Points for Sponsorship for a Senior or Specialist Worker
To be awarded points for sponsorship, applicants must hold a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)
confirming:
1- The applicant’s name, sponsorship as a Senior or Specialist Worker, job details, salary, and any
applicable allowances, as well as PAYE details if required by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
2- A job start date within three months of the application date.
3- The CoS has not been used in a previous granted or refused application (unless it was rejected
as invalid, voided, or withdrawn).
4- The CoS has not been withdrawn by the sponsor or canceled by the Home Office.
5- If the applicant is not a high earner, confirmation that they have worked outside the UK for the
sponsor group for the required period as per SNR 5.7.(b).
6- Whether the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) applies.
The sponsor must be authorized by the Home Office to sponsor a Senior or Specialist Worker and should
be listed as A-rated on the Home Office’s register of licensed sponsors. Additionally, the sponsor must
have fully paid any required Immigration Skills Charge.
The decision-maker must not have reasonable grounds to believe that the job being sponsored is non-
existent, a sham, or created solely for the purpose of applying for entry clearance or permission to stay.
The applicant must:
7- Be currently employed by the sponsor group.
8- Unless they qualify as a high earner, have worked outside the UK for the sponsor group for a
cumulative period of at least 12 months.
Under SNR 5.7.(b) of Appendix Global Business Mobility Routes, the 12 months of work outside the UK
can be accumulated over any period, provided:
9- The applicant has been continuously working for the sponsor group from the start of the 12
months to the date of application.
10- Any breaks in continuous work were for reasons such as statutory maternity, paternity,
parental, or shared parental leave; statutory adoption leave; sick leave; participation in
humanitarian or environmental crises with sponsor group approval; or legally organized
industrial action.
Meeting these requirements will award the applicant 20 points for sponsorship.
