19/02/2021 | Immigration News | Aejaz Mussa
Since 1 January 2021, the UK Government has introduced significant changes to the Immigration Rules. One of the key changes is the requirement for all employers to have a UK Sponsor Licence in order to employ or continue to employ overseas workers, including EU nationals, who have not been present in the UK before 31 December 2020 and are no longer eligible to apply under the EU Settlement Scheme. Due to these changes, there is likely to be a huge backlog of applications for UK Sponsor Licence so employers are encouraged to apply early to avoid disappointment of waiting longer periods before being granted the UK Sponsor Licence.
What is the UK Sponsor Licence?
The UK Sponsor Licence entitles an employer in the UK to be registered on the Home Office’s register of Licenced Sponsors in order to be given permission to employ overseas workers in the UK. As of 17 February 2021, there are 33,148 licenced sponsors on the Home Office’s register of Licenced Sponsors under the Worker routes. You will need a UK Sponsor Licence to employ an overseas worker, which now also includes citizens of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland who arrived in the UK after 31 December 2020.
Do you need to apply for a UK Sponsor Licence?
You will need to apply for a UK Sponsor Licence if you want to employ an EEA national who entered the UK after 11pm on 31 December 2020 or all non-EEA nationals who are looking to enter and work in the UK. As of 1 December 2020, you will need a UK Sponsor Licence to employ persons under the following Worker and Temporary Worker routes:
Worker Routes: