As a Sponsor Licence holder, it is essential to comply with all sponsor duties to safeguard your licence and the employment of your sponsored workers.
Understanding Sponsor Licence requirements for new branches
When your company establishes a new branch, the necessary steps will depend on whether sponsored employees will work at the new premises:
- If sponsored employees will work at the new branch, it must be added to the Sponsor Licence.
- If no sponsored employees will work at the new branch, reporting it is optional, though there are strategic benefits to including all branches on your licence.
The term “branch,” as defined by the Home Office, covers additional office locations or even separate legal entities, provided they are linked to the sponsoring company by majority ownership or control.
Adding a new branch to your Sponsor Licence
To add a branch to your Sponsor Licence, you must submit a request to the Home Office. While standard processing times are up to 18 weeks, the Home Office could process such requests to around 5 months if they are experiencing significant backlogs. It is, therefore, advisable to initiate this request as soon as the company anticipates the need to add a new branch to its Sponsor Licence, ensuring there are no delays in sponsoring workers.
Sponsored employees can only work at branches listed on your Sponsor Licence. If they are already working at an unreported branch, this constitutes a breach of sponsor duties. The Home Office may take enforcement action, such as:
- Downgrade your Sponsor Licence, which would prevent the allocation of new Certificates of Sponsorship.
- Revoke your Sponsor Licence, resulting in the loss of your ability to sponsor workers.
Advantages of adding all branches
Even if you do not currently plan to have sponsored employees working at a new branch, proactively adding it to your licence can save time and reduce risk in the future. Should you need to transfer sponsored employees to the new branch, the Home Office must first process the addition—a step that could take months under current delays. Acting in advance ensures your company can adapt quickly when the need arises.
What to do if you haven’t reported a new branch
If you discover that a branch has not been reported but already has sponsored employees working there, the first step is to transfer those employees to a branch listed on the Sponsor Licence. Next, you should:
- Submit a request to add the new branch to the licence.
- Provide the necessary supporting documentation to the Home Office.
Sponsored employees will only be permitted to work at the new branch once the Home Office processes the request.
Conclusion
Keeping your Sponsor Licence updated is a critical aspect of complying with Home Office requirements. Proactively managing branch additions ensures you remain compliant and protects your ability to sponsor skilled workers effectively.
For further guidance on adding branches and managing sponsor duties, please contact us.
Updated: 7 January 2025
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