How do I sponsor a migrant?
Cost of a licence
This page explains the fees you must pay in order to join the register of sponsors. The fee you must pay will depend on whether this is your first application or if you are applying to add more tiers.
Changes to sponsor guidance for Tiers 2, 4 and 5
Changes to sponsor guidance for Tiers 2, 4 and 5
On this page
You must ensure that the correct fee is included with your application to prevent your application from being rejected.
If you are registering for the first time
| Tier | Fee for small sponsors or sponsor with charitable status | Fee for large sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 2 only | £300 | £1000 |
| Tier 2 and tier 4 | £400 | £1000 |
| Tier 2 and tier 5 | £400 | £1000 |
| Tier 2 and tier 4 and tier 5 | £400 | £1000 |
| Tier 4 only | £400 | £400 |
| Tier 4 and tier 5 | £400 | £400 |
| Tier 5 only | £400 | £400 |
Please refer to the Companies Act 2006 for confirmation of the qualifying criteria of a small company or charity.
If you are already registered or have an application pending and are applying to add more tiers
| Tier you have already registered under | Tier you want to add | Fee for small sponsors or sponsor with charitable status | Fee for large sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 2 only | Tier 4 | £100 | £0 |
| Tier 5 | £100 | £0 | |
| Tier 4 and tier 5 | £100 | £0 | |
| Tier 2 and tier 4 | Tier 5 |
£0 |
£0 |
| Tier 2 and tier 5 | Tier 4 |
£0 |
£0 |
Please refer to the Companies Act 2006 for confirmation of the qualifying criteria of a small company or charity.
If the table above shows you do not need to pay an additional fee to add more tiers to your licence or a pending application make sure that you select 0 as the fee on the payment section of the sponsor application online.
If an application is received with an incorrect fee, where an additional payment is required, for example if you pay £300 when the appropriate fee is £400, your application will be rejected and you will be required to re-submit your application, including completing another on-line application form.
If we have any doubts about whether your organisation meets the criteria for the category in which you have paid the fee, further checks may be made, and we may ask for additional documents to those sent supporting your application.
When we take the fee for the licence
We charge a fee to consider your application and not to issue a decision. You must send the fee with your application, or your application will be rejected and returned without further consideration.
The appropriate fee is charged when the application is received. The fee will not be refunded if you withdraw your application or your application is refused. It is your responsibility to make sure you want to apply before sending us the submission sheet and supporting documents.
If you want to register each of your branches separately, every individual branch applying must pay the relevant fee. If you want to register your head office and all United Kingdom branches together, you pay a single licensing fee.
Do it online
Terms explained
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Small sponsor
An organisation that qualifies as a small company in accordance with the Companies Act 2006, or if you are a charity.