Requesting next year's allocation of certificates of sponsorship

This page explains how you can request a new allocation of certificates of sponsorship for the coming year.

From 5 October 2009, registered sponsors will be able to request their next year's allocation of certificates of sponsorship using the sponsorship management system (SMS).

When you register as a sponsor in a particular tier and category, we tell you how many certificates of sponsorship you can issue during your first year as a sponsor in that tier and category. This allocation is valid for one year from the date when you became a sponsor.

If you want to continue issuing certificates of sponsorship in that tier or category in future years, you must request a new annual allocation of certificates of sponsorship each year.

• You must make your first request by the first anniversary of the date when we notified you that your account on the SMS was live. (You will have received an email informing you of this.)
• In future years, you must make your annual allocation request by the anniversary of the date when your previous annual allocation request was granted.

These anniversary dates are called 'expiry dates'. If you are licensed to sponsor migrants in multiple tiers and categories of the points-based system, and you applied to be licensed for these different tiers and categories at different times, you will initially have a different expiry date for each tier and category. However, you can choose to align your expiry dates so that you have one expiry date for all tiers and categories (see below).

If you do not make an annual allocation request before the expiry date, you will not be able to issue certificates of sponsorship until you have made the request and we have reviewed and granted it.

Annual allocation requests do not affect the four-year period for which your sponsor licence is valid.

Please note that you do not need to make a annual allocation request if you do not want to issue certificates of sponsorship after the expiry date - but you will still need to comply with your sponsorship duties for any migrants who you are already sponsoring.

How do I request my next year's allocation?

The SMS lets you make an annual allocation request at any time in the three months before the expiry date for the relevant tier and category.

• The request should be made by your level 1 user in the 'View and edit sponsor profile' section of the SMS.
• You will need to request a specific number of certificates of sponsorship, and provide supporting detail for this request.

To give your request the best chance of being reviewed and granted before the expiry date, we recommend that you make the request as early as possible, and at least four weeks before the expiry date.

How will I know my expiry date?

You can use the SMS to check the expiry date for each tier and category that you are licensed for. To do this, go to the 'View and edit sponsor profile' section and select 'Sponsor summary'.

From 5 October 2009, we will automatically send a series of emails to all sponsors who are nearing the expiry date for any of their tiers and categories. These emails will be sent to your authorising officer at four months, three months, two months and one month before the expiry date, with a final 'Expiry imminent' email 11 days before the allocation expires.

Because this functionality will not be available until 5 October 2009, some sponsors will not receive all five emails in the lead-in to their expiry date. On 5 October 2009, the system will email all sponsors who are within four months of expiry, to tell them how close they are to their expiry date. It will send a separate email to sponsors who are within three months of their expiry date, to tell them that they can now make their renewal request.

Can I align expiry dates?

When you make an annual allocation request in a particular tier and category, you will also have the option to make an annual allocation request in any other tier and category for which you are licensed. This will allow you to align your allocations in all tiers and categories to a single renewal date.

How will I be notified of the decision?

We will write to your authorising officer to notify you whether your request has been granted. Once we have sent you this notification, your new allocation will be available immediately on the SMS.

If you receive fewer certificates of sponsorship than you requested, you will still be able to request an 'in-year' allocation of certificates of sponsorship if this is deemed necessary.

Our Annual allocations - questions and answers page contains more information about requesting new allocations of certificates of sponsorship.