Workers and Temporary Workers - guidance for sponsors part 1: apply for a licence
Guidance for sponsors on applying for a licence.
Updates to this page
- From:
- UK Visas and Immigration
- Published:
- 9 December 2020
- Last updated:
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3 September 2026
Show all updates
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Added accessible HTML version of guidance.
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Published version 08/26 of guidance. Full details of changes listed in 'Changes to this guidance' section.
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Published version 05/26 of the guidance. A full list of changes can be found in the guide.
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Guidance updated to clarify the burden of proof in sponsor licence decisions, including that we may take action in the event of a reasonable suspicion of non-compliance; confirm that membership of the sponsorship scheme is voluntary; introduce the term ‘eligible role’ (see the glossary for a full definition); and to make some other minor amendments and clarifications.
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The guidance has been updated to reflect the closure of the trial ‘Sponsor UK’ service for Government Authorised Exchange sponsors and the closure of the premium customer service from 30 November 2025.
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The guidance has been updated to implement a commitment in the Written Ministerial Statement of 28 November 2024 to increase the ‘cooling-off period’ for organisations which repeatedly breach sponsorship rules – this is the first phase of the implementation of this policy and, in this update, specifically targets organisations which have had their licence revoked on more than one occasion, or key personnel who have been associated with more than one revoked licence and to reflect the ongoing rollout of eVisas and the phasing out of physical immigration documents.
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Guidance updated to reflect the Immigration Rules coming into force on 9 April 2025. Further details about the changes can be found within the guidance.
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The guidance has been updated to reflect a commitment given in the Written Ministerial Statement of 28 November 2024 to prohibit the passing on of Skilled Worker sponsor licence or Certificate of Sponsorship fees to sponsored workers by the end of 2024, and to prohibit sponsors from sponsoring workers in a personal capacity. A full list of changes can be found in the guidance.
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Changes to the guidance to reflect the initial phase of the new sponsorship service for selected Government Authorised Exchange sponsors, and to make some other minor amendments and clarifications.
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Accessible version added.
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Guidance updated to reflect the introduction of the new Scale-up route on 22 August 2022, to clarify that we may undertake digital compliance inspections as well as, or instead of, on-site compliance visits and to make other minor changes.
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Added accessible version.
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Updated guidance to reflect the introduction of the new Global Business Mobility routes.
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Updated guidance with the following changes: L1.12, minor amendments to reflect ending of provisions for poultry production workers, haulage drivers and specified pork butchers; L6.12 amended to reflect the ending of the fee concession for Certificates of Sponsorship assigned to CESC nationals from 26 February 2022; other minor housekeeping changes.
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Updated to reflect immigration rules changes on 11 October 2021, the ending of the transitional period of the UK’s departure from the EU, and other minor amendments and clarifications. Read the full list of changes in the 'Changes from the last version of this guidance' section of the document.
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Added accessible version.
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First published.
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Documents
Workers and Temporary Workers - guidance for sponsors part 1: apply for a licence
PDF, 829 KB, 70 pages
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Details
Guidance for employers on how to apply for a licence to sponsor a person on the Worker and Temporary Worker immigration routes.
It tells you about the requirements you must meet, how we consider applications, and what you can do if your application is refused.