is possible to make a speedy sponsor licence application to sponsor skilled migrant workers.

UK Online and London Based Immigration Solicitors 

For advice on sponsoring workers and sponsor licence applications  or any aspect of immigration law call the expert London immigration lawyers at OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.

The sponsor licence requirement

HR directors in the UK are stressed as there was once a time when management would ask them to recruit workers and they could do so. Even if there were no appropriate home-grown workers, a HR director could look to the EU to fill most job vacancies. With the end of free movement for EU nationals it simply isn’t possible for many UK businesses to recruit the workers they need without a sponsor licence. That creates delay and red tape and that is something that most business owners and management boards are not prepared to accept. So, the pressure is heaped on the HR director to deliver when they can't control the speed of the Home Office decision on any application for a sponsor licence or guarantee how quickly any new recruit will secure their skilled worker visa and be able to start employment with the company.

Is speed of the essence? 

When you know you need a sponsor licence so you can sponsor skilled migrant workers it can be tempting to bang the application into the Home Office and hope for the best. That’s because businesses fear that professional advice won't add value and will just delay matters. Most business immigration solicitors do add value and if there is a short delay in applying for your sponsor licence that is normally because it is planned and purposeful. If you submit a sponsor licence application to the Home Office when your business isn’t ready it just means your sponsor licence application is likely to be refused, just adding to the cost and delay of obtaining your sponsor licence.

Tortoise or hare?

At OTS Solicitors we like to think that we combine the speed of the hare with the careful planning and pacing of the tortoise; so, it is a successful combination. However, our speed in securing a sponsor licence is part dictated by you as some companies need to do very little work to be ready to successfully apply for their sponsor licence whilst others almost have to start from scratch with devising office procedures.

Our business immigration solicitors can work with your company whatever the standard of your existing procedures. If you already have systems in place, we can tell you if they are compliant with sponsor licence reporting and recording duties and if tweaks are necessary, explain why and action them with you. There is no point in changing systems that work for you and your company as that will just slow your sponsor licence application process down. On the other hand, if you don’t have systems in place already or they aren’t going to be acceptable for Home Office sponsor licence reporting and recording purposes, we can suggest systems that are as simple as possible and will work for your industry, whether that is high tech digital start-up with a few employees or an established construction or a hospitality business with high staff turnover and where your business sector is heavily reliant on skilled migrant workers.

What is a speedy sponsor licence application? 

We have known sponsor licence applications be processed within a matter of days but if your business is not using Home Office premium services it is now more usual for a first sponsor licence application to take a few weeks. You can help ensure that your sponsor licence application is processed fast by:

• Submitting your sponsor licence application with the right sponsor licence documents . Theimmigration rules on the  right supporting paperwork  are contained in an appendix to the Home Office issued sponsor licence guidance and the documents  depend on the size and nature of your company.
• Appointing the right key personnel.
• Paying the right application fee. It is surprising how many times an application fee is incorrect when our business immigration solicitors review why an application made without specialist legal advice has been refused.

Fast-track sponsor licence decisions

Generally, if you want a premium service you have to pay for it and that is the attitude the Home Office takes. The Home Office has a standard and a premium processing service. Whether you need to pay for a premium service will depend on how urgently you need to recruit the overseas worker and how prepared you are to apply for your sponsor licence. There is no need to pay for a premium service if you have not got the right paperwork or systems in place as the application will only be refused as the premium service isn’t there to simply rubber stamp any sponsor licence application but to fast track some sponsor licence applications, albeit at a cost.

The Home Office has a priority service for the speedier processing of sponsor licence applications. When submitting your sponsor licence application, you can pay an extra £500 to the Home Office to get a decision within ten working days. That may not be necessary for your business or may be the best way to quickly recruiting the skilled migrant workers you need.

UK Online and London Based Immigration Solicitors 

For advice on your sponsor licence application or any aspect of immigration law call the immigration team at OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.