Our family has been running a travel company for a long time and it is very important for us to provide high-quality services. It was obvious that a UK branch has not been managed effectively so I relocated to the UK to develop the business. I contacted Imperial & Legal for UK relocation support and I am super happy with the results.
A company registered and conducting its business activities in the UK needs a sponsorship licence issued by the UK government to employ foreigners. In the past, this rule only applied to businesses that employed foreign workers from non-EU countries.
However, with the Brexit transition period ending on 31 December 2020, the sponsorship rules now apply to all companies that wish to employ workers, temporarily or permanently, from any country. The same applies to educational institutions that want to teach foreign students.
A family of entrepreneurs from Asia got in touch with Imperial & Legal to obtain a sponsorship licence and a work visa.
Abdarahad and his family own a chain of 3- and 4-star hotels in Asia (Bali, Malaysia, Thailand). They have travel agencies in these and other countries.
A few years ago, the family set up a travel business in the UK to attract tourists from Europe. They offer one-country or multiple-country tours across Asia with stays in their hotels. However, that company did not bring good results because of a lack of highly skilled employees.
Zavyah is the youngest son. He relocated to the UK to manage the company and develop interesting packages and tours for clients from Europe.
Apply for a UK Skilled Worker visa and obtain a sponsorship licence for the travel company.
Since the company had been operating in the UK for several years, it had staff and a bank account. After initial checks, our advisors concluded that it was suitable for a sponsorship licence to sponsor applicants for a UK Skilled Worker visa and started to collect documents for an application.
An application must be submitted to the Home Office along with supporting documents. They usually include bank statements from the corporate account, bank letter, audited annual accounts of the company, taxpayer registration certificate, and a letter from the relevant regulator.
Sometimes the Home Office does not only check the documents but also visits the company to be sure that it exists and can fulfil all sponsorship obligations.
Once the travel company received a sponsor licence, it was rated as an “A” sponsor and listed in the Register of Sponsors. It could start issuing certificates of sponsorship and employ foreign specialists. The sponsor is expected to keep copies of documents, track the immigration status of foreign workers, and monitor their attendance as well as inform timely about any changes and violations.
The next step after obtaining the sponsorship licence was to request a sponsorship certificate for a future employee, and once received, we prepared applications for a UK Skilled Worker visa for Zavyah and his family.
A UK Skilled Worker visa allows you to relocate to the UK with your family, work, study and, after a few years, obtain an Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and then get UK citizenship. Since Zavyah was serious about the development of the UK business, he relocated with his wife and their minor children. Therefore, we helped Zavyah obtain a UK Skilled Worker visa for him and dependant visas for his family members.
Zavyah obtained a UK Skilled Worker visa. He can now manage the travel company and grow the family business. Our advisors helped the family find a house in a nice suburb of London which is also an easy commute for Zavyah.
His wife takes care of their home and children. Our specialists found good schools for them, and an English language course for her. The family plan to apply for an ILR after five years of living in the UK on a UK Skilled Worker visa. They will have to pass the Life in the UK test and prove their knowledge of English to at least B1 level according to European classification.
Since it will take the whole 5 and 6 years respectively to get UK ILR and UK citizenship, Zavyah applied for Caribbean passports for his whole family to travel visa-free around the world. Imperial & Legal’s advisors helped them obtain second passports.
We will work with you to find a customised solution for your immigration, second citizenship, business, tax and other needs.
Employing foreign nationals
UK Skilled Worker Visa
Caribbean passport