Is a sponsor licence a good idea for my business?

Should you consider investing in a visa sponsor license? 

We’ve mentioned before in our blogs about the skills shortage and the imbalance that exists between open roles and candidates. Well, in 2014 there were more roles than candidates and further reporting this year has told us a similar story.  

More and more companies are applying for a sponsor license and with increasing skills shortages, especially in the tech sector, it could be worth you looking at whether your business would benefit from having a sponsor license.  

We don’t have enough people who are developers, testers, and data engineers. Whilst there are multiple fantastic boot camps to give your junior starters the skills they need to begin their careers, (another blog topic incoming or ask us about how we supported one of the largest collectors of data in the UK build their own) a sponsor license will enable you to access world-class talent that was previously out of your reach. 

The Skilled Worker visa replaced the Tier-2 visa post-Brexit and has simplified the process for everyone. Yes, it has got easier to secure that license, and the paperwork and application process aren’t as daunting as you might think. The Skilled Worker visa allows individuals and their dependents to work in the UK in eligible roles. 

Isn’t it hard to get? 

The answer used to be yes, and HR teams would be put off because of the amount of work it would take. The simple answer today is no, it isn’t. To be eligible your business must prove it is a genuine organisation operating lawfully. You must show you are suitable to sponsor migrant workers and must be able to pay the minimum required salary and be capable of carrying out your sponsorship duties. Yes, there is a fair amount of paperwork to complete, and it’s a serious business you should assign to a trusted pair of hands, but not to the point of being prohibitive! This isn’t a silver bullet to a recruitment challenge in the tech space; however, it will open channels of attraction and new pools of candidates you’ve previously not had access to. And consider how your business may be able to be more profitable if you aren’t short of staff, or how retention rates might be improved if your existing team isn’t quite as stretched because of the delays in recruiting for a limited talent pool. 

What are the costs? 

For a qualifying small business, it costs under £600 to get a Skilled Worker sponsor license and under £1,500 for a large business. This requires you to complete your own paperwork. 

A certificate of sponsorship costs £199 per employee you sponsor. 

Costs for the applicant range between £610 and £1,408 depending on where they are applying from and how long they are applying for. The health surcharge is around £600 per year of the visa. Please note, these rates may be lower for some occupations that fall into the skills shortage lists, but you would need to check on a case-by-case basis.  

Can anyone help? 

Yes, there are lots of companies out there that specialise in supporting businesses and individuals with their sponsorship requirements. And we can help guide and point you in the right direction and what to consider – this advice costs nothing. You will pay more for the ease of having an immigration professional support you in completing your paperwork and making your application correctly but the ease of having help makes the process even smoother. 

Who can we recruit? 

There are multiple roles you can recruit through the sponsor system. The system is straightforward and is a points-based system. If your candidate can meet the 70-point threshold, then you can apply for them to receive their visa. If there are queries you have on this, then please do get in touch with us at YTS. 

You can look to recruit people overseas who have the skills you are looking for, or you may wish to try and recruit someone already in the UK who has a requirement for a visa. The UK has an incredible array of talented individuals who have come to the UK to study for a Masters’ degree at one of our many excellent higher education institutions. These students automatically get a Post-Study Work visa that entitles them to a two-year working visa but if they want to work in the UK beyond this, they will need to be sponsored. 

In summary 

Things are more straightforward now than they were 3 years ago and if you want to consider opening up your candidate pool as wide as possible then it would be worth considering whether this might suit your business. In a congested candidate market, a Skilled Worker license can potentially offer you access to highly-skilled candidates looking for a fun, rewarding and challenging role in the UK. 

If you want to find out more or have a conversation about why this might or might not suit you, please email me at james@yourtalentsolutions.co.uk and set up a call.