Immigration Sponsor Licence For Construction & Building Businesses ' How To Apply & What Jobs You Can Sponsor

• Published date: 17 January 2023
• Subject Matter: Real Estate and Construction, Immigration, Construction & Planning, General Immigration, Work Visas
• Law Firm: Thaxted Legal
• Author: Thaxted Legal

Sponsor licence can be obtained by construction & building businesses to employ foreign overseas builders and construction workers on Skilled Worker and other work visas in the UK. The sponsor licence will assist UK companies that struggle with recruiting suitably skilled local staff following Brexit.

Once the sponsor licence is granted to your business by the UK Home Office, your licence is valid for 4 years and it will give you the authority to employ overseas workers on work visas at your business. You will be able to renew your sponsor licence for further 4-year duration each time, for as long as you need it.

There is no limit on how many overseas migrant workers you can employ on Skilled Worker (if your business is only based in the UK) and other sponsored work visa categories (i.e. you can obtain Global Business Mobility (GBM) sponsor licence & GBM visas if your business is multinational), as long as the job roles are genuinely required by your business. This is called the 'genuine vacancy test'. In a nutshell, to meet the test the jobs that you offer to migrants must be needed by your business for its operations, and not just created to facilitate entry of foreign nationals to the UK. The Home Office provides their guidance on the Genuine Vacancy Test in their sponsor guidance.

STAFF SHORTAGES IN THE UK CONSTRUCTION & BUILDING SECTOR

Staff shortages are considered as one of the main problems faced by the construction sector in the UK. According to Construction Skills Network (CSN) report, more than a quarter of a million extra construction workers will be needed by 2026 to meet growing demands on the UK sector. Carpenters, joiners and construction managers are among the job positions that are most in demand, along with a wide range of technical roles.

WHAT KEY REQUIREMENTS YOUR BUSINESS HAS TO MEET WHEN APPLYING FOR A SPONSOR LICENCE

There are some requirements that businesses have to meet when applying for a sponsor licence. We list these key requirements below for your reference:

• Already have trading presence and operate lawfully in the UK.
• Have relevant HR systems and procedures in place (we will guide you on this).
• Be honest, dependable and reliable (e.g. have HMRC/Tax, company affairs in good order and your Office Holders and Key Personnel must not have criminal offences and/or immigration offences on their record).
• Have at least one employee or Director who is 'settled' in the UK to fill the Key Personnel roles for your sponsor licence...