The Home Office publishes a standard timescale for sponsor licence decisions and a paid priority service for some routes. This guide sets out both, the deadlines an applicant must meet along the way, and the published timings for certificates once a licence is granted. All figures were checked against GOV.UK on 3 Oct 2026. Timescales are published service levels, not promises for any one application.
The standard timescale
GOV.UK says most applications are dealt with in less than 8 weeks, and that UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) may need to visit the business. There is no fee for the standard service beyond the licence fee: £611 for a Worker licence for small or charitable sponsors and £1,682 for medium or large sponsors.
The pre-licence priority service
For eligible routes, an applicant can pay £750 per request to have the application considered within 10 working days. GOV.UK says this service is limited to a small number of applications each working day, allocated first come, first served. The priority service guidance (updated 11 November 2025) adds:
- the 10 working days start on the working day after the priority fee is paid, and exclude weekends and public holidays
- requests can be made between 9am and midnight, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays
- priority can be requested with the application or added later, as long as the application is not already in progress
- the submission sheet and all mandatory and supplementary documents must be sent within 5 working days of paying the priority fee
- the service guarantees consideration within 10 working days, not approval
The guidance lists routes that cannot use the service at present: UK Expansion Worker, Service Supplier, Secondment Worker, Scale-up Worker, Government Authorised Exchange, International Agreement and Seasonal Worker. An application that includes any of them is not offered priority.
The priority fee is not refunded if the timescale is missed because documents were missing, a request for information went unanswered, or the case raises complex issues. A refund may be possible if the delay has another cause, such as a technical error.
Deadlines that can stop the clock
Several deadlines in Part 1 of the sponsor guidance affect how quickly an application can be decided:
- Documents: the signed submission sheet and supporting documents must reach UKVI within 5 working days of submitting the online form (L6.29). Missing mandatory items make the application invalid (L6.30).
- Requests for more information: UKVI emails the Key Contact and allows 5 working days to reply. No reply leads to refusal (L6.31, L6.32).
- Document checks: if UKVI cannot get an immediate answer from the body that issued a document, it normally waits up to 6 weeks (Appendix A, section 6.7).
- Compliance checks: UKVI may visit, or interview staff by video, before deciding (L8.18 to L8.20). Part 1 says a check is highly likely for businesses with little or no physical office space.
- Pending prosecutions: if anyone falling under the guidance's definition of "you" has a criminal prosecution pending, UKVI puts the application on hold until the outcome, unless it has other reasons to refuse (L8.16).
Part 1 stresses that the Authorising Officer and Key Contact should be available while the application is considered (L6.32).
After a refusal
There is no appeal. An error correction request must be sent within 14 calendar days of the refusal letter, and UKVI aims to reply within 28 working days of receiving it (L9.8, L9.9). Most refusals carry a cooling-off period of 6 months before a new application can succeed, with longer periods in some cases (L9.17).
Timings once licensed
Several published timescales apply after a licence is granted:
- Defined certificates (Skilled Workers applying from outside the UK): GOV.UK says applications are usually approved within one working day.
- Extra undefined certificates: GOV.UK says a decision usually comes within 12 weeks, and that a sponsor can pay for a decision within 5 working days.
- Changes of circumstances: GOV.UK says requests can take up to 18 weeks, or 5 working days through the priority service, which costs £350 per request.
The priority change of circumstances service is open to A-rated, fully active Worker and Temporary Worker sponsors, from 7am to 5pm on working days, with at least 120 requests accepted each day. It covers requests such as extra or annual certificate allocations, Level 1 User changes and replacing the Authorising Officer or Key Contact.
The cost calculator adds up the fees, and the compliance checklist lists the reporting deadlines a sponsor must meet.
Common questions
Does paying for priority make approval more likely?
No. The priority service guidance says it ensures the application is considered within 10 working days and does not guarantee approval.
Why might priority not be offered?
The guidance lists four reasons: the application includes an ineligible route, the daily limit has been reached, the request was made outside service hours, or the application is already in progress.
Will UKVI say if a priority decision will be late?
Yes. The priority service guidance says UKVI writes to the Authorising Officer by email if it cannot meet the 10 working day timescale, so the Authorising Officer should check their email, including junk mail, regularly.
Can we start recruiting while we wait?
Part 1 (L1.4) says a worker needs a job offer from an approved sponsor, confirmed by a Certificate of Sponsorship, before they can make a valid application. No certificate can be assigned until the licence is granted. The sponsor licence check shows when an organisation appears on the register.