Sponsor Licence Renewal

Sponsor Licence is valid for 4 years and thereafter, should the organisation continue to require their Sponsor Licence, a renewal request can be made for a licence period of a further 4 years.

To submit a renewal application, the Sponsor must do so online via the online Sponsor Management System (SMS). If the documents are not submitted then the UKVI can refuse the application and the fee will not be refunded.

Visit by the UK Visas and Immigration

The UKVI may want to undertake a visit in connection with the application. The UKVI can then either;

• Grant the application to renew your licence
• Downgrade the licence to a B rating
• Revoke the licence

Sponsors cannot submit the application more than 3 months before their Sponsor Licence is due to expire unless they have been given a special invitation by the UKVI. Renewal applications can take up to 3-6 weeks to be granted therefore we would advise that a request is made as soon as it is possible in order to receive confirmation in advance of a Sponsor Licence expiry date.

Failure to renew Sponsor Licence

If the licence expires at the end of this period and is not renewed, sponsors will no longer be licenced. This means that:

• They cannot assign any more CoS; and
• The UKVI will reduce the leave of any migrants you are currently sponsoring for 60 days, during which time they will be allowed to find a new sponsor. If they do not make a further application before their leave expires they must leave the UK or face enforced removal; and
• The company details will be removed from the online public register of licenced sponsors.

Why choose Connaught Law?

To prepare for the renewal of an organisation’s Sponsor Licence we would advise that thorough checks are made to ensure that all details on the Sponsor Licence are correct and that all sponsor duties have been complied with. Where an audit has not been carried out for a long period of time, we would recommend that you contact us on 0203 909 8399 for further information to prepare for a visit by the UKVI.