Important Guidance to UKVI Sponsor Licence Holders – CoS Allocation Requests

Care Home providers holding a UKVI Sponsor Licence are reminded that a request for an allocation of Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS)—if not prepared and submitted correctly—can trigger enhanced Home Office scrutiny and may lead to licence suspension or revocation.

AC Solutions International Ltd has provided some informative guidance to UKVI sponsor license holders. All initial CoS allocation requests are made via the Sponsor Management System (SMS). In most cases, the Home Office will issue a request for further information. Inadequate, inconsistent, or poorly evidenced responses can result in refusal of the allocation and escalation into a compliance investigation.

What the Home Office Commonly Requests

Sponsors are typically required to evidence:

• A clear business justification explaining why migrant workers are required
• Role-specific details for each SOC code, including tailored job descriptions, salary, hours, location(s), and required skills
• Evidence showing what the role will involve, such as assigned service users
• Explanation of why the roles cannot be filled by the existing workforce
• A full organisation chart, including vacant roles and positions intended for sponsored workers
• Details of identified candidates, including contracts or recent payslips where applicable
• Financial evidence confirming how salaries will be funded, including recent business bank statements
• Copies of relevant employment contracts
• Genuine vacancy evidence, such as new or expanded service contracts, business growth, new premises, or staff departures

Where service contracts or agreements are provided, sponsors must ensure that all relevant sections are clearly highlighted, including guaranteed hours, service users, scope of work, and work locations. Failure to do so may result in rejection of the request.

The Home Office requires detailed, accurate, and organisation-specific responses. Insufficient evidence or generic explanations can lead to further investigation and ultimately revocation of the sponsor licence.

Recommendation

Members considering applying for a CoS allocation are strongly advised to prepare all supporting evidence in advance and ensure submissions are compliant, consistent, and well-documented.

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