Time is running out for employers to apply for a sponsor licence that will be available in time for the requirement to have one from 1 January 2021. Due to changes as a consequence of Brexit, employers will now require a sponsorship licence granted by the Home Office to employ EEA workers. Previous to the changes, workers from the EU did not require a sponsor licence to work in the UK.

What is a sponsor licence?

A sponsor licence is permission from the Home Office for a business to employ foreign workers to work in the UK. Employers apply for a sponsor licence through the Government website and they are required to provide the required information and documents. The application will then be reviewed and in some cases, the UK Visas and Immigration will visit the business as part of their reviewing process.

Not all types of jobs are eligible for a sponsor licence and there are additional eligibility requirements such as carrying out the resident labour market test, which is to check that there are no suitable workers already in the UK who are available to hire.

Any employers that do not have a sponsor licence in place by the deadline of 1 January 2021 will not be able to hire new workers from EU or extend the visas for existing employees. 

How a solicitor can help with your sponsor licence application 

This year the government has been busy working through plans for combatting Covid-19 and updates and news about Brexit changes has been limited. With such a large percentage of time being dedicated to Covid-19 related work and with many businesses being forced to close during lockdown, the preparation for Brexit has not been as high a priority as it would have been. This has left businesses without the support required to get them ready for all of the legislative changes coming into force from 1 January 2021.

The process for applying for a sponsor licence can take a while, especially with large volumes of applications being submitted in the lead up to the deadline. Therefore, many businesses are running the risk of not obtaining their sponsor licence in time, which could significantly impact their business if they are unable to keep existing employees or recruit new employees from the EEA.

To make sure that your application is completed correctly and to avoid any unnecessary delays, support from a solicitor will help to proceed quickly with the application. Our expert immigration team has the specialist knowledge required to help you to submit a successful sponsor licence application. The details of the application and eligibility criteria can be complicated, especially as it is the first time many businesses will be going through the process, so specialist support will be hugely beneficial to get it right first time.