Cooling-Off Periods In Sponsor Licence Applications

UK-based companies that hold a sponsor licence can sponsor foreign employees to live and work in the UK under the Skilled Worker or Global Business Mobility immigration routes. In its published guidance, however, the Home Office makes clear that the ability to sponsor migrant workers is "a privilege, not a right". A company is only permitted to hold a sponsor licence if the Home Office is satisfied that it is complying, or will comply, with the many duties and responsibilities that come with having one.

When applying for a sponsor licence, therefore, it is imperative that a company demonstrates that it is capable of complying with its sponsor duties, and if the application is granted, will indeed do so. This is doubly important if the company has previously had an application for a sponsor licence refused, and still more so if it previously held a licence but had it revoked. In these scenarios, the Home Office will look at any fresh application with a particularly