how can we help?
Blake Lapthorn's business immigration team
provides invaluable and cost effective assistance to businesses and
organisations in helping them overcome the complexities of the
points-based system and employer responsibilities introduced in
November 2008.
Discussing your current or potential business
immigration issues with us early on may save you valuable time in
the future by avoiding the pitfalls associated with sponsor
applications. It can also help you identify the best route to
employ someone who is from outside the European Economic Area
(EEA). If you employ someone who doesn't have the right to work
here then the civil and criminal penalties for non-compliance are
significant. Reputational damage can be considerable, as the
Government remain keen to crack down on illegal working and the UK
Border Agency (UKBA) now publish on its website details of
employers who have been issued with civil penalties for employing
illegal migrant workers.
We will advise you as to the best entry route
for your desired foreign recruit(s). It could be best for you to
take advantage of the system of sponsor licensing, or your
organisation could benefit from one-off advice. This might include
an application for a self employment visa, an application for entry
clearance under the youth mobility scheme or guidance on whether a
Business Visitor Visa would suffice. We will point you to the
appropriate immigration route which minimises the application cost
and reduces management time.
We can:
- assist you in applying for a sponsor licence, under Tier 2 (as
an employer, sports club, or religious organisation), under Tier 4
(as an educational institution), or Tier 5 (as a temporary worker
fulfilling primarily non-economic objectives; for example, working
for a charity)
- advise you on engaging individuals under Tier 1 and other non
sponsored routes
- provide recruitment checks so as to help ensure compliance with
current legislation
- assist with corporate issues such as business transfers and the
rights and obligations of business visitors to the UK
- advise in respect of any limits on the ability to work of
prospective/current employees.
applying for a sponsor licence
Our service includes:
- a pre-licensing legal audit service designed to ensure that
your current procedures and systems are strong enough to meet UKBA
requirements. Working with you, we will help you address any
weaknesses identified within your HR system and provide practical
steps to resolve these. This will help you prepare for the
inspection visit that UKBA is likely to make as part of their
assessment of your application for a sponsor licence
- a post-licensing outsourcing service which helps you with the
on-going administration, including a sponsor's new monitoring and
reporting obligations including post termination obligations.
pre-licensing
Our pre-license audit service includes:
- a meeting at your premises to audit employment procedures and
systems to see if they are sufficiently robust to satisfy the
UKBA’s requirements
- an action plan to assist in rectifying any weaknesses
identified in the HR system, with a second audit if necessary to
assess implementation of the actions
- advice and training as to the responsibilities of an
Authorising Officer, who must be an employee of the sponsor
organisation
- assistance in preparing the application for registration as a
licensed sponsor
- liaising with UKBA as to the progress of the application.
post-licensing
Once your licence as a sponsor of foreign
employees is granted, we can help you maintain it by:
- advising you to ensure that your organisation is compliant with
UKBA's requirements for regular and periodic reporting
- advising on when you can issue a Certificate of Sponsorship to
new employees
- expiry date reminders
- updating UKBA records (if acting as a Level 1 user)
- issuing certificates of sponsorship (if appointed as a Level 2
user)
- ongoing support and advice.
