Owner-managed businesses are often examined carefully because there is less separation between the business owner, the sponsor and the proposed worker.
Corporate Immigration
For entrepreneurs and business owners considering sponsorship through a genuine UK company.
Overview
The UK self-sponsorship term describes a business and immigration strategy in which a genuine UK company obtains a sponsor licence and may then sponsor its owner or director in an eligible Skilled Worker role. There is no separate UK visa category called self-sponsorship.
The company, rather than the individual personally, is the sponsor. It must meet the same sponsor licence duties as any other UK employer, and the proposed job must be genuine, necessary for the business and properly funded.
This is a viable route for genuine investors and entrepreneurs looking to establish new businesses in the UK.
Key Benefits
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Build and operate your own UK business and reduce reliance on a third-party employer
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Create a business that may later recruit and sponsor other eligible workers
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A genuine five-year route to settlement through the Skilled Worker framework
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Include an eligible partner and dependent children under the age of 18
How self-sponsorship works
Establish or develop the UK business
The company must have a clear commercial purpose and be sufficiently established to support the proposed role. There is no single minimum trading period that applies to every business. What matters is whether the company is genuine, lawfully operating and capable of meeting its sponsor duties.
Apply for a sponsor licence
The company applies for the appropriate Worker sponsor licence. It must appoint suitable key personnel and demonstrate that its HR and compliance systems are ready. The Home Office may carry out a compliance visit before deciding the application.
Assign a Certificate of Sponsorship and apply for the visa
Once licensed, the company may assign a Certificate of Sponsorship for a genuine eligible role. The individual then makes a Skilled Worker visa application and must meet the relevant salary, English-language, maintenance and suitability requirements.
The genuineness test
The Home Office will consider whether the business is real, whether it genuinely needs the role and whether the company can fund the salary. A strong application will normally show:
A genuine, credible business
A clear commercial purpose and evidence of actual or imminent trading, not a shell company incorporated shortly before applying.
Operational substance
Business premises or a credible workspace, business banking, contracts or clients, and the financial resources to fund both the business and the sponsored salary.
A genuine vacancy
A role the business actually needs, at the required skill level, not a job title reverse-engineered to fit the visa rules.
Founder credibility
Background and resources that make it plausible you can build and run this business in the UK.
Where applications fall short
After many years of advising business owners, the most common reasons these applications struggle:
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A company incorporated shortly before applying, with no real trading and no operational substance, fails the genuineness test.
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A job description engineered to hit the skill level and salary threshold, rather than reflecting a real need, is readily identified.
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Promising yourself a salary the business plainly cannot pay undermines the whole application.
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First-time sponsors underestimate the systems required before the licence is granted, and fail at that stage or at a pre-licence audit.
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Applicants who approach self-sponsorship as a visa product rather than a business they intend to build are the ones most likely to be refused.
Is self-sponsorship right for you?
Self-sponsorship is likely to be the right step if:
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You genuinely intend to establish and grow a UK business.
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The business has a clear and credible commercial plan.
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There is a genuine eligible role for you within the company.
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The company can fund the role and meet the sponsor duties.
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You want a long-term route that may lead to settlement.
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You are expanding an existing overseas business into the UK.
It is less likely to be suitable where the business is only an early concept, has insufficient funding or has been structured mainly to obtain a visa. Depending on the circumstances, Innovator Founder, Global Talent or a Global Business Mobility route may be more appropriate.
How we approach self-sponsorship
Initial assessment and strategy
We assess your business concept and suitability candidly, flagging the genuineness and salary risks early, before time and cost are committed. Where another route fits better, we say so.
Business set-up and structuring
We support establishing the UK entity and putting the operational and compliance framework in place, so the business is credible by the time the licence is assessed.
Sponsor licence application
We prepare and submit the licence application and where a pre-licence audit is likely we prepare you for it (see the Sponsor Licence page).
Visa application
Following approval, we assist with Certificate of Sponsorship assignment and prepare the Skilled Worker visa application, including dependants.
Ongoing compliance and growth
Most clients move straight into ongoing compliance support (see the Sponsor Compliance page), and we stay involved as the business grows.
Highly Rated By Our Clients
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5-Star
Client-rated
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22+
Years’ experience
Frequently Asked Questions
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No. It is a commonly used description for obtaining a Skilled Worker visa through a genuine UK company that you own or control. The company must first obtain a sponsor licence.
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Potentially. Being a shareholder or sole director does not automatically prevent sponsorship. However, the company must be genuine, have suitable key personnel and demonstrate that the sponsored role is necessary, eligible and properly funded.
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There is no fixed investment threshold under the Skilled Worker rules. The company must nevertheless have enough funding to operate, pay the proposed salary and meet its sponsor obligations.
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There is no general minimum trading period that applies to every business. The company must be genuine and sufficiently developed to support the licence and proposed role. The evidence required will depend on its circumstances.
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Yes. Once licensed, the company can sponsor other eligible workers, provided each vacancy and worker meets the relevant requirements.
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The Skilled Worker route can lead to settlement after five years, provided the applicant continues to meet the relevant requirements, including those in force at the settlement stage.
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An eligible partner and dependent children can normally apply as Skilled Worker dependants, subject to the applicable requirements.
Speak To Us
Considering establishing a UK business? We can assess whether a Skilled Worker sponsorship strategy is realistic for your business and explain the commercial and immigration steps involved.
What Our Clients Say
Clear, calm advice at the point we needed it most — and there wasn’t a word of jargon in any of it.
Private client
Spouse visa
We were kept informed at every stage and never once had to chase an update. Knowing exactly where the application stood made a difficult year considerably easier to carry.
Private client
Skilled Worker visa
Moving part of our senior team to London looked impossible on the timescale we’d been given. The route was mapped out at the first meeting, the Home Office correspondence was handled end to end, and every application came back granted.
HR Director
Corporate client
Contact Us
For advice on moving to, working in or settling in the UK, our immigration lawyers are here to guide you through every stage of the process.