If you have a licence to sponsor migrants under the points-based system of immigration, you are reminded that you must apply to renew your annual allocation of certificates of sponsorship if you wish to continue issuing certificates for a further year. The allocation request must be made by the anniversary of the date on which the previous annual allocation request was granted under the Sponsor Management System (SMS). Failure to do so will mean that no further certificates of sponsorship can be issued until a new request has been made and approved by the UK Border Agency (UKBA).
To check the expiry date using the SMS, go to the ‘View and edit sponsor profile’ section and select ‘Sponsor summary’.
From 5 October 2009, the UKBA will send a series of reminder emails starting four months prior to the expiry date. However, the first renewal date for applications is 28 November 2009, so some employers will need to act quickly.
A renewal request can be made at any time in the three months prior to the expiry date. You will be asked to specify how many certificates of sponsorship you require and to provide supporting information regarding your request. The UKBA recommends making the request at least four weeks before the expiry date.
For further information, see http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/employers/points/sponsoringmigrants/sms/whatsinsms/next-year-allocation-cos/annual-allocations-qa/.
For general guidance for employers sponsoring workers under Tier 2 of the points-based system, see http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/employersandsponsors/pbsguidance/guidancefrom31mar09/sponsor-app-guidance-t25.pdf?view=Binary.
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