Update on sponsor applications and the Sponsor Management System

Posted: 20/11/2012

The UKBA has confirmed that it is currently processing sponsor licence applications that were submitted in May 2012. The UKBA will not provide an update on applications received after this date.

Applications are always processed in date order, although a request will be dealt with as a priority in the following circumstances:

• a migrant currently employed by the prospective sponsor or switching to the prospective sponsor who has valid leave expiring in ten working days (or has an urgent need to change their leave status within ten working days);
• applications more than four weeks old which have a resident labour market test expiring in the next six weeks;
• applications more than four weeks old where there is an urgent business need for a licence within the next ten working days, for which justification must be provided. These type of requests will be reviewed on a case by case basis.  

Any change of circumstance requests submitted online can be tracked by logging into the Sponsor Management System account and selecting ‘view and edit sponsor profile’, then ‘request changes to sponsor details’, then ‘recent and outstanding requests’. Requests will have a clearly marked status of ‘pending’, ‘progress’, ‘accepted’ or ‘rejected’. 

• Pending means the UKBA has received the request but it is yet to allocate it to a caseworker.
• Progress indicates that a caseworker is considering the request.
• Accepted means the request has been approved and the relevant changes to the sponsor record have been made.
• Rejected means the application has not been successful and the changes requested have not been made. The application will need to be resubmitted demonstrating that the previous reason for rejection no longer applies.

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