Route essentials01
Do you need a sponsor licence? Start with the worker and the job
Decide whether sponsorship is the right workstream, then test the business’s readiness to operate it.
4 min readRead the guide
For UK employers • Make the system work
Build the sponsorship system before the first sponsored hire.
Practical employer guides, twelve working resources and a clear route from licence preparation to everyday compliance.
12 field guides · 12 practical resources · Official sources
Read this first
An application is only the beginning.
For an employer, sponsorship is an ongoing operational responsibility. The useful question is whether people, records and everyday processes can support the duties. Work through the preparation and compliance guides, then use the working documents to assign owners and find gaps.
Start with the essential guideThe field guide collection
All 12 guides Get to the question that matters.
Route essentials02
Appendix A documents: build an evidence matrix for your business
Prepare the right sponsor licence evidence, with a clear map from official requirement to file and owner.
4 min readRead the guide
Route essentials03
Sponsor key personnel: ownership, suitability and the Level 2 transition
Design clear sponsorship responsibilities and prepare for the published changes to SMS user roles.
4 min readRead the guide
Evidence & documents04
Immigration Skills Charge budgeting: current rates and a per-hire model
Replace an old fee assumption with a transparent cost model covering licence, CoS and employer charges.
4 min readRead the guide
Evidence & documents05
Choosing an occupation code: document the duties before the threshold
A repeatable job-classification review for sponsorship that avoids title matching and convenient salary selection.
4 min readRead the guide
Evidence & documents06
Defined and undefined CoS: plan capacity around the actual application
Build a hiring pipeline that distinguishes licence, allocation, assignment and worker permission.
4 min readRead the guide
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The next-step planner
Where are you in the process?
Choose the stage closest to yours. Get a short preparation plan and a useful place to start reading.
No personal details required. This is a preparation aid, not an eligibility assessment.
Your next preparation task
Start with the worker and the actual job
A sponsor licence is an employer responsibility, not a general recruitment badge. Map the proposed hire and the business’s ability to operate the duties.
- Identify the worker, role and intended immigration route.
- Separate right-to-work checks from sponsorship requirements.
- Assign ownership for HR records, reporting and the licence decision.
Your next preparation task
Build the Appendix A evidence matrix
Match the organisation’s actual circumstances to the applicable document requirements. Keep key personnel, systems and evidence requests in the same project plan.
- Identify the applicable business category and document requirements.
- Assign each evidence request to an issuer and reviewer.
- Check key-personnel suitability and operational responsibilities before submission.
Your next preparation task
Turn changes into owned reporting tasks
Use an event-to-action system for worker and business changes. A compliance record should show what happened, who reviewed it and what action followed.
- Map worker and business events to current reporting duties.
- Assign a responsible person, deadline and evidence record.
- Reconcile HR, payroll, work-location and SMS records regularly.
Turn the reading into preparation
Documents that do some work.
Use a checklist, fill a planning sheet, or map the evidence. Read and print any resource without an account.
checklist
Employer sponsorship readiness audit
A practical checklist for this task. Work through it privately, then print or save your planning copy.
Open resource worksheetAppendix A evidence matrix
A practical worksheet for this task. Work through it privately, then print or save your planning copy.
Open resource plannerSponsorship personnel and cover map
A practical planner for this task. Work through it privately, then print or save your planning copy.
Open resource plannerEmployer sponsorship cost model
A practical planner for this task. Work through it privately, then print or save your planning copy.
Open resourceTake it one step further
The details behind the decision.
Money & timing07
Sponsor reporting deadlines: build an event-to-action system
Record the trigger, applicable rule, responsible person and proof of completion for sponsorship changes.
4 min readRead the guide
Money & timing08
Right to work and sponsorship: keep the two checks connected
Build a lawful-work verification process alongside, rather than inside, the sponsor licence workflow.
4 min readRead the guide
Money & timing09
Sponsored worker records: design a file that answers real questions
Turn Appendix D and HR monitoring duties into a usable record system with controlled access and clear ownership.
5 min readRead the guide
Review & next steps10
Hybrid and client-site work: map the arrangement before reporting it
Distinguish occasional location changes, regular hybrid work and third-party labour arrangements.
4 min readRead the guide
Review & next steps11
Sponsor compliance visits: rehearse the evidence, not the answers
Prepare an honest internal retrieval and process review for pre-licence or ongoing sponsor checks.
4 min readRead the guide
Review & next steps12
Sponsored salary reductions: review the change before payroll acts
A controlled workflow for pay, hours and absence changes affecting sponsored workers.
4 min readRead the guide
A clear view of the source
Know what the guidance actually says.
Our sources are visible. Our tools organise your preparation. Your application still depends on your circumstances and the rules in force.