Visa Sponsorship Case Study – Hotel Chain
Visa Sponsorship Case Study – Hotel Chain
What is the process for sponsoring a visa as an employer?
Licence: Apply & gain Sponsorship Licence for the business.
Duties: Assign Sponsorship duties, by deciding who within your business will manage the sponsorship process and who will support the process.
Requirements: Identify the role being offered meets the Sponsorship requirements, including skill and salary threshold.
Apply for Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) for the worker you wish to sponsor (each worker requires a new CoS).
Maintain compliance within the sponsorship duties, including up to date record keeping, and reporting any changes.
What advice would you give someone wanting to start the sponsorship process?
It takes time! If you are looking for a quick solution, Sponsorship is not the right route, it takes time to gain your licence, to identify if the role meets the requirements and to gain the role sponsorship. It also requires time to manage, its not one you launch and move on from, it requires regular attention and action.
Understand what roles can be sponsored. Familiarise yourself with the eligibility criteria for your business and the job roles you wish to sponsor. Be clear on which ones you can and can’t sponsor.
Ownership: Decide from the start if you will manage the full process inhouse or if you will source specialist support eg Immigration lawyer.
Assign Clear Roles: Designate specific individuals within your business to manage different aspects of the sponsorship process. Decide who will be the Authorising Officer (Top level), Key Contact, and Level 1 User.
Seek Professional Advice: If you’re unsure about any part of the process, gain budget sign off and consult with an immigration lawyer to navigate the variables.
Costs: Sponsorship is costly. Understand each cost, who is required to pay it and what costs you can recoup. Decide which elements employer will pay and those the candidate will pay.
What are some of the benefits of doing this (for the business & the employee)?
Talent Retention – Supporting employees through sponsorship can increase their loyalty to the company, reducing turnover rates.
Long-term Investment – While there may be upfront costs associated with sponsorship, the long-term benefits can outweigh them. Retaining skilled employees who might otherwise be unavailable locally can save on recruitment and training costs in the long run.
Diversity – Sponsorship can help foster diversity by providing opportunities for underrepresented groups in our business, whilst enriching the company culture, bringing different perspectives to problem-solving, fostering creativity and innovation.
Enhanced Performance – Employees who feel supported and valued are likely to be more engaged and motivated, leading to higher productivity and better business outcomes.
Replacement of agency costs – 18% agency fee of a £37,853 salary is £6,813 which is not far from the end cost via Sponsorship but doesn’t have the retention or diversity aspect.
Access to Talent – By sponsoring employees, companies can access a broader pool of talent, including candidates with specialized skills or from different geographical regions.
Filling Skills Gaps – we have difficulty recruiting chef’s, therefore sponsoring employees from other regions or countries can help fill these gaps and ensure the company has the necessary expertise to thrive.
What might be some of the challenges in sponsoring a visa? How did you overcome these?
Complex Regulations: The ever-changing immigration laws and regulations can be difficult to navigate, you must remain on top of all future changes.
The Talent team regularly attend webinars and subscribe to Home Office updates to keep updated when required.
The most recent challenge was the increase to the salary threshold which reduced the roles we are allowed to sponsor. However, you can still utilise the amended salary threshold for those already sponsored prior to 4th April 2024.
Cost: The process is expensive, it includes application fees, legal fees, and compliance costs.
When we started out, we created a document that identified budget, each elements cost, who pays it and if it was re-claimable.
Time-Consuming: The application process can be lengthy, requiring significant time and effort to gather documents and complete forms.
We use an Immigration lawyer to process.
Uncertainty: There is always a risk of visa applications being denied.
We regularly meet the hiring manager, employment lawyer and the candidate to keep lines of communication open.
