The Home Office Expands Sponsor Licence Priority Services
The Home Office expands sponsor licence priority services
The UK Home Office has expanded its sponsor licence priority services to offer greater flexibility and faster processing for prospective and current sponsors of migrant workers.
Removal of the Pre-Licence priority service cap
Previously, the Home Office limited the number of daily applications for its pre-licence priority service to 30. This daily cap has now been removed. The pre-licence priority service is designed for organisations that have applied for a sponsor licence and seek to bring skilled workers to the UK more swiftly. By paying a £500 fee, applicants can reduce their waiting time from approximately eight weeks to around ten working days.
This improvement aims to streamline the onboarding process for prospective sponsors, making it more responsive to business needs, particularly in sectors where timely recruitment is critical.
Increased capacity for priority change of circumstances requests
In addition to the changes for prospective sponsors, the Home Office has also expanded the capacity of its priority change of circumstances service. The daily limit has been raised from 60 to 100 requests, enabling more existing sponsors to expedite certain administrative changes to their licences.
These priority requests cover a range of scenarios, such as increasing Certificate of Sponsorship allocations, adding new Level 1 Users, or updating an organisation’s details. By paying a £200 fee per request, sponsors can expect these changes to be considered within five working days, significantly down from the previous standard processing time of up to 18 weeks.
Implications for employers and sponsors
The removal and relaxation of these caps are part of broader efforts to improve the efficiency and responsiveness of the UK’s sponsored immigration system. For employers, the expanded priority services can play a key role in meeting urgent staffing needs. For sponsors managing ongoing compliance and administrative tasks, the quicker turnaround means less downtime and reduced uncertainty.
As the UK continues to refine its immigration framework, these expanded priority services underscore the Home Office’s commitment to supporting employers by cutting through red tape and ensuring that critical workforce decisions can be made swiftly and efficiently.
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This article is for information purposes only and is correct at the time of publication. It does not constitute legal advice 12.12.24
