U.K. Sponsor Licences to be Extended by Ten Years

The extensions will be automatic for licenses expiring on or after 6 April 2024, although holders will still be subject to compliance duties

Holders of U.K. sponsor licenses, which allows them to hire foreign workers, will no longer need to renew their licenses every four years, the Home Office has said.

Sponsor licenses that are due to expire on after 6 April 2024 will be automatically extended by 10 years, the Home Office said in a notice on the Sponsor Management System. These automatically extended licenses will remain valid unless they are revoked by the Home Office or are surrendered by the organisation.

The changes are being introduced to smoothen the sponsor licence management process and save time and resources for employers.

Sponsor licence holders do not need to take any action to extend them if they expire on or after 6 April 2024. The new expiry date will be visible on the licence summary page on the Sponsor Management System. If you have already received a renewal notice for your licence, you can ignore it. If you have already applied to renew your sponsor license, the licence will be automatically extended and the Home Office will refund your renewal fee.

Licences that expire before 6 April 2024 will continue to be subject to the existing requirements. Sponsor licence holders will still need to apply for an extension and pay the renewal fee.

If you planned to allow your sponsor licence to expire, you will now need to surrender the licence by notifying the Home Office.

While the new rules represent a significant liberalisation, sponsors licence holders remain subject to compliance duties, and the Home Office retains its enforcement rights in response to breaches, including the right to suspend and revoke licences. Employers must continue to ensure their immigration practices are lawful and compliant.