How do I sponsor a migrant?
Cost of a certificate of sponsorship
This page explains the fee you must pay when you assign a certificate of sponsorship under tier 2 or 5 of the points-based system.
You must pay for a certificate of sponsorship even if the migrant does not use it. This is because you must issue a certificate to the migrant before they can apply to enter or remain in the United Kingdom. You should make sure that the migrant is likely to apply and pass the points-based assessment so you do not waste a certificate on an unsuccessful application. See Assessing migrants' points for more information on checking whether a migrant will pass the points-based assessment.
| Tier | Cost of certificate of sponsorship |
|---|---|
| Tier 2 | £170 |
| Tier 5 | £10 |
Nationals that are exempt from the fee for a certificate of sponsorship
Sponsors issuing certificates of sponsorship (under tier 2 or tier 5 only) to nationals from the following countries do not have to pay a fee:
- Albania;
- Andorra;
- Armenia;
- Azerbaijan;
- Croatia;
- Georgia;
- FYR Macedonia;
- Moldova;
- Turkey;
- Ukraine.
These countries have ratified the 1961 Council of Europe Charter or the 1996 European Social Charter (revised).