If you’re an employer and want someone to work for you from outside the UK you’ll usually need a sponsor licence for their employment, this includes unpaid work, like running a charity.
Sponsoring someone does not guarantee that they’ll get a visa to work for you in the UK.
You might have to pay an additional charge when you assign a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to someone applying for a Skilled Worker or Senior or Specialist Worker visa. This is called the ‘Immigration Skills Charge’ (ISC).
The ISC will rise for CoS assigned on or after 16 December 2025:
- Medium and large sponsors: from £1,000 to £1,320 per sponsored worker per year.
- Small and charitable sponsors: from £364 to £480 per year.
For further information please select the following link: UK visa sponsorship for employers: Immigration skills charge - GOV.UK.