A UK sponsor licence is the gateway for any business that wants to hire workers from outside the UK Resident Labour Market under the points-based system. The licence application is the start, what follows is an ongoing compliance regime governed by the UKVI Sponsor Guidance, which the business is expected to operate every day of every employment relationship.
BRAVIOT advises UK businesses, from start-ups submitting a first application through to established groups managing dozens of sponsored workers, on the full sponsor licence life-cycle. Our advice is practical, document-led and focused on building the kind of systems UKVI expect to see when they audit.
How we can help
- Pre-application audit, confirming eligibility, identifying gaps in HR systems and addressing them before submission
- Evidence pack preparation, structured, indexed and stress-tested against UKVI guidance
- Key personnel selection and training (Authorising Officer, Key Contact, Level 1 and Level 2 users)
- Submission and follow-up correspondence with UKVI through to grant
- Drafting sponsor compliance policies, right-to-work check procedures and document retention systems
- Mock compliance audits and remediation
- Suspension and revocation responses, including statutory review where needed
Our approach
Sponsor licences succeed when the underlying HR systems do. We focus less on the application form and more on the evidence story behind it, building a compliance picture that holds up not just for the grant decision but for the audits that follow. Many of our clients use us on a continuing retainer to keep that system running cleanly over time.
Considering a sponsor licence?
Send us an outline of your business and the roles you want to sponsor. We will respond with an honest view of the eligibility position and a clear next step.
Speak with our teamFrequently asked questions
A sponsor licence allows a UK business to employ workers from outside the UK Resident Labour Market. Any business that wants to recruit non-UK nationals into eligible roles needs a sponsor licence, typically under the Worker (Skilled Worker, Senior or Specialist Worker) or Temporary Worker routes.
UKVI looks at four main evidence streams: that the business is a genuine, operating UK entity; that key personnel are suitable; that HR systems can support the duties of a sponsor; and that the roles to be sponsored are genuine vacancies meeting skill and salary thresholds. We help compile the evidence pack and stress-test it before submission.
Standard processing is around 8 weeks. A Priority service (subject to availability) reduces this to around 10 working days for an additional Home Office fee. The preparation phase is usually longer than the application phase.
Holding a licence carries ongoing duties: monitoring sponsored workers, keeping records, reporting changes via the Sponsor Management System and ensuring HR systems remain compliant. UKVI carry out audits, sometimes unannounced, to verify the duties are being met.
Suspension is recoverable in many cases, UKVI will set out concerns and you have 20 working days to respond. Revocation is more serious and may be challenged by way of statutory review. We act quickly on both, often involving the firm’s key personnel and HR teams in a structured remedial plan.