The employer needs the appropriate sponsorship authority before it can sponsor a Skilled Worker.
A focused guide to the employer sponsorship layer behind a Skilled Worker visa: sponsor licence status, CoS type, Sponsorship Management System assignment and the handoff to the worker application.
The employer needs the appropriate sponsorship authority before it can sponsor a Skilled Worker.
The Certificate of Sponsorship is an electronic record with a reference number, not a paper certificate.
The correct type depends principally on whether the Skilled Worker application is being made from outside or inside the UK.
Once the CoS is assigned, the worker generally needs to use it for the visa application within three months.
A Skilled Worker case has two connected operating layers. The sponsor manages the licence and CoS side; the worker uses the assigned CoS reference in the individual visa application. Keeping those layers distinct helps identify which issue belongs to the employer, the sponsored job or the worker.
The employer must be approved to sponsor workers on the relevant route. Holding a sponsor licence creates the sponsorship framework; it does not itself grant the worker a visa.
The sponsor creates or obtains the correct CoS and assigns the electronic record to the worker through the sponsorship system.
The worker uses the CoS reference when applying for the visa and must still satisfy the individual Skilled Worker requirements.
GOV.UK explains that an employer will usually need a sponsor licence to employ someone through a sponsored work route. Once approved, the organisation can use the sponsorship framework for suitable jobs, subject to its sponsor responsibilities and licence status.
For Skilled Worker sponsorship, GOV.UK distinguishes Defined and Undefined Certificates of Sponsorship. Using the correct type is an employer-side decision that comes before the worker submits the visa application.
A Defined CoS is used for a Skilled Worker who will apply for entry clearance from outside the UK. The sponsor applies for it through SMS and, after approval, assigns it to the worker.
An Undefined CoS is used for Skilled Worker applications made from inside the UK. Sponsors manage their available allocation and requests through the sponsorship system.
The Sponsorship Management System is the sponsor’s operational system for managing the licence and creating or assigning Certificates of Sponsorship. Sponsor-management roles determine who is authorised to perform sponsorship activity inside that system.
Check the organisation’s licence and the sponsorship route before preparing the worker record.
Determine whether the worker needs a Defined or Undefined CoS based on the application context.
The CoS records information about the worker and the job being sponsored.
The sponsor follows the appropriate SMS process for the required certificate type.
Assignment creates the reference the worker will use in the Skilled Worker application.
Route-specific sponsor guidance says the sponsor should satisfy itself that the worker can meet the relevant immigration requirements before assigning the CoS. The job information, sponsor information and worker case therefore need to be coherent before the handoff.
The worker receives the CoS reference from the sponsor and uses it in the Skilled Worker application. GOV.UK says the visa application must generally be made within three months of the CoS being assigned, and it must not be submitted more than three months before the job start date shown on the certificate.
Use the existing EYM Skilled Worker assessment to connect the sponsor, CoS, salary and worker requirements in one case pathway.
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