Recruiting non-UK nationals post-Brexit: Employer sponsor licenses

By Brabners LLP

07 Dec 2020

shutterstock_1156919401.jpg

As the deadline of 31 December 2020 which marks the end of the post-Brexit transition period looms ever closer, businesses are rapidly having to get to grips with the biggest change in immigration legislation in a generation.

Going forwards, the key immigration route for employers looking to take on non-UK nationals will be via the work permit route, which is being rebranded as the Skilled Worker Visa.

For employers looking to move staff internationally around their businesses, they will need to use the Intra-Company Transfer visa route.

Employer sponsorship is the key pre-requisite to accessing the work permit routes

The gateway for businesses to access both the Skilled Worker and Intra-Company Transfer visa routes is to register with the Home Office as an employer sponsor.  If an employer is not a sponsor, they cannot use these routes.

Obtaining a sponsor licence involves going through a pre-approval process with the Home Office to establish that the business is a genuine organisation operating lawfully in the UK which is dependable, honest and reliable and which is capable of complying with its sponsor duties.  When an employer becomes a sponsor the Home Office places significant trust in them; it is far more than simply filling out a form and becoming a name on a register. You can find out more about how we help businesses with successfully applying for and keeping their sponsor licences here.

Employers will need to hold sponsorship if they intend to use the Skilled Worker route to recruit non-settled, non-UK nationals after the end of the Brexit transition period. This will apply to all new hires. Similarly, employer will need to hold sponsorship to use the Intra-Company Transfer route if they want to make international employee moves around a group of companies. 

We are currently advising significant numbers of clients who have a high numbers of EU nationals within their workforce profile, and expect this to continue post-Brexit.  We are also advising clients on what these changes mean for moving staff around their European businesses or for their business travellers.

Despite this, the number of registered sponsors remains flat.  Consistently, the number of registered employer sponsors remain at about the 30,000 mark. Clearly, there are significantly more than 30,000 businesses in the UK, and many more of these businesses will need to access the Skilled Worker route from next year. And yet, there has been no sign of the expected increase in sponsor license applications.  This is despite a significant Home Office information campaign about the end of the Brexit transition period. 

Of course, businesses are to be forgiven for not having these issues at the forefront of their minds given the ongoing problems arising from Covid and lockdown 2.0 and the more pressing issues about how to secure their business’ survival. However, that’s not to say that it isn’t important for businesses to start thinking about next year and preparing accordingly. 

The new visa routes replace the old work permit routes on 1 December 2020. They will be mandatory for EU nationals (who cannot establish residency in the UK before the end of the transition period) from 1 January 2020. There is no getting around it, time is running out for businesses to prepare.

Sponsor licenses are currently being dealt with fairly quickly by the Home Office, with some decisions coming back as quickly as two to three weeks, but the standard processing time stated on the Home Office website remains eight weeks (although, a fast-tracking process (at additional cost) is expected imminently).  However, the timescales for considering applications are likely to increase should the predicted surge in applications occur. 

Next Steps

We recommend businesses apply for their sponsor licenses as soon as possible to beat the rush, rather than risk delay to their business plans or their ability to recruit key talent after the end of the year.  If you have any questions about becoming a sponsor please contact our Business Immigration team.

Latest news

1

PM+M welcomes ten new apprentices for 2025 intake Lucy Field, Kate Walsh, Ellie Fisher, Zainab Aswat, Reece Jones, Aisha Bibi Patel, Finley Vila, Uzair Zariwala, Richard Prest, and Charlie Harrison

PM+M welcomes ten new apprentices for 2025 intake

11 Sep 2025

2

ROCCIA strengthens commercial division with senior appointment Andrew Grove

ROCCIA strengthens commercial division with senior appointment

11 Sep 2025

3

Final call for investors: Rossendale community solar project must hit target by November Gary McEwan managing director of Interfloor

Final call for investors: Rossendale community solar project must hit target by November

10 Sep 2025

4

Lancashire Combined County Authority unveil plan to Get Lancashire Working Lancashire Combined Authority

Lancashire Combined County Authority unveil plan to Get Lancashire Working

10 Sep 2025

5

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works and BAE Systems’ FalconWorks announce strategic collaboration Collaboration between BAE Systems FalconWorks and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works and BAE Systems’ FalconWorks announce strategic collaboration

09 Sep 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
Sub36 Networking - Follow the signs
Sub36 Deaf Village Social1200
Networking
17 Sep 2025

Sub36 Networking - Follow the signs

The Deaf Village, Blackburn, BB2 5EN

10:00 - 12:00

LBV124 September/October Launch Event
MBP Arc Cinema Preston Opening 205
Networking
18 Sep 2025

LBV124 September/October Launch Event

The Arc Cinema, Preston, PR1 2BL

08:30 - 10:30

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

Longridge Soap Box Derby
Screenshot 2025-06-10 090035.png.png
LBV Hub Fundraisers
14 Sep 2025 - 14 Sep 2025

Longridge Soap Box Derby

Berry Lane, Longridge, PR3 3WH

10:00 - 16:30

Preston Tech Connection - The Ultimate Tech Quiz!
Preston Tech Connection Sept 25.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
16 Sep 2025 - 16 Sep 2025

Preston Tech Connection - The Ultimate Tech Quiz!

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 19:00

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
17 Sep 2025 - 17 Sep 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Stanley House, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

11:30 - 14:15

Cumbria Business Expo 2025
https---cdn.evbuc.com-images-880461633-4862066883-1-original.20241022-110415.jpeg.jpg
LBV Hub Exhibitions
19 Sep 2025 - 19 Sep 2025

Cumbria Business Expo 2025

Carlisle Racecourse, Carlisle, CA2 4TS

09:00 - 15:00

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: September
Sept Freelancer (1).png.png
LBV Hub Networking
23 Sep 2025 - 23 Sep 2025

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: September

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

10:00 - 11:30

Your Business, Your Region: Making sense of devolution and Local Government Reorganisation
Chorley Council breakfast event new
LBV Hub Networking
23 Sep 2025 - 23 Sep 2025

Your Business, Your Region: Making sense of devolution and Local Government Reorganisation

Worden Hall, Leyland, PR25 3DH

08:00 - 11:00

Speed Networking with BNI
2.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
24 Sep 2025 - 24 Sep 2025

Speed Networking with BNI

Chorley Football Club, Chorley, PR7 3DU

16:00 - 19:00

The Marketing Meetup IRL: Lancashire - September
TMM Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
25 Sep 2025 - 25 Sep 2025

The Marketing Meetup IRL: Lancashire - September

Chorley, PR7 2SL

18:00 - 20:00

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV 123 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin