Before you pay for a sponsor licence application, can your business show that it is ready to sponsor? The free LawbySajj sponsor licence eligibility checker gives UK employers a first indication. It asks 17 questions about your organisation, its history, the people who will manage sponsorship, the proposed job, HR arrangements and likely employer costs.
The purpose is practical: identify gaps before they become application problems. You receive a written result based on your answers, with points to investigate and an indicative cost breakdown. It is a preparation tool, not a Home Office assessment or a guarantee that a licence will be granted.
Use the free sponsor licence eligibility checker
Who is the sponsor licence eligibility checker for?
The checker is aimed at UK business owners, directors and HR teams considering Skilled Worker sponsorship. It is useful when you have a recruitment plan but have not yet checked the business evidence, proposed key personnel or practical work involved in running a licence.
It is not a personal visa eligibility test for a worker. A business licence application and a worker's visa application are separate decisions. If you are an overseas business establishing a UK operation, consider the UK Expansion Worker eligibility checker instead, then obtain advice on which route fits your plans.
What the 17 questions cover
Your organisation and its history
The first questions cover your UK operation, trading history, premises and supporting documents. Later questions ask about earlier licence decisions and conduct issues. Gather the actual records before answering a question about a refusal, revocation, conviction or penalty.
UKVI considers the application and evidence and may visit the business to assess its ability to carry out sponsor duties. See the official employer eligibility guidance. A screening answer cannot determine the effect of every previous decision or exception.
The people managing sponsorship
You will be asked whether you can appoint suitable key personnel. The Authorising Officer takes senior responsibility, the Key Contact deals with UKVI correspondence, and the Level 1 User manages day-to-day activity in the Sponsorship Management System.
These positions carry real responsibilities. Check the proposed person's role, authority, location and status against the Home Office key personnel requirements, rather than assuming that any director or outside adviser can fill every position.
The job and your HR arrangements
The checker asks about skill level, salary, the genuineness of the vacancy and whether an owner or director will be sponsored. It also asks about HR systems and informing workers about their employment rights.
For a planned hire, write down the actual duties, hours and salary before choosing an occupation code. The job suitability guidance links to the requirements for each sponsored route. Job titles alone do not settle the question, and some roles or workers need a more detailed assessment.
HR readiness matters too. Your processes need to cover records, immigration status, attendance, contact details and reporting. The official sponsor responsibilities page explains these duties. A small business can use simple systems, but someone must own the work.
How to use the checker without guessing
Open the tool and answer for the organisation that would apply for the licence. Have your business details, proposed job description and salary, key personnel arrangements and HR information to hand.
Use an uncertainty option where one is offered. If you cannot answer accurately, establish the facts before relying on the result. Changing an answer merely to obtain a favourable outcome will not change the evidence UKVI sees.
For example, a business may have a genuine vacancy and suitable premises but no clear person responsible for sponsor reporting. The useful next step is to allocate that responsibility and review the process, not to treat the questionnaire as complete because the recruitment plan looks sensible.
What your result means
The tool uses three result labels:
- Likely eligible: your answers have not triggered a blocking issue or warning in the checker. Your documents and circumstances still need review.
- Worth a closer look: your answers raise points that need attention. Resolve them before deciding whether to submit an application.
- Not yet: at least one answer triggers a blocking issue under the checker's screening rules. Read the explanation and get the point assessed; it is not a Home Office refusal or a final legal conclusion.
The labels describe the questionnaire result, not the percentage chance of success. A favourable result is not confirmation that UKVI has checked your organisation, approved the job or accepted the proposed worker.
Document requirements and exceptions depend on the application. The checker uses a simplified document question; your actual evidence list must be checked against Appendix A. Previous compliance issues, occupation-code questions and cases involving owners or directors also deserve individual review.
Understanding the employer cost estimate
The cost section uses your organisation size, intended number of workers and selected sponsorship duration to illustrate the sponsor licence application fee, Certificates of Sponsorship and Immigration Skills Charge.
The total is an indicative employer budget based on the assumptions selected. It is not a quotation, an all-in recruitment cost or necessarily the amount payable in one calendar year. The tool displays the date of its fee assumptions. Confirm current charges before paying, and check whether an exemption affects the Immigration Skills Charge.
Worker visa fees, the Immigration Health Surcharge where applicable, legal fees and other recruitment expenses are not all included in that total. Do not assume you can recover sponsorship costs from the worker; cost-recovery restrictions need checking separately.
What to do after completing the tool
Keep a note of the result and each warning. Compare your evidence with the sponsor licence documents checklist, then read the employer's sponsor licence guide for the wider application and compliance process.
If a point remains uncertain, I can review the proposed application through my sponsor licence application service. Legal services are provided through Farani Taylor Solicitors.
Start the free checker and find the gaps before you apply.
General information only, not legal advice. The checker uses your answers and does not replace an assessment of your documents and circumstances.
Primary sources
UK solicitor at Farani Taylor Solicitors practising immigration, property conveyancing and corporate law. Advice available in English, Urdu and Punjabi.