The threshold for Restricted Certificates of Sponsorship (RCoS) was hit again in February.
Unfortunately, for the third month in a row, the number of applications received for certificates exceeded the number available to grant. Many businesses have received a negative decision and some have been trying to succeed in securing a RCoS since mid-December.
The Home Office has confirmed that on this occasion a minimum of 46 points were needed. PhD level roles, those on the Shortage Occupation List and graduate roles recruited via a milkround would have all been prioritised. RCoS would not have been issued in relation to jobs paying a salary of less than £50,000 unless they were among those prioritised by the Home Office.
Applications submitted before 5 March will be considered in the March cycle.
However, in March only 1,000 RCoS from the annual quota of 20,700 are available (plus any that are returned as unused from previous allocations). The number increases to 2,200 available for April’s allocation and this therefore means that there is more chance of an application being successful in April.
Sponsors relying on a Resident Labour Market Test should ensure that it will remain valid.
If you need advice on this matter, other options or any other aspects of sponsorship, please contact us.
