Applying for a Tier 2 Visa Sponsor

If you are looking to work in the UK under a Tier 2 General visa you will require a Certificate of Sponsorship (COS) from a Tier 2 licensed sponsor. These sponsors are allowed to issue a Certificate of Sponsorship that allows workers to come to the UK under a Tier 2 General visa

The Certificate of Sponsorship is required to prove that the Tier 2 visa applicant is coming to the UK with a solid job offer and not just coming to look for work in the UK.

The system has a series of checks and balances which ensure that the Tier 2 sponsor business is adhering to all the correct policies in order to bring staff into work in the UK from abroad. They must satisfy the requirements that they have checked the local market and cannot hire the necessary talent from within it. It is this process that ensures the system is not abused and that the Tier 2 visa general visa migrants are required before they come to the country

So you might be wondering where do I find a tier 2 sponsor licence holder?

Well, there are several options, the first and usual way is to go onto the gov.uk website and check the list of valid sponsor holders. These businesses already have a licence to employ staff from abroad and will be able to issue you a Certificate of Sponsorship, you will also already understand that they already expressed a wish to bring in stuff from abroad and that your current status is not going to be an issue for them in the hiring process

The alternative way is to search through job boards, there are many in the UK and most of them are based on the internet, you may be able to use search filters on some of these websites so that you can find companies that are Tier 2 sponsor licence holders, but this is generally a blunt instrument and it is very time-consuming to try and find a job this way.

There is also an option where Tier 2 General visa holders find a job via an agency that specialises in the employment of migrants on a tier 2 visa, or by using the gov.uk website using the list of sponsor holders and contacting the companies generally by their websites directly. This ensures that the employer that they are dealing with is able to issue them a Certificate of Sponsorship and that they will be able to offer them employment and sponsor their visa application to live and work in the UK for the period defined on their Biometric Residence Permit.

These challenges have led our sponsor licence and Tier 2 specialist immigration lawyers to build an application that makes the process of searching for a Tier 2 compliant job advert easier and streamlined for tier 2 migrants. With this tool, a job seeker is able to search for sponsors in a particular industry, in a specific location, and also elect to see openings only from companies that have a valid sponsor licence.

Click here to see the list of sponsoring companies.

There are also other criteria that you will need to satisfy in order to be eligible for a Tier 2 General visa, among these are minimum earnings requirements and the ability to support yourself whilst in the UK. If you have any dependents you will also need to provide proof that you can support them for your stay in the UK. On top of these requirements, you will also need to prove your level of English language skill and there are several ways in which that can be done. Depending on your education history and whether you have passed any particular language tests the most common test used is the cefr and you will need to reach at least the minimum level in order to be able to make up the point requirement of the Tier 2 General visa application

Are there any other eligibility criteria that I would need to satisfy in order to work in the UK question mark?

Yes, you will need to satisfy all the requirements of the Tier 2 General visa application but the main part of this is having a Certificate of Sponsorship from a tier 2 licence holder.

The main criteria are dependent on the Tier 2 licence holder themselves as they are required to keep significant amounts of records pertaining to your stay in the UK. They are responsible for the record-keeping of what you do and where you go whilst you are here and are responsible for informing the home office of any changes to your status that may affect your eligibility to hold your Tier 2 licence Biometric Residence Permit.

Can I work for another person once I have got my Tier 2 sponsorship?

It is possible to switch employers once you have your Tier 2 General visa but you will need to make an alternative application for a new visa that is reliant upon the new Certificate of Sponsorship that you are given from the new visa holding company

Unfortunately, the system is not straightforward for those who want to switch jobs and this is due to the amount of paperwork that is needed to keep tabs on people whilst they are working in the UK. It is for this reason that when you leave the employment of one Tier 2 sponsor licence holder you need to make a brand new application with a Certificate of Sponsorship from your new prospective employer. this is awkward and is likely to change with the impending changes that Brexit will bring to the UK and its a requirement for migrant labour in the country, but for now, this is the system that we have in place there are no plans currently working their way through Parliament to change the system. You should expect that this will be the system for the next several years at least until the end of the current Parliament.

How can we help?

As specialist immigration solicitors, we have a history of dealing with people who are looking for Tier 2 sponsored work. We can assist you in submitting your visa application for coming to the UK once you have gained a Certificate of Sponsorship.