GP Practice Support for Skilled Worker Certificate of Sponsorship
A Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) confirms details of an applicant and the job they have applied to do. If an applicant is not a ‘settled worker’ or they do not have the appropriate immigration permission to work in the UK, they need to be sponsored if they wish to be employed by a GP Practice in Wales. If you are a GP Practice and wish to employ an individual who requires a Skilled Worker Visa to work in the UK, then you will need to have a Sponsor Licence issued by the Home Office.
Information for GP Practices:
This link outlines the Home Office process of becoming a Sponsor and provides an overview of associated costs and responsibilities.
The key points highlighted within the guidance are:
To apply for a Sponsor Licence you will need to pay an application fee. The fee depends on the type of licence you’re applying for and what type of organisation you are.
Full details on Licence Fees can be found here.
After a Sponsor Licence has been approved, you can provide a CoS to a Skilled Worker. The cost of a CoS is £199 and is payable for each CoS that is assigned.
In addition to the CoS costs, you might have to pay an additional charge when you assign a CoS, this is called the ‘immigration skills charge’.
There are some exemptions to this charge, full details including the costs can be found here.
Those applying for a Sponsor Licence would need to ensure there is a payment card available for payment of both the Licence fee and any individual sponsorships costs.
In Wales, the GP Practice support for Skilled Worker Sponsorship, launched in July 2022, is supported, and funded by Welsh Government. This provides reimbursement of Home Office fees to GP Practices:
Licence Fees
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GP Practice License Fee (one-off payment - Small Practice) |
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GP Practice License Fee (one-off payment - Large Practice) |
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Sponsorship Fees
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GP Certificate of Sponsorship Fee (per GP) |
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Total sponsorship fees per sponsor (per GP, per annum – Small Sponsor) |
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Total sponsorship fees per sponsor (per GP, per annum – Large Sponsor) |
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Upon receipt of Home Office licence approval, GP Practice can request reimbursement of Home Office Licence fees by invoicing NWSSP Finance. This should confirm the fees paid and the name of the individual in receipt of Sponsorship.
Applications for reimbursement can be made to NWSSP Finance. Practices will be eligible to claim reimbursement of retrospective Home Office fees from the 1 April 2021.
You need to apply online for your licence, via this link.
You will need to provide supporting documents and the submission sheet when submitting your application, which are outlined here.
You will need to nominate key staff members within your Practice who will have specific certain responsibilities, information can be found here.
Most applications are dealt with in less than 8 weeks. You may be able to pay an extra £500 to get a decision within 10 working days. You’ll be told how to ask for a faster decision after you apply.
There are responsibilities with becoming a Sponsor, full details can be found here. As a Skilled Worker Sponsor, you must:
- check that your foreign workers have the necessary skills, qualifications, or professional accreditations to do their jobs, and keep copies of documents showing this
- only assign certificates of sponsorship to workers when the job is suitable for sponsorship
- tell UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) if your sponsored workers are not complying with the conditions of their visa
Your licence may be downgraded, suspended or withdrawn if you do not fulfil these responsibilities.
Read the full guidance on sponsor requirements and duties and check workers have the right to work in the UK.