Sponsor Licence & HR Compliance Support
Managing a sponsor licence is an ongoing commitment. Our retainer service gives your HR team direct access to immigration compliance expertise — covering CoS requests, SMS reporting, licence changes, and urgent advice whenever an issue arises.
Once you hold a sponsor licence, the compliance obligations do not stop. Every new hire, every change to a sponsored worker's role or salary, every period of absence, and every CoS request carries a compliance dimension. Many HR teams find that without specialist support, reporting obligations are missed, CoS requests are incorrectly assigned, and compliance issues accumulate — often going unnoticed until a Home Office visit. Our retainer puts a specialist on your team without the cost of an in-house immigration lawyer.
Our retainer covers the full range of day-to-day sponsorship and compliance activity. Fees are agreed in advance based on the size of your sponsored workforce.
Before sponsoring a new worker, we confirm that the role and candidate meet the requirements for sponsorship — including the appropriate occupation code (SOC code), salary thresholds (including the going rate for the role), and any tradesperson or shortage occupation considerations. We advise on right-to-work checks and ensure you understand your obligations before the worker starts.
We manage the full CoS process on your behalf. For defined CoS (required for entry clearance applications from outside the UK), we draft the CoS request and ensure all mandatory fields — occupation code, salary, start date, job title — are completed accurately. For undefined CoS (assigned to workers already in the UK), we check the worker's current leave and confirm the correct assignment approach.
Your licence comes with an initial allocation of undefined CoS. If you need to sponsor more workers, you may need to request additional allocation from the Home Office. We prepare and submit CoS increase requests, including the supporting information required — such as evidence of your recruitment needs and current workforce data.
If you wish to sponsor workers under a new route — for example adding a Temporary Worker category to an existing Worker Licence, or adding the Senior or Specialist Worker (Global Business Mobility) route — we manage the application to vary your licence and advise on any additional eligibility requirements for the new category.
Assigning the wrong SOC code or salary can result in a CoS being rejected or a worker's visa application being refused. We assess each role against the current Standard Occupational Classification codes and check against the Home Office going rate requirements, the National Minimum Wage, and any applicable shortage occupation considerations to ensure your CoS is assigned correctly.
Sponsors must report certain changes to a sponsored worker's employment through the Sponsor Management System within 10 working days. We manage SMS reporting on your behalf or advise your HR team on what to report and when. This includes salary increases or decreases, changes to working hours, change of work location, changes to job title or duties, and significant changes to the role.
Where a sponsored worker is promoted, moves to a different role, or their terms change materially, there may be a requirement to assign a new CoS and make an application for leave to remain. We advise on whether a change triggers a new sponsorship obligation, manage the CoS assignment, and support the worker's immigration application where needed.
If a sponsored worker has more than 10 consecutive days of unauthorised absence, or if their contract changes to include unpaid leave beyond the permitted thresholds, this must be reported to the Home Office. We advise on how absences should be recorded, when reporting is required, and help you draft any communications to the Home Office.
We carry out regular reviews of your sponsored worker files to ensure records are complete, documents have not expired, and follow-up right-to-work checks have been carried out on time. We also review how records are stored and maintained to ensure they can be produced promptly in the event of a Home Office visit.
Issues can arise at any point — a worker goes absent, a Home Office compliance letter arrives, a worker's visa is approaching expiry, or a role changes unexpectedly. As a retained client, you have direct access to our team for urgent advice. We respond promptly and advise on the correct course of action to protect your licence and your sponsored workers.
Retain our support
Tell us about the size of your sponsored workforce and the support you need. We will put together a retainer proposal with a fixed monthly or annual fee.
Contact us directly
General enquiries
info@visaprofessionals.comSpeak to Irfan directly
irfan@visaprofessionals.comPhone
0203 137 8699