Expert immigration lawyers have stated that employers need to swiftly start applying for sponsorship licenses in order to combat the candidate shortage issue the country is currently experiencing.
In fact it’s report that just 3.5% of UK employers hold one.*
There is a back log of applications, so it can take 2-3 months for these to be processed, so any PR agencies or companies wishing to search for PR talent need to get their skates on! Of course, once a licence has been granted and is in place it can be used as and when needed, so it is a great idea to consider applying for a licence now in preparation for continued recruitment challenges.
Many PR agencies in the UK will fall into the ‘small or charitable sponsors’ category, where annual turnover is £10.2 million or less and in this case the cost of applying for the licence is just £536. The process has also been overhauled, so it’s now easier to apply and when you are ready to recruit, it’s also easier to ‘prove’ that you need overseas talent than previous years. Licences are valid for four years so it’s worth the initial time and investment.
On a daily basis I receive applications from new EU or non-EU candidates requiring sponsorship but so few of my clients hold a licence so it really is time to open up the pathway to enable talent from overseas to fill live positions.
If you’d like to open up and expand your candidate pool with international skilled workers, please get in touch today to find out more! lorraine@utterclub
Source: * Migrate UK