How do I sponsor a migrant?
How to pay
Changes to sponsor guidance for Tiers 2, 4 and 5
Changes to sponsor guidance for Tiers 2, 4 and 5
This page explains how you pay your fee to join the register of sponsors, including using a payment handling service and filling in the payment slip.
On this page:
- What payments we accept
- Using a payment handling service
- Withdrawn applications
- Incomplete payments
- Filling in the payment slip
What payments we accept
The payment slip must be filled in fully and accurately.
Payment may be made by:
- a cheque in sterling on a United Kingdom bank account (this should be made payable to Home Office PBS Sponsorship and attached to the front of the completed payment slip); or
- credit or debit card (include the card number, the amount paid, the payer's name as it appears on the card, valid from and expiry date, card verification value (CVV) code, signature and date. The issue number is also needed for Switch and Maestro cards).
Payment by any other method is not accepted.
You must send the full amount to cover the total cost of the application, or we will not consider your application and will return both the application form and part payment to you.
We start deciding the application when the payment has cleared. Clearance takes place:
- after five working days for cheques; and
- after one working day for credit or debit cards.
Using a payment handling service
We can use a government approved payment handling service to process your application. It will check that:
- a payment is needed;
- the payment slip is completed correctly;
- the payment method is correct;
- the application has been marked correctly as paid;
- the payment has cleared.
The payment handling service is independent from us and does not process any applications. If you send the wrong fee to the payment handling service, your application will be rejected and sent back to you.
Withdrawn applications
Once your application is received by the payment handling service, the fee is charged and cannot be refunded.
Incomplete payments
We will reject and return all applications where the payment cannot be banked, including any of the following reasons:
- no payment is included with your application;
- the amount provided or authorised does not cover the fee required;
- the cheque has not been signed or dated correctly;
- the debit or credit card details have not been completed correctly.
If a licensing fee fails to clear, whether in whole or in part, your application will be rejected and returned to you.
Filling in the payment slip
It is very important that you complete the payment slip correctly. Errors prevent the payment being processed and will delay the decision-making process.
Fill in the details of who is making the payment in case we have a payment question. If we cannot deal with the payment, the application and payment are returned to the contact name and address given when applying.