Our Immigration Team has sector-specific experience and can provide legal support and advice to businesses on all aspects of immigration law, including recruiting and retaining workers from outside of the UK.

Partner Julie Moktadir heads the Immigration Team at Stone King. Julie and the team represent and support many businesses struggling to recruit within the UK, from start-ups to tech companies to international hospitality organisations. We advise on all aspects of global mobility, international hiring, and employee relocation, including sponsorship, the impact of Brexit, and cross-border working.

 

 

Our team can offer solutions to workforce planning issues and advise on how to recruit from overseas. We work with businesses headquartered or set up outside the UK who are looking to send employees to the UK, as well as UK companies receiving or hiring staff with an immigration need from within the UK.

We provide comprehensive support on the sponsor licensing process. We can assist with the management of your sponsorship license by supporting your Sponsorship Management System (SMS). We can further support you by ensuring you are up-to-date with the latest sponsor duties as well as acting as a Level 1 user on your SMS. Find out more about this service here.

Areas in which we can support you:

Any business seeking to fill vacancies may look to sponsor overseas workers. Our team is able to advise on effective recruitment and selection as well as providing comprehensive guidance and advice on all aspects of sponsorship, including: 

  • Applying for a sponsorship license
  • Navigating the Sponsor Management System (SMS)
  • Acting as a Level 1 user to effectively manage your sponsor license and ensure compliance

Once a business has obtained a sponsor license, we have a range of services and support packages available to assist with the sponsorship of overseas employees under the Skilled Worker, Temporary Worker, and Global Business Mobility routes, including:

  • Undertaking sponsorship eligibility assessments to ensure the legal requirements of a specific visa route are satisfied
  • Obtaining and assigning Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) on your behalf
  • Full support with visa applications for overseas employees
  • Support with ongoing compliance with UKVI reporting and record-keeping duties in respect of each sponsored worker within your business.

Employers and sponsors must operate in a strict compliance environment. Our training and audit services empower businesses to manage their sponsor management system and right to work obligations effectively to avoid expensive civil penalties and UKVI compliance action.

Comprehensive ongoing support and ad hoc immigration advice We can provide specific support in relation to all types of immigration matters, including:

  • Right to Work Checks
  • Brexit and assisting your employees with late settled or pre-settled status applications under the EU Settlement Scheme The new Digital Immigration System
  • Changes to Immigration Law and Policy
  • Compliance with sponsor duties
  • Bespoke training sessions
  • Employees entering the UK under the Visitor Visa route

A tech company had been struggling to recruit in the UK due to the highly skilled labour required and therefore wished to recruit from abroad. Our team provided assistance with every stage of the application to facilitate sponsorship; successfully applied for a sponsorship license on their behalf and obtained now defined and skilled worker Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) to sponsor overseas workers. On the company’s behalf, the team applied for Entry Clearance under the Skilled Worker route and Leave to Remain under the Skilled Worker route, which were granted, allowing the individuals to begin work promptly.

The team supported an international business with obtaining a sponsor license in order to sponsor overseas nationals into vacancies that they were struggling to fill in the UK organisation. The specialised nature of the organisation meant it was difficult for them to find employees with the appropriate qualifications. The client already had two prospective candidates whom they were hoping to sponsor; both were already employees and had graduate visas that were due to expire shortly. The team therefore assisted the organisation in preparing a sponsor license application under the skilled worker immigration route and submitted detailed representations on the organisation's behalf in support of the application. The application was subsequently granted.

The team conducted a right-to-work audit for a large international organisation ahead of submitting an application for a sponsorship license on their behalf. Members of the team attended the organisation’s UK office to conduct a full audit of their right to work files, meeting with key personnel and providing follow-up advice on findings. The team thereafter assisted with a sponsorship license application for the organisation, which was subsequently granted.

We help businesses complete day-to-day tasks on the Sponsor Management System (SMS), both by guiding clients through this remotely and through being an appointed Level 1 user and completing this on their behalf.

What our clients say

"Julie knows what she is talking about. She is very good with clients and very direct. She provides really tangible advice."

What our clients say

"I have found the team most helpful and speedy in answering any query. A recent webinar was extremely helpful for me and showed very good team work."

Legal 500, 2021

What our clients say

"From my experience, I can say that Stone King LLP is a very serious firm, always acting in a very professional manner. They are always very helpful; if they cannot help with an issue they are honest and advise to get help from another competent firm. As they have different expertise they are able to deliver advice in a personal way."

Legal 500, 2021

What our clients say

"As far as my experience goes, the team at Stone King LLP works together giving a sense of trust to the client who comes to know that the team is capable of answering the needs the client may have."

Legal 500, 2021

The law and practice referred to in this article or webinar has been paraphrased or summarised. It might not be up-to-date with changes in the law and we do not guarantee the accuracy of any information provided at the time of reading. It should not be construed or relied upon as legal advice in relation to a specific set of circumstances.