Employer Sponsorship Licences

If you are a UK business looking to recruit and employ overseas nationals – or individuals already in the UK who do not otherwise have the right to work – you will normally need to hold a Home Office sponsor licence.

The sponsorship system places strict compliance obligations on employers. Failure to meet these requirements can result in licence refusal, suspension or revocation, with significant financial, operational, and reputational consequences for your business.

Sponsor Licences: An Overview

Sponsor licences are applied for online and are subject to a Home Office application fee. If granted, a licence will remain valid only while the sponsor continues to comply with ongoing Home Office requirements.

These obligations include ensuring that:

• Roles sponsored are eligible in terms of skill level and salary
• Sponsored workers meet the Immigration Rules and are suitably qualified
• Right to work and immigration status checks are carried out and recorded correctly
• Employment practices comply with UK employment law, including pay and working time
• The business is genuine, trading, and compliant, with appropriate HR systems in place
• Certain events and changes (such as restructures or cessation of trading) are reported to the Home Office promptly

The current sponsorship framework operates under the Worker and Temporary Worker routes, which replaced the former Tier 2 and Tier 5 system in December 2020.

How We Can Help

Demstone Chambers is a set of specialist barristers practising in both immigration and employment law. This combined expertise allows us to advise not only on sponsor licence applications, but also on the employment and compliance issues that commonly arise for licence holders.

We provide advice that is practical, proportionate, and tailored to your business.

We can provide support on a full or discrete basis, depending on your needs. Our services include:

Strategic Advice

• Assessing your business’s eligibility for a sponsor licence
• Advising on the most appropriate sponsorship route, including Skilled Worker, Global Business Mobility, and Scale-Up routes
• Identifying compliance risks before an application is submitted

Application Support

• Advising on and reviewing supporting documentation
• Assisting with preparation of the sponsor licence application
• Advising on Home Office queries, audits, or compliance action

Post-Grant & Enforcement Support

• Guidance on assigning Certificates of Sponsorship
• Ongoing compliance advice for licence holders
• Advising on refusals, suspensions, revocations, and Judicial Review, where appropriate

Why Instruct Demstone Chambers

• Specialist barristers with experience in business immigration and employment law
• Direct access – no solicitor needed
• Flexible appointments, including evenings and weekends
• Virtual meetings where needed
• Clear, realistic advice focused on compliance and risk management
• Flexible and cost-effective services tailored to your business

We work on direct access. This means you can instruct our barristers directly without going through a solicitor. This can save time and reduce costs, while still giving you access to specialist support. Find out more about our direct access offering here.

We act for clients across London, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Bedford, Luton, and throughout the UK.

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