Certificate of Sponsorship meaning

Common fees For most UK work visa applications, statutory charges account for most of the overall outlay, typically far surpassing the professional fees paid to immigration specialists for guiding applicants through the process. Government fees may include: the visa application fee the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) fee the Immigration Skills Charge (ISC) optional services to streamline and expedite the visa process By law, the ISC is the only government charge that employers cannot pass on to the visa applicant. Other disbursements can include translation costs, tuberculosis screening, English language testing, or obtaining criminal record certificates. Many of these relate to mandatory stages of the visa process and can mount up quickly, so employers should take a holistic view before deciding who will be responsible for these extra costs. The level of cost assistance provided Some employers may already have well-established policies to guide them. These could range from the...

The Skilled Worker route The Skilled Worker route allows UK employers holding a valid sponsor licence to hire, or continue to employ, skilled individuals who are neither British nor Irish nationals. It is the principal route for entry to, and residence in, the UK for employment. The Practice Note: Sponsoring a Skilled Worker reviews the eligibility requirements connected to a sponsor issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), including the necessary skill level and salary. Once a CoS has been issued, and provided the applicant meets all other criteria, they can apply for entry clearance or permission to stay...

UK Expansion Worker The UK Expansion Worker route under Global Business Mobility is designed for senior managers or specialist staff who are temporarily posted to the UK to establish a branch or a wholly owned subsidiary of an overseas enterprise. It superseded the Sole Representative provisions within the Representative of an Overseas Business route for first-time applications from 11 April 2022. The Practice Note: Sponsoring a UK Expansion Worker considers eligibility linked to the sponsor’s issue of a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), covering required skill level, pay, and the necessity for prior overseas employment for a set minimum period. It also outlines the route’s background and possible alternatives. Eligibility: financial, validity and suitability criteria Period and conditions of permission, including the maximum assignment length Dependants Application procedure There is no English language requirement for this route. Key resources at a glance Immigration Rules: Appendix Global Business Mobility-UK Expansion Worker Immigration Rules: Appendix Finance ...

Genuineness and eligible role considerations in sponsored worker routes This Practice Note examines genuineness and eligible role issues across sponsored worker routes. These include, among other aspects, whether vacancies/roles genuinely exist, the financial viability of those roles, applicants’ qualifications/registration, the requirements of the job, and the worker’s intended purpose. The relevant criteria are found in the Immigration Rules for the Skilled Worker, Global Business Mobility and Scale-up routes, and also in the Sponsor Guidance that applies to all sponsored work routes. The original 2008 sponsored employment model under the Points-Based System was, in essence, self-certification—employers had to sign up to and maintain stringent compliance arrangements to gain a sponsor licence, after which they could assign their own Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), subject to periodic compliance visits and other checks to ensure they continued to meet sponsor duties, including accurate CoS assignment. This approach was moderated with the advent of what became known as restricted CoS when interim limits were introduced in Tier 2 (General) in July 2010, bringing...

This is a Q&A about whether it is necessary for dependants to apply to switch categories at the same time as their relevant points-based system (PBS) migrants. The Points Based System (Dependant) Guidance states, as a general rule, that where the principal migrant changes employer or education provider, receives a new certificate of sponsorship and applies for leave to remain to work or study with their new sponsor, their dependants are not obliged to apply for leave to remain at the same time...

A Tier 2 (General) migrant (the applicant) must observe any conditions attached to their leave. Examples include no recourse to public funds and a requirement to work mainly for the Tier 2 (General) sponsor named on their Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). Supplementary employment is allowed, but only in limited circumstances in practice. See Practice Notes: Applying under the Skilled Worker route and Conditions of permission to enter or stay in the UK. If the applicant will no longer work for the sponsor listed on their CoS, they will not continue to meet the requirements of a Tier 2 (General) visa. This is a frequent basis for mandatory curtailment under the Immigration Rules, Part 9, para 323A(i)(2). Curtailment is the process by which the Secretary of State for the Home Department shortens the existing leave of persons already in the UK. Leave is either curtailed with immediate effect or the remaining period of leave is shortened, usually to a period of 60 days. See Practice Notes: Changes of circumstances and...