The Home Office Sponsor Management System
Understanding the Home Office Sponsor Management System
Here’s everything you need to know about using the SMS to meet your sponsor compliance requirements.
If you’re interested in recruiting international employees, one of the most critical tools you need to become familiar with is the Home Office Sponsor Management System, also known as the SMS.
As a licenced sponsor, you have an obligation to ensure that you comply with Home Office regulations and the online SMS allows you to meet these requirements and manage your sponsorship activities.
Understanding the functionality of the SMS is, therefore, a crucial aspect of becoming a licenced sponsor.
Who can use the Home Office Sponsor Management System?
The SMS can be only accessed by four key personnel in your organisation: the authorising officer, level 1 user, key contact, and level 2 user.
Authorising officer
They are responsible for the entire recruitment process and ensuring that you meet your sponsorship requirements.
Key contact
This person acts as the primary point of contact between you and the Home Office and is responsible for all communications.
Level 1 user
They have complete access to the SMS and handle the day-to-day administration of
sponsorship activities.
Level 2 user
This person has limited access to the SMS and has certain responsibilities-must be added by the level 1 user after obtaining the licence.
As of now, you’re required to appoint the authorising officer, key contact, and the level 1 user before applying for a Skilled Worker sponsor licence and name them in your application—you can also appoint the same person for all three roles.
You can only have one authorising officer and one key contact but you’re allowed to have additional level 1 and level 2 users after obtaining your licence.
That said, it’s advisable to keep the numbers to a manageable level.
What are the suitability requirements for key personnel?
To be appointed as key personnel, nominated candidates must:
- Be based in the UK for the duration they fulfil their appointed role
- Be a paid member of your staff or specified by you as an ‘office holder’
- Not have any unspent criminal convictions or bankruptcy filings
- Not have failed to pay VAT or other excise duties
- Not have been fined by the Home Office in the last 12 months
- Not have been key personnel in any organisation where an application for a licence was refused within the last 6 months or where a licence has been revoked within the last 12 months
- Not have engaged in activities that are not conducive to the public good
What are the functions of the SMS?
On behalf of your business, your level 1 and level 2 users can perform a range of sponsorship activities online through the SMS.
These include:
- Managing details about key personnel and the sponsor licence
- Adding or removing additional level 1 and level 2 users
- Creating, assigning, and withdrawing the CoS and CAS
- Applying for an increase in the allocation of the CoS and CAS
- Applying to renew the sponsor licence
- Tracking the status of the sponsor licence renewal application
- Reporting any changes in the details or activities of sponsored employees
- Receiving important messages from the Home Office
- Paying for and tracking the progress of action plans—only applicable in instances where your sponsor licence has been downgraded due to non-compliance
How can Nation.better help?
At Nation.better, we understand that obtaining your sponsorship licence and ensuring compliance with sponsor requirements can be a stressful and complex undertaking, especially when you don’t have the right support.
That’s why through our expert-led sponsor licence services, Skilled Worker visa support services, and end-to-end sponsorship compliance platform, we provide you with the support and tools you need to streamline this process.
If you’d like to learn more about how we can support you in your recruitment journey, schedule a meeting with our team today.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can.Our compliance platform is integrated with the SMS, allowing you to receive instant notifications from the Home Office.
You can use the sponsor licence renewal option on the SMS to apply for a new licence.With the Nation.better platform, you’ll be notified when you need to renew your sponsor licence and receive step-by-step instructions on how to apply for a renewal via the SMS.
Yes.Your level 1 and level 2 users can create and assign the CoS to your sponsored employees to complete their Skilled Worker visa processes.
Speak to us
If you’d like to learn more about the SMS or are interested in knowing how our platform fits within your compliance workflows, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
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