Who can sponsor me in the UK?

Who can act as a sponsor?

Acquiring a sponsor to enter the UK is essential for a lot of UK visa routes. Whether it be to work or live in the UK with your family, a valid sponsor is required as part of your visa application.

For those coming to work in the UK on a work visa, a certificate of sponsorship needs to be obtained from your employer. The employer in question must have a Home Office approved sponsor licence before they can assist you as your ‘sponsor’ on your skilled worker visa application.

In some instances, you may wish to come to the UK to visit your family members or friends, or, perhaps to even live here closer to loved ones. For this to be considered by the Home Office, you must have a ‘sponsor’. This should be a spouse or a close relative who is a British citizen or person of settled status.

If you require further assistance with applying for a visa or finding a suitable sponsor, immigration advice service are here to help. Call our friendly team of advisors today on 0333 305 9375 for further advice.

Work in the UK

If you intend to enter the UK for work under the skilled worker visa route, you will need to be issued a certificate of sponsorship by a company with a valid sponsor licence, who will act as your UK sponsor.

Both a small or charitable sponsor, or, a medium/large sponsor can issue you with a certificate of sponsorship- you must apply for your work visa within three months of receiving your certificate or it will not remain valid and will result in your application being rejected by the Home Office.

In order to get a certificate of sponsorship you must have an eligible job offer. The certificate must detail the job you will be employed to do and the duties you will uphold. If you plan on changing employers during your stay in the UK, you may have to update your visa accordingly.

Visit the UK to see friends and family

For foreign nationals looking to spend time in the UK on a more temporary basis, for example, to visit family or friends, you will require a Visitor visa. The UK visit visa allows you to travel into the UK for a short term visit of up to six months at a time.

To enter the UK on a UK visitor visa, you must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Full intentions to leave the UK after the six month UK visit visa period is up
• Evidence of the activities you wish to partake in should your visitor visa be granted
• You have the funds to cover the cost of inward and outward flights to and from the UK
• You have funds to support and accommodate yourself and any dependant family members whilst you stay in the UK

Whilst a sponsor is not fully necessary for visitor visa, it may be required if you are unable to prove that you have the funds to pay for flights and accommodation. In these instances, your sponsor will be somebody who will fund all of this on your behalf.

You can apply for a visitor visa by filling in the UK visit visa application form from the government website.

Live in the UK with family members

As a non UK national looking to live in the UK on a more permanent basis, your sole option is to apply for a family visa. This allows a family member to act as your ‘sponsor’ in support of your visa application.

The type of family visa you need to apply for will depend on your relationship to your family member that is a British citizen or person of settled status in the UK. The main categories of family visa are as follow:

• Spouse or partner visas
• Ancestry visa
• Dependant family visa
• UK visit visa (family visit visa)

The length of stay in the UK on a family visa can vary. Some are temporary and some offer a more permanent living arrangement. The spouse visa will allow an applicant to remain living in the UK for two years, with the opportunity to apply for indefinite leave to remain afterwards, whereas, some visas will only allow up to six months of stay.

To be eligible for a family visa, you must be able to prove your relationship to the family member acting as your ‘sponsor’. You will likely be required to submit proof in the form of marriage or birth certificates and photographic documents. In some instances, a letter of sponsorship may also be requested, which will need to outline how the sponsor knows the applicant and how often they see them.

How much does a visa cost?

The price you pay for a visa application depends on the type of visa you are applying for. Fees for UK visas are payable at the point of filling the online form in. Below you can find standard fees for some visa categories:

Skilled worker visa- £590  to £1,519 depending on your personal circumstances.

Spouse/partner visa- £1,938 from outside the UK.

UK visitor visa- standard visitor visa applicants can expect to pay £127.