The Home Office have made a number of welcome changes to the pre-licence priority and post-licence priority services, as well as the categories in which a Skilled Worker Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) can be assigned.
As we have recently touched upon, since the election of the new Labour government earlier this year, a number of immigration changes and updates have been announced. Most recently, the October announcement regarding the new ‘Sponsor UK’ system was an interesting development in the anticipated improvement to the sponsorship system in the UK.
The most recent updates (21 November 2024 and the 22 November 2024 respectively) have been regarding sponsorship, specifically the post-licence and pre-licence priority services. The way that CoS are assigned to individuals who are switching from the Student or Graduate route into the Skilled Worker route has also been updated.
Post-licence priority service and sponsor change of circumstances
The post-licence priority service for sponsors assists sponsor licence holders (excluding the GBM UK Expansion worker route, the GBM Service Supplier route and the GBM Secondment worker Route) in prioritising requests for the following services:
- additional undefined (in-country) CoS allocation;
- undefined annual CoS allocation;
- adding a new level 1 user;
- changing a level 1 user;
- replacing the authorising officer (AO);
- amending the authorising officer (AO);
- replacing the key contact (KC);
- amending the key contact (KC);
- adding a representative; and
- amending the organisation details (e.g. moving to a new premises).
If accepted, the £200 priority request usually reduces the decision-making time from 18 weeks to five working days. However, there was a limited number of allocated slots that could be accepted. This service was incredibly oversubscribed, and it could take days, or even weeks, to obtain and pay for the priority service. Many sponsors needed this service in order to sponsor a worker quickly, and this delay had ramifications for many worker’s immigration applications.
Section three of the Guidance on the priority change of circumstances service for Worker or Temporary Worker sponsors was updated on 21 November 2024, and the updated guidance now sets out:
“The priority service is open from 7am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Any requests made outside of this time will not be considered…A maximum of 100 priority service requests will be accepted each day. Any amendments to the limit will be communicated through the SMS message board.”
This news will be a welcome change to many Skilled Worker sponsor licence holders, as it has increased both the time period in which a request can be made (daily), as well as the number of allocated slots nationwide.
Pre-licence priority service
On 22 November 2024, the pre-licence priority service guidance in the Home Office’s sponsor guidance was updated.
If successfully obtained, the pre-licence priority service aims to reduce the processing time for sponsor licence applications from eight weeks to ten working days. The £500 slots have traditionally not been easily attainable, with sponsor licence applicants having to login each weekday morning at 08:59am in hope of obtaining one of the 30 daily slots, released nationwide.
This recent update to the guidance has removed any reference to the 30 daily limited slots. This could suggest that there is no longer any specified limit to the number of pre-licence priority slots available. However, this will remain to be seen and is yet to be officially confirmed.
Changes to Students/Graduates switching into the Skilled Worker route
Also released on 22 November 2024, a new bulletin appeared on the Sponsor Management System (SMS) for all Skilled Worker sponsor licence holders.
The bulletin stated the following:
“***All Skilled Worker Sponsors*** The Skilled Worker CoS category: Tier 4/Student graduate switching to Skilled Work is no longer available. If you wish to sponsor a worker with current permission for the purpose of study who will be applying to switch to the Skilled Worker route you must use the new CoS category: Skilled Work (Student course complete switching to Skilled Worker). You must use the CoS category ?Skilled Worker (Switching immigration category- ISC liable) if you wish to sponsor a worker with current permission on the Graduate route.”
This announcement explains that the ‘Tier 4/Student graduate switching to Skilled Worker’ category has now been removed from the CoS categories. The new category of ‘Skilled Worker (Student course complete switching to Skilled Worker)’ should be used for Students who wish to switch into the Skilled Worker visa route. Individuals who are currently on the Graduate route (who wish to switch into the Skilled Worker visa route) should use the ‘Skilled Worker (Switching immigration category – ISC liable)’ category.
This is a welcome change as many sponsors could mistakenly choose the incorrect category when trying to sponsor Graduates. Frustratingly, this is one of the small areas that cannot be corrected by a sponsor note.
Conclusion
The changes should increase efficiency in the pre and post-licence Home Office departments which should, in turn, help sponsor licence holders to meet their ever-changing business needs in the UK.
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