The costs an employer pays
Sponsorship costs fall into three parts: the cost of holding a licence, the cost of each certificate, and the Immigration Skills Charge. A fourth, the worker’s own visa fee and health surcharge, is payable by the worker unless the employer agrees to pay it.
| Cost | Small or charitable sponsor | Medium or large sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsor licence (Worker) | £611 | £1,682 |
| Certificate of sponsorship, per worker | £525 | £525 |
| Immigration Skills Charge, first 12 months | £480 | £1,320 |
| Immigration Skills Charge, each further six months | £240 | £660 |
The sponsor licence
The licence fee is paid once when the application is made. The licence usually stays valid for as long as the sponsor continues to meet its requirements, so there is no routine renewal fee, other than for Scale-up and UK Expansion licences, which last four years and cannot be renewed. A priority decision within ten working days costs a further £750. The sponsor must pay the fee itself: asking the worker to pay can lead to revocation. See sponsor licences.
The certificate of sponsorship
Each worker needs a certificate of sponsorship. It costs £525 for a Worker route and £55 for a Temporary Worker route. See certificates of sponsorship.
The Immigration Skills Charge
Most sponsors pay this charge for each sponsored Skilled Worker or Senior or Specialist Worker. Since 16 December 2025 it has been £480 for the first 12 months for a small or charitable sponsor and £1,320 for a medium or large one, with half the annual figure for each additional six months. It is paid in advance for the whole of the worker’s permission, and is not charged for dependants.
The worker’s own costs
The worker pays the visa application fee and the immigration health surcharge, which is £1,035 for each year of permission for most adults. These are the worker’s costs, but many employers choose to pay them, particularly for roles that are difficult to fill. If an employer does, it should record it in writing. The employer cannot recover the certificate fee or the skills charge from the worker.
A worked example
A medium-sized company with no licence wants to sponsor one Skilled Worker for three years. It pays £1,682 for the licence, £525 for the certificate and £3,960 in Immigration Skills Charge (£1,320 for the first year and £660 for each of the four further six-month periods). That is £6,167 in total. For a second worker, the licence is already held, so the cost is £4,485. If the company also chooses to pay the worker’s health surcharge for three years, add £3,105.
Costs that are easy to forget
- The time of the people who run the sponsorship management system, and the cost of the records and checks.
- The £350 priority service, if a change of circumstances must be registered within five working days, rather than up to 18 weeks.
- The £1,579 action plan, if the licence is downgraded to a B-rating.
- The exposure if something goes wrong: a downgrade or revocation can stop the business from sponsoring anyone.
Those are the reasons many employers take advice before they start.
