The Home Office have announced that all sponsor licences that expire on or after 6 April 2024 will not need to be manually renewed. There will therefore no longer be a need to pay a fee to renew the licence.
If your licence expires on or after April 6, 2024, there’s no need to worry about paperwork or fees – it’s all happening automatically.
Curious if this applies to you? The Home Office is already one step ahead, extending the expiry dates on licences due to renew after 6 April 2024, by 10 years. Check your licence summary page on SMS, and you will likely find a new renewal date.
But wait, what about licences expiring before April 6, 2024? Fear not, manual renewal is still on the table, complete with the usual fee. However, here’s the silver lining: after this one last manual renewal, your licence becomes a beacon of automation, renewing itself without any hassle.
What other implications come with this change? The Home Office caseworkers will still dive into the usual checks when assessing renewal applications. They’ll look at your licence status, your eligibility to hold it, and your ability to meet compliance obligations for the overseas nationals you sponsor.
In the past, renewal applications faced rejection for various reasons, from compliance slip-ups to poor record-keeping. But here’s the twist – even with auto-renewal, the Home Office might still run these checks anytime.
Worried about compliance? If the Home Office suspects any slip-ups, they may send in a caseworker for a compliance visit or audit. Picture this: interviews with key personnel, gathering documents, and inspections – with or without warning.
To stay on the safe side, make reviewing your sponsorship duties a regular habit. Consider sponsor licence refresher training or a mock audit to keep your licence away from suspension or revocation. Any questions? Please do contact your Magrath Sheldrick representative.