A Newbie’s Information to Self-Sponsorship as a Expert Employee

By Emily Mitchell –
Chambers Administrator

17 Nov 2025

One pathway for migrants to work within the UK is thru sponsored employment underneath the Expert Employee visa route. Any such visa ties a migrant’s permission to remain within the UK to their continued employment with a licensed sponsor.

Nonetheless, it’s potential to sponsor your self when you have already established, or intend to ascertain, a UK-based enterprise. On this article, we are going to define the three-stage course of required for self-sponsorship underneath the Expert Employee route.

To sponsor your self to work within the UK, your enterprise should first be registered with Firms Home and maintain a sponsor licence that allows the corporate to make use of migrant employees. To acquire a sponsor licence, the enterprise should be real and lawfully working throughout the UK.

As a part of the sponsor licence utility, the corporate should submit at the very least 4 supporting paperwork from Appendix A of the Residence Workplace steering. These paperwork present proof of the enterprise’s authorized standing and operations and should embrace, however aren’t restricted to, the next:

• Proof of employers’ legal responsibility insurance coverage overlaying at the very least £5 million from an insurer authorised by the Monetary Conduct Authority;
• Proof of registration with HMRC;
• Newest acknowledgement of a Firm Tax Return;
• HMRC VAT registration certificates;
• Proof of possession or lease of your enterprise premises;
• Most up-to-date annual accounts, licensed by a regulated accountant;
• Newest company or enterprise financial institution assertion, from a financial institution regulated by the FCA and PRA. 

3. Making certain Compliance and Demonstrating a Real Enterprise

It’s important that each one submitted paperwork adjust to the particular formatting and content material necessities set out within the Residence Workplace steering. These paperwork should be uploaded alongside the web sponsor licence utility.

Along with the required paperwork, the enterprise should additionally present proof that it’s genuinely buying and selling and working lawfully. This may increasingly embrace shopper contracts, invoices, or different business documentation.

It’s also necessary to notice that any sponsored employees should be employed solely for the professional wants of the enterprise. Sponsored roles should not contain private or non-commercial duties. Due to this fact, to self-sponsor, you have to show that the function you plan to fill is a real emptiness important to the functioning of the enterprise and never to your personal profit.

Additional, the Residence Workplace could require extra specified proof relying on the character and construction of your enterprise. We suggest consulting one in all our specialist enterprise immigration barristers for tailor-made recommendation and steering on the documentation and utility course of.

A sponsor licence comes with many duties and duties. If the corporate doesn’t abide by these guidelines, the sponsor licence could also be downgraded, suspended or revoked. (Additional articles can be found in our Information Centre). The people answerable for upholding these duties are:

• Authorising officer – senior competent individual answerable for actions of employees and SMS system; 
• Key contact – essential level of contact with UKVI;
• Stage 1 person – answerable for day-to-day administration of licence.

When making use of for a sponsor licence, the enterprise should nominate people to fill these Key Personnel roles. These roles may be assigned to at least one individual or break up between a number of people.

Nonetheless, there are particular eligibility necessities to concentrate on:

• The Stage 1 person should be a paid worker or workplace holder of the organisation.
• They should be a British citizen or settled within the UK (e.g. holding Indefinite Go away to Stay).
• They can’t be a relative or associate of the individual being sponsored.

5. Avoiding Conflicts of Curiosity

It’s strongly suggested to keep away from appointing shut relations of the proposed sponsored employee to any Key Personnel function, as this can be seen as a battle of curiosity. If a relative should maintain a Key Personnel place, they need to not be the one who assigns the Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) to the member of the family.

All people in Key Personnel roles should additionally fulfill the Residence Workplace’s suitability standards to be thought of eligible. For extra detailed info on these roles and duties, please consult with our earlier article Key Personnel in Sponsor Licence Purposes.

As soon as an organization has obtained a sponsor licence, it assumes various ongoing duties. Failure to adjust to these duties can lead to the licence being downgraded, suspended, or revoked by the Residence Workplace. Examples of those duties embrace:

• Reporting related adjustments (e.g. adjustments to the enterprise or the sponsored employee’s circumstances) to the Residence Workplace;
• Sustaining correct and up-to-date information;
• Making certain that sponsored employees adjust to the situations of their visas.

It’s also necessary to notice that sponsors should not go sponsorship-related prices onto the sponsored employee. Non-compliance with this or some other sponsorship obligation can lead to severe penalties, together with the revocation of the sponsor licence. In abstract, it’s important that each one Key Personnel named on the licence totally perceive and adjust to their duties to guard the integrity of the sponsor licence.

As soon as your organization has obtained a sponsor licence, it should additionally apply for a Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) for the employee. The CoS confirms the phrases of your proposed employment and is a vital a part of the Expert Employee visa utility course of. The kind of CoS required relies on your present location:

• In case you are contained in the UK, the corporate should assign an undefined CoS. This may be requested on the time of making use of for the sponsor licence or individually at a later stage.
• In case you are outdoors the UK, the corporate should assign an outlined CoS, which requires submitting a particular allocation request to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

It’s important that the proper sort of CoS is used, primarily based in your place of residence on the time of utility.

8. Choosing the Right Occupation Code

When assigning a CoS, the corporate should choose an occupation code that precisely displays the function and job description you can be enterprise. These codes are listed in Appendix Expert Occupations of the Immigration Guidelines. Selecting the proper occupation code is essential. A mismatch between the job description and the chosen code can result in the applying being refused, with the Residence Workplace probably figuring out that the function doesn’t characterize a real emptiness.

As of July 2025, the Expert Employee route has considerably narrowed. Beforehand jobs at a Regulated {Qualifications} Framework (RQF) stage 3 or above had been eligible for a Expert Employee visa. Now all new Expert Employee candidates should be in jobs at a RQF stage of 6 or greater. This variation implies that any beforehand expert roles of RQF 3-5 have been faraway from eligibility except they seem on particular exemptions lists. Chances are you’ll want to converse with one in all our enterprise immigration barristers for extra detailed info and recommendation on which roles this is applicable to. 

As soon as your organization has obtained a sponsor licence and a CoS, you, the proposed employee will be capable of apply as a Expert Employee. The next standards should be met in a Expert Employee utility. The Applicant should be:

• Aged 18 or over; 
• Have a legitimate Certificates of Sponsorship for the job they’re planning on doing; 
• The job supply is a real emptiness; 
• The sponsor has paid any required Immigration Abilities Cost; 
• The job is at an applicable talent stage; 
• They’re competent within the English Language to at the very least CEFR Stage B1; 
• They are going to be paid a wage which equals or exceeds each the overall wage threshold and the ‘going fee’ for the occupation; 
• They find the money for to help themselves with out counting on public funds. 

If the entire above standards are met, you possibly can submit the visa utility on-line. Processing instances and charges needs to be checked on the Residence Workplace web site, as they repeatedly change and are up to date. 

The Residence Workplace should be glad that you simply, because the sponsored employee, are being sponsored to fill a real emptiness inside your organization. This implies they are going to assess whether or not the function is important for the enterprise and whether or not you’re suitably certified and able to performing it. To help this, the corporate ought to present:

• An in depth job description outlining the duties and duties of the function;
• Proof of energetic enterprise operations, exhibiting that the enterprise genuinely requires this place;
• Proof of your {qualifications} and expertise related to the function;
• The place relevant, recruitment proof demonstrating the necessity for the place.

It’s important to indicate that the function has not been created solely to facilitate a visa utility, however that it addresses a real operational want throughout the enterprise. If a Residence Workplace caseworker determines that the function isn’t important or seems synthetic, the applying may be refused on the grounds that there isn’t a real emptiness.

The vacant place should be an eligible job at or above the required minimal talent stage. Eligible roles are listed by the Residence Workplace in Appendix Expert Occupations, with every function assigned a particular occupation code. The sponsored employee should be assigned the occupation code that the majority precisely displays the job description.

If the Residence Workplace determines that the chosen occupation code doesn’t align with the precise duties of the function, there’s a important threat that the Expert Employee utility can be refused on the grounds that the emptiness isn’t real.

As of July 2025, the minimal talent stage for sponsorship underneath the Expert Employee route has elevated. Now, solely roles at Regulated {Qualifications} Framework (RQF) Stage 6 or above are eligible for sponsorship. A restricted variety of exceptions stay, primarily roles listed on the Short-term Scarcity Record.

12. Wage Necessities for Expert Employee Visa Candidates

As a sponsored migrant employee, you should be paid the suitable wage for the function you’re enterprise. For immigration functions, wage is outlined as assured gross pay and usually excludes bonuses, advantages, or different non-guaranteed compensation. The suitable wage stage varies relying on the occupation code and should be prorated primarily based on the variety of weekly hours specified on the Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS).

The overall wage threshold for a Expert Employee is at present £41,700 each year, primarily based on a 37.5 hour work week. You should be paid both £41,700 per yr or the ‘going fee’ for the particular occupation code, whichever is greater.

It’s necessary to notice that wage thresholds are topic to alter, and employers ought to at all times test probably the most up-to-date Residence Workplace steering earlier than assigning a CoS or submitting a visa utility.

13. Exceptions to the Normal Wage Threshold

Though the Expert Employee route has turn into extra restrictive, there are nonetheless some exceptions that permit candidates to be paid lower than £41,700. For instance, diminished wage thresholds could apply to:

In case you suppose you could qualify for a diminished wage threshold or fall into one in all these exception classes, we suggest in search of recommendation from one in all our specialist immigration barristers for tailor-made steering.

For skilled recommendation and help with an utility for a Self Sponsorship Visa, contact our immigration barristers in London on 0203 617 9173 or full our enquiry kind under.

15. Ceaselessly Requested Questions