Advisory Service | Corporate, Business & Educational Providers

After a thorough evaluation, the team advises and assists the client in implementing any immigration strategies that may be necessary. Whatever the circumstances, ICS Legal Immigration Lawyers provides a complete range of services to ensure that the employer and all of its employees are adequately protected from the potential legal effects that the immigration laws may have in a changing corporate structure.

Advice on renewing your sponsor licence

As a sponsor licence holder, you will need to renew your sponsor licence every 4 years and can apply for the licence, 3 months prior to its expiry. In most of the renewal applications, it can be straight forward however if your business or educational institutions have gone through changes, then you will need to take legal advice prior embarking on re-applying for the sponsor licence. If you fail to renew your sponsor licence, this will impact all the migrants you sponsor.

Advice on compliance visit

The Home Office as part of the management of the sponsor licence, will conduct compliance visits. These are undertaken both announced and unannounced visits, the check that as a sponsor licence holder, you are adhering to the rules and maintain the integrity of the system. ICS Legal will be able to advice and support on how to prepare the compliance visit.

Accreditation and registration advice

ICS Legal can provide full legal advice on appropriate accreditation and registration required for your business or your educational institution. This will be required as part of your sponsor management system.

Advice on genuine vacancy test and genuine student test

Both employers and educational institutions prior sponsoring migrants, must ensure that the compliance requirements have been completed. Further to this, we advise on how to meet the policy and keeping evidences, to ensure once the sponsorship are assigned to the respective migrants, the qualified requirements have been met.

Our advisory service in full

At ICS Legal, our Immigration Lawyers specialise in a wide range of UK Visas, nationality and immigration applications to the UK Home Office, responsible for controlling immigration. Our qualified Immigration Lawyers can provide advice, practical assistance and professional representation to guide you through the application and decision-making process from start to finish.

You may be a foreign national planning to work, study or settle in the UK, or you may already be settled here, or you may be a British citizen hoping for a non-European partner or family members to join you. Regardless, taking advantage of the expertise offered by ICS Legal will eliminate stress, whilst maximising your chances of a successful outcome, with any UK visa application or appeal.

Our experienced Immigration Lawyers have an exemplary track record in applying for family and partner/spouse visas, as well as visitors, workers and student visas, including Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 4 and Tier 5 visa applications under the UK’s five tier points-based system. Migrants can be sponsored under the point based system and more details can be found by clicking here.

With direct access to our Immigration Lawyers, we can offer advice and assistance in applications to extend your stay in the UK. This includes Indefinite Leave to Remain, EEA family permit applications for relatives of European nationals, obtaining and renouncing British citizenship and entry clearance. Our Immigration Lawyers are also experts in dealing with visa expiry issues leading to the detention or removal of an individual from the UK, appeals and bail applications before the Immigration and Asylum Tribunal, and all human rights-related matters.

As one of the leaders in UK immigration, ICS Legal offers an extensive range of corporate immigration services for entrepreneurs, overseas investors, businesses, employers, highly skilled and highly valued workers, and education providers.

We offer specialist immigration advice and assistance for those wanting to work or set up a business in the UK and can advise employers on sponsor licensing if they are seeking to recruit migrant workers on a UK visa or work permit.

Partnering with ICS Legal on UK migration services

Our Business Lawyers are here to help. Our commitment to you is:

Provide clear, straightforward legal advice in a language you understand.
A highly professional personal service.
A friendly, caring and approachable team of UK Immigration Lawyers.
Transparent costs with no hidden surprises.

It’s not that we think differently. It’s that we are different given our time in this industry. Reassuringly so. You can speak to one of our UK Immigration Lawyers on 0207 237 3388 or you can email us at info@icslegal.com.

Related FAQ's

ICS Legal provides UK immigration advice and assistance to HR departments, business owners and recruitment teams. We help employers with sponsor licence applications, Skilled Worker visas, right to work requirements, immigration compliance and matters affecting overseas employees. Our aim is to help businesses understand their legal responsibilities and manage immigration processes effectively.

Most UK employers wishing to recruit workers under the Skilled Worker visa route must hold a valid Home Office sponsor licence. However, not every overseas national requires sponsorship, as some individuals already have immigration permission allowing them to work in the UK. ICS Legal can help assess whether sponsorship is necessary and advise on the appropriate requirements.

Yes. We assist businesses with assessing their eligibility, preparing supporting documents, understanding sponsorship responsibilities and submitting sponsor licence applications to the Home Office. We also provide guidance on the compliance obligations that apply after a licence has been granted.

HR managers may be responsible for ensuring that employees have permission to work in the UK, maintaining appropriate records, monitoring sponsored workers and reporting relevant changes to the Home Office.

Employers holding sponsor licences must also comply with specific sponsorship duties. ICS Legal can advise HR teams on these obligations and assist where immigration compliance concerns arise.

Yes, depending on the individual's immigration status and the requirements of the relevant visa route. Some individuals may already have unrestricted permission to work, while others may need to switch immigration categories or obtain new sponsorship before commencing employment. We can help employers assess the appropriate immigration options.

Employers should establish whether the employee has made, or intends to make, a valid application to extend or change their immigration permission.

In certain circumstances, an employee's existing permission and working conditions may continue while an in-time application is pending. However, employers must follow the applicable right to work checking requirements. ICS Legal can advise on the employee's immigration position and the employer's responsibilities.

Yes. We provide guidance on employers' legal obligations when checking an individual's right to work in the UK, including the appropriate checking procedures, record keeping and follow-up checks where required.

Correctly conducted checks can help employers establish a statutory excuse against liability for a civil penalty, subject to the applicable requirements.

Failure to comply with sponsorship obligations may result in Home Office action, including licence downgrading, suspension or revocation.

The consequences depend on the nature and seriousness of the compliance concerns. ICS Legal can assist employers in reviewing the issues raised, preparing responses and considering available legal remedies.

Yes. We advise employers facing sponsor licence suspension, revocation and related Home Office enforcement action.

Our assistance may include reviewing Home Office correspondence, assessing the reasons for the decision, preparing representations and considering whether a legal challenge is appropriate.

Yes. A licensed sponsor may sponsor multiple eligible workers, provided it has the necessary sponsorship allocation and continues to satisfy the relevant Immigration Rules and sponsor duties.

The Home Office may consider the nature of the business, the roles being sponsored and the organisation's compliance arrangements.

Certain changes affecting sponsored employees must be reported to the Home Office within the applicable deadlines. These may include the termination of employment, changes in duties or other relevant circumstances.

Some changes may also require a new Certificate of Sponsorship or immigration application. ICS Legal can advise employers on the appropriate steps.

Yes. We can help employers prepare for Home Office compliance visits by reviewing relevant immigration documentation, sponsorship procedures and record-keeping requirements.

Where a visit has taken place and concerns have been identified, we can assist in assessing the findings and preparing an appropriate response.

Employers who employ individuals without the required permission may face significant civil penalties. Under the current civil penalty framework, penalties can reach £45,000 per illegal worker for a first breach and £60,000 per worker for repeat breaches, subject to the applicable rules and circumstances.

Criminal sanctions may also apply in certain cases. We can advise employers facing allegations of illegal working and assist with available representations or challenges.

Yes. We regularly aim to work collaboratively with business owners, HR professionals, recruitment teams and other advisers.

Our involvement can be limited to a particular immigration matter or extended to supporting several employees and applications. We agree the scope of our involvement with the client to ensure responsibilities and communication arrangements are clear.

Our professional fees depend on the type of immigration matter, its complexity and the level of assistance required.

ICS Legal aims to provide clear information about professional fees and relevant Home Office charges before work begins. Employers can request a tailored fee estimate based on their circumstances.

Yes. Small businesses and start-ups may be eligible to sponsor overseas workers if they meet the relevant Home Office requirements.

We assist business owners in understanding sponsor licence eligibility, documentation requirements, sponsorship responsibilities and the immigration routes available for prospective employees.

We understand that immigration issues can sometimes affect recruitment deadlines, employee availability and business operations.

Where urgent assistance is required, we can assess the circumstances, explain the available options and advise on any applicable Home Office priority services or procedural deadlines. Availability and timescales depend on the nature of the matter.

Yes. ICS Legal can assist employers with individual immigration instructions and ongoing UK immigration matters, depending on their requirements.

For organisations seeking wider immigration programme management, international workforce planning or managed global mobility solutions, our specialist corporate offering is available through ICS & Partners.

You can contact ICS Legal to discuss your organisation's immigration requirements, whether these relate to sponsor licensing, overseas recruitment, employee visa applications or immigration compliance.

Our team can review the information provided, explain how we may assist and outline the next steps, including the proposed scope of work and professional fees.

Advisory Service | Corporate, Business & Educational Providers

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