Sponsoring care workers- considerations for employers
As the crisis in social care recruitment deepens, many care providers are considering sponsoring skilled workers. Potentially, a great source of skilled workers to help plug skills gaps. This article is for care providers who are considering applying for a sponsor licence to recruit care workers already in the UK. It covers some of the big issues that you need to consider before taking the leap.
What do we have to do?
The basic procedure to sponsor overseas workers has three steps;
1. Business applies for a sponsor licence
All businesses must get a licence before they can sponsor anybody. An online application must be supported by essential documents and additional information. Decisions typically take 8-10 weeks. If the Home Office conduct a compliance visit then this will increase the waiting time.
A licence lasts indefinitely and you can use it to sponsor multiple workers. You do not have to get a new licence for each employee that you sponsor!
If a licence application is refused, then your business cannot apply again for 12 months.
2. Business sponsors a new recruit by issuing them a ‘certificate of sponsorship’(CoS)
This is an electronic document which sets out all of the important information about the role and the employee. The onus is on the business to get the information correct and to make sure that it meets the immigration rules. This means that the roles is a ‘skilled’ job and that the salary is high enough to meet the rules.
This step is usually pretty quick- a few days. However, the Home Office can request extra information and this can add around 2-3 weeks. The business must also ensure they are satisfying the care worker recruitment requirement.
The threshold for sponsorship is currently 12.82 per hour (based off a 37.5 hour working week)
The worker must have already worked for the company for 3 months before the date of application or be sponsored as a care worker already.
As of 22 July 2025, SOC codes 6135 (care workers) and 6136 (senior care workers), sponsors can only assign undefined certificates of sponsorship for candidates. This means that sponsors can no longer recruit candidates form overseas, undefined certificates are for workers already in the UK.
The Home Office can request extra information in certificate requests, this is becomingly increasingly more common and can cause delays in the sponsorship process.
3. The new recruit applies for a Health and Social Care visa
- The recruit must use the CoS to apply for a visa. It takes around 8 weeks to get a decision.
How many people can we sponsor?
There is no fixed number of how many workers you can sponsor. However, you need to consider some factors.
- You need to justify the number of workers that you need. If you can justify recruiting 20 senior care workers then that is fine. However, the more that you request, the harder it is to explain to the Home Office why you need them.
How much does it cost?
It is important to consider all of the costs of sponsorship before you embark on a sponsor licence application.
The Home Office charge various fees. There are significant discounts for health and social care, but the costs can still mount up if you have lots of sponsored workers. The main costs are set out below for a small and for a medium/large business. We have included costs for a 3 year visa and a 5 year visa. A person with a Health and Social Care visa can settle in the UK after 5 years.
Stage One- Sponsor Licence Application
| Fee | Small business/charity | Medium/large business |
| Licence Application Fee | £574 | £1579 |
Stage Two- Assign Certificate of Sponsorship
| Fee | Small business/charity | Medium/large business | ||
| Visa length | 3 years | 5 years | 3 years | 5 years |
| CoS Assignment Fee | £525 | £525 | £525 | £525 |
| Immigration Skills Charge | £1092 | £1820 | £3000 | £5000 |
Stage Three- Candidate applies for Health and Social Care Visa
The fees below are for entry clearance applications (applications made from outside the UK).
| Fee | 3 year visa | 5 year visa |
| Application fee | £304 | £590 |
OTB Legal’s fees are set out on our website.
Is there anything else we should consider?
When you sponsor workers, you take on extra responsibilities for monitoring them, for record keeping and for reporting to the Home Office. You also must really understand the rules relating to sponsored workers and apply them correctly.
The Home Officer operate a ‘light trigger’ approach to enforcement. This means that they revoke licences quite easily if they find infractions. It is often not enough to say that you didn’t understand. You are accepting the responsibility to understand the rules and apply them properly.
If you come to rely heavily on sponsored workers, then losing a licence would be a major blow.
Finally the route for care workers is being closed after 22nd July 2028, this means that if the company is wanting to sponsor people up until they obtain indefinite leave to remain it may be that the company needs to bear greater costs up front to avoid an extension.
How can OTB Legal help?
If you think that a sponsor licence is the way to go then please make arrange a free appointment with one of our specialists. We will discuss your circumstances with you and advise on your best options.
Contact Us
Not quite ready to book an appointment yet or unsure if it’s the right step for you? No worries! We understand that making decisions regarding legal matters can be daunting.
Reach out to our Client Care Manager, Rikki, who will be more than happy to assist you and guide you in the right direction.
Your peace of mind matters to us, and we’re here to support you every step of the way. Contact Rikki today for personalised guidance and assistance.
