Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the time taken to process certificate of sponsorship applications.

It is the responsibility of individual businesses to monitor the visa expiry dates of their overseas employees and to take appropriate action to ensure continuity of employment.

The published service standard for non-complex Undefined Certificate of Sponsorship (UCoS) allocations and renewals is 18 weeks, as outlined on GOV.UK. Businesses may also opt to use the priority service, which aims to process requests within 5 working days.

Responsibility for submitting timely applications or updates lies with the sponsoring business.

Where necessary, the Home Office conducts additional checks to maintain the integrity of the immigration system, which may delay the processing of applications to assure ourselves that requests are genuine and full-time work and employment will be given to a prospective employee, for their own protection.

UK visa sponsorship for employers: Your responsibilities - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab)

The Home Office is currently operating within the published service standards for all Sponsorship applications and keeps all service offerings under review.