Certificate of Sponsorship
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Certificate of Sponsorship
What is a Certificate of Sponsorship?
A Certificate of Sponsorship is an electronic record that must be assigned by an employer to any foreign employee, prior to their Skilled Worker (previously known as Tier 2) or Temporary Worker (previously known as Tier 5) visa application. It is a vital requirement for any migrant workers applying for a Skilled Worker Visa or a Temporary Worker Visa. A CoS has a unique reference number associated with it, generated to allow a migrant worker to apply for a visa
How much does the CoS cost?
All workers are required to pay for each Certificate of Sponsorship, skilled workers and international sports person (more than 12 months) must pay £199 per certificate and temporary workers and international sports persons (12 months or less) requiring a payment of £21 per certificate.
Who can apply for the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)?
A UK based employer who holds a valid Sponsorship Licence will be able to apply for a CoS for each employee they wish to sponsor except for UK Expansion Worker who can sponsor himself temporarily.
How long is the Certificate of Sponsorship valid for?
When the Certificate of Sponsorship is assigned to an employee, it is valid for up to 3 months. All sponsored visa applications must be submitted within the validity period. The employees must not apply for their visa after over 3 months (90 days). It is important to specify the start date of employment on the CoS and a valid visa application must be submitted prior to the start date
When is the right time to apply for a Certificate of Sponsorship?
An employer should ideally apply for a CoS after they have made the job offer to the employee. They must also include comprehensive information on what their prospective employee’s job description will be, as well as their expected salary, on the CoS application.
Employers must remember to fill out the application with great care since there is a risk of the Sponsor Licence getting suspended if a discrepancy is found between the CoS and the actual job description of the employee
What are the different kinds of the Certificate of Sponsorship?
There are two main types of Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), namely, Defined and Undefined
What is an Undefined Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)?
Undefined CoS are meant for Skilled Workers applying from within the UK, as well as all other sponsored applicants. These also include foreign migrants who intend to switch sponsors from inside the UK or to extend their stay in the UK as a sponsored foreign migrant.
What is a Defined Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)?
Defined CoS are intended for workers seeking from outside the UK for Skilled Worker, International Sportsperson, or Temporary Worker visas. The application process for the Defined CoS for these foreign migrants must be completed using the sponsorship management system (SMS). The SMS authorising officer must not be related to the migrants to whom the Certificate of Sponsorship is issued.
What happens if a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is rejected?
A Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) will be rejected if the job code used is incorrect, the salary specified does not match the job code and the sponsor fails to respond to the Home Office request.
The sponsor will be required to re-apply for another Certificate request if the first one is rejected. The CoS fees are paid upon issuing the Certificate of Sponsorship.
What happens when a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is issued?
Upon approval a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) will be issued by the Home Office. All issued CoS can then be assigned to the relevant candidate the Sponsor is willing to issue a Skilled Visa, International Sportsperson visa or a Temp Visa.
How can Sponsorship Licence UK help me?
