Sponsoring a worker from abroad on a Sponsor Licence is quite pricey. Application and visa fees add up to thousands of pounds. Since Brexit, the costs of sponsorship now also apply to employers who want to hire EU workers under the Points Based Immigration System.
Cost of Sponsor licence
It costs £536 to apply for a Sponsor Licence for small organisations and £1,476 for medium and large organisations.
You are usually a small sponsor if at least 2 of the following apply:
- your annual turnover is £10.2 million or less.
- your total assets are worth £5.1 million or less.
- you have 50 employees or fewer.
A sponsor licence is valid for 4 years and costs the same to renew.
Cost of sponsoring a Health and care worker
An employer will need to assign a Certificate of Sponsor (CoS) for each foreign worker that they employ. It cost £199 to assign a CoS. The CoS number will then be used by the worker on their visa application.
Immigration skills charge
You must pay the Immigration Skills Charge each time you assign a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to a worker on the Health and Care route. The immigration skills charge is paid for the full length of the worker’s visa. If you are a small sponsor, as defined in regulation 2 of the Immigration Skills Charge Regulations, you will pay the ‘small’ charge:
- £364 for any stated period of employment up to 12 months, plus (£1,820 for a 5 year visa)
- £182 for each subsequent 6-month period stated on the CoS
Visa application fees
up to 3 years – £247 per person
more than 3 years – £479 per person
The fee is the same whether you apply from inside or outside the UK.
Immigration Health Surcharge
The UK Government has announced that all health and care staff and their dependants from overseas who currently have to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge will no longer be subject to this fee. If you are eligible for the Health and Care Visa, you and your dependants will automatically be exempt from paying the Immigration Health Surcharge.
Money to support yourself
You must have at least £1,270 in your bank account to show you can support yourself in the UK unless your sponsor has confirmed on the CoS that they would sponsor you.
Add on for applicants
TB tests around £170
EILTS around £250
Police clearance varies for each country ( eg Zimbabwe £75)
