It has generally been taking around 6-8 weeks for businesses to obtain a sponsor licence using UKVI’s standard service. There has been a priority service to date but this has been severely limited. In welcome news, UKVI has confirmed today a threefold increase in the number or priority slots available.
Up to now, only 10 priority slots per day have been available to organisations needing a sponsor licence. UKVI’s Business User Forum has sent out an update today to stakeholders, including Carter Thomas Solicitors, which confirms that:
‘As of 1 August, the Sponsorship Pre-license priority service has now been increased to an offer of 30 available slots per working day. As per usual process, the slots will be selected at 0900 each morning with offers being made on the first 30 viable applications. Fees and service level agreements remain unchanged’.
This is welcome news as using a priority slot, which costs £500 on top of the sponsor licence fees, reduces the waiting time to 10 working days in most cases.
How our immigration solicitors can help
We have helped hundreds of UK businesses, charities and education providers to obtain a sponsor licence. We also provide advice and support on assigning Certificates of Sponsorship (‘CoS’) and preparing visa applications for recruits.
If you need further information or assistance, please contact us or complete our enquiry form below.
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