The Home Office has tightened its stance on ethical sponsorship practices with a new prohibition on recouping sponsorship fees and related costs from sponsored workers, effective from 9 April 2025 across all immigration routes.
While this rule was previously applied to the Skilled Worker route on 31 December 2024, it has now been expanded to cover additional routes, including:
Global Business Mobility (GBM) routes
Minister of Religion
International Sportsperson
Scale-up
Seasonal Worker
Under the updated guidance, sponsors must not seek repayment from sponsored workers for:
The sponsor licence fee, or any associated administrative costs — where the deduction occurs on or after 9 April 2025, for all routes.
The Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) fee, or any associated administrative costs — where the CoS is assigned on or after 9 April 2025, for the above-listed routes.
The Home Office has made it expressly clear that attempts to recoup any portion of these fees, whether directly or through payroll deductions, will constitute a breach of sponsor duties.
Sponsors are advised to consult section L6 of Part 1 of the sponsor guidance for further details on what constitutes “associated administrative costs”:
🔗 Sponsorship Fees – Part 1: Apply for a Licence
This policy update signals the government’s continued efforts to protect migrant workers from exploitative practices and uphold integrity within the UK’s sponsorship system.
Source: LIIE IMMIGRATION
