The ever-growing need of skilled workers in the health and care industry became only visible strongly in the last 2 years since the pandemic took over the world.
This rising need of good healthcare facilities, carers and skilled professionals to operate latest equipment has manifested in the constant endeavour of the UK Home Office to encourage Health and Care Industry to become licenced sponsors and start hiring overseas skilled staff.
In this article, we will discuss steps to obtain a sponsor licence for the health and care industry.
Overview of the sponsor licence requirements in health and care industry
The very first question coming to mind is why there is a need to hire overseas skilled staff in the health and care industry.
The answer lies in the Home Office’s dire need to fill the skilled worker gaps to build back a better UK.
The crystalised efforts of these is what we are now seeing in the numbers of health and care industries applying for a sponsor licence.
Another advantage the sponsor licence offers is that you can grow exponentially with skilled professionals in your organisation. You can also ensure workforce retention for a longer period of time.
How do I check if I am eligible?
The requirements are quite simple and to the point, you need to be an honest, dependable and reliable health and care industry. It must be genuine and running. You must also ensure that you have full capacity to carry out sponsorship duties as per the sponsor licence guidance. And finally, you are able to offer a genuine vacancy as a specific pay rate.
It should be noted that It is absolutely critical that you are an honest and a genuine organisation with robust human resources and recruitment practices which makes you eligible for sponsorship obligations.
What’s next?
The next task is that you apply for a sponsor licence application online and pay the fee £1,476 and all the documents.
The decision on your application is expected within 8 weeks and during this period the Home office may conduct an unannounced audit to analyse your application and eligibility to fulfil sponsorship licence duties.
List of documents you must have
Having all correct documents is a powerful step towards successful application. Here is a list of documents that you must send in are:
- Provide proof of PAYE Reference Number, ensuring that your organisation is registered with Home Office Revenue and Customs(HMRC)
- Employer’s liability insurance with a minimum limit of £5 million from a reputable provider or insurer.
- All audited or unaudited accounts details.
- VAT registration certificate
- Proof of your organisation’s registration
- Evidence of organisation’s site ownership, lease, or rent agreement.
What happens if your application is approved?
Upon a successful sponsor licence application, you will be granted sponsor licence rating(which is A-rating) and you canteen start the hiring process and assign Certificate of Sponsorship(CoS) to the skilled overseas staff.
What happens if your application is refused?
On the off chance that your sponsor licence application is rejected, you will not be able to appeal against the decision. You will be given a cooling-off period for at least six months, before you can make a fresh application for sponsorship licence. The cooling-off period is dependent on the circumstances.
Taking legal assistance
As a prospective sponsor licence holder, you can’t afford to have your application rejected by the Home office.
You must take legal support from immigration lawyer london who can help you through the application process and its various needs.
A Y & J Solicitors are sponsor licence experts in the UK. Their bespoke services can help you get through the application journey successfully.