Your sponsor's duties and what they can't charge you

What a sponsor licence is

A sponsor licence is approval from the Home Office that lets an employer hire people from overseas. Employers usually need one to employ someone on a Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker visa. The employer that holds the licence is called the sponsor.

The sponsor gives each worker a certificate of sponsorship (CoS). This is an electronic record that confirms the job details. A worker needs a valid CoS to apply for their visa.

The Home Office guidance calls sponsorship "a privilege not a right". If a sponsor does not meet its duties, the Home Office can lower its rating, suspend the licence or take it away (revoke it).

The sponsor's main duties

The Home Office guidance for sponsors sets out these main duties.

Keeping records

A sponsor keeps set documents for every worker. These include payslips, proof of each salary payment and up-to-date contact details. Records are usually kept until one year after sponsorship ends.

Reporting changes to the Home Office

Most changes about a worker are reported within 10 working days. Examples include:

• the worker not starting the job within 28 days
• the worker being absent without permission for more than 10 working days in a row
• the worker's pay going down from the amount on their CoS
• the sponsor stopping sponsorship, for example because the worker resigns

Most changes to the sponsor's own organisation, such as a takeover, are reported within 20 working days.

Paying the right salary

A sponsor must pay at least the salary the visa rules require. The job must also follow National Minimum Wage law and the Working Time Regulations. The Home Office checks pay with HMRC. Paying less than the CoS says is a reason to revoke a licence. This applies if the cut was not reported, or is not allowed by the rules.

The job matching the CoS

The work a person actually does must match the job description and occupation code on their CoS. The length of the job on the CoS must also be accurate. If the real role does not match, and the change is not one the rules allow, the guidance says the licence will be revoked.

Costs a sponsor cannot pass on to you

The sponsor is responsible for paying sponsorship costs. A sponsor must not recover these costs from a worker "by any means". If it does, or tries to, the Home Office will normally revoke its licence. The costs are:

• the CoS fee. At the time of writing (October 2026) this is £525 for a Skilled Worker CoS. The rule covers any Skilled Worker CoS assigned on or after 31 December 2024.
• the Immigration Skills Charge. The sponsor pays this when it assigns a CoS. At the time of writing (October 2026) the first 12 months cost £480 for small or charitable sponsors. For other sponsors it is £1,320.
• the sponsor licence fee. At the time of writing (October 2026) this is £611 for small sponsors and £1,682 for large sponsors. For Skilled Worker, the rule covers attempts to recover it on or after 31 December 2024.
• associated administrative costs. These include priority service fees, action plan fees and legal fees linked to the licence or a CoS. They also include immigration advice the worker had no real choice about.

The Health and Care Worker visa is part of the Skilled Worker route, so these rules apply to it too.

Deductions, clawback and repayment clauses

When the Home Office checks a Skilled Worker salary, it takes away certain payments the worker makes to the sponsor. These are deductions or loan repayments linked to business costs, immigration costs or investment in the sponsor. A salary sacrifice scheme the worker freely chooses is not taken away. Pay must still not fall below the National Minimum Wage.

Some health and care contracts include a repayment clause. This asks a worker to pay back some costs if they leave within a set time. The government's code of practice for international recruitment in England says these clauses should be clear, fair in amount, limited in time and flexible. Under the code:

• only real costs the employer paid for the worker can be reclaimed, such as relocation, visa fees or exam fees
• agency fees, the Immigration Skills Charge, the sponsor licence fee, the CoS and interview costs must not be reclaimed
• no interest should be charged
• the amount should go down over time, for example to nothing after 36 months

GOV.UK guidance says a signed repayment clause is legally binding. Only a court or tribunal can decide a clause cannot be enforced. A regulated adviser or trade union can look at an individual contract.

Reporting a sponsor

• The Home Office. Anyone can report abuse of the sponsorship scheme by emailing BusinessHelpdesk@homeoffice.gov.uk. The Home Office says it treats these reports in the strictest confidence. Problems about a CoS can also be reported through Report an immigration or border crime. Reports there can be anonymous.
• The Fair Work Agency. This agency started in April 2026. It replaced the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority and the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate. It takes reports of serious abuse or exploitation at work online, by email or on 0800 432 0804 (free). Its pay and work rights form covers the minimum wage, the 48-hour week and agencies. It says it will not share your details with the person you report.
• Acas. Acas gives free advice about bullying, unfair dismissal and workplace disputes.
• The Care Quality Commission (CQC). It takes concerns about care quality in England.
• Report Fraud. Fraud and scams, such as being charged for a CoS by someone promising a visa and a job, can be reported to the police through Report Fraud or on 0300 123 2040. It replaced Action Fraud in December 2025 and covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, fraud is reported to Police Scotland on 101.

If someone is in immediate danger, the advice on GOV.UK is to call 999.