Immigration Update: Delays With The Processing of Annual Certificate of Sponsorship Allocations

The annual allocation period for certificates of sponsorship (“CoS”) ended on 5 April and on that date any (“CoS”) remaining on the Sponsor Management System will have been deleted.  It appears there are serious delays in processing this year’s allocation requests. Despite submitting requests to renew CoS allocations as early as January this year, many sponsors are finding that the requests have not yet been processed.  This means that employers are unable to sponsor any further migrants under the Tier 2 category until the new allocation appears on the Sponsor Management System.

Kingsley Napley has raised the issue with the UK Border Agency who has responded to say that, due to the high number of requests currently being processed, they cannot expedite any requests unless a CoS needs to be assigned urgently within the next seven days and the sponsor can provide a sufficient justification, such as leave expiring or an imminent appointment for leave consideration date.

The UK Border Agency is claiming that if sponsors sign up for their new Premium Service to become a Premium Service Sponsor, any outstanding requests will be expedited. However, before a sponsor can sign up for this new service they would first have to undergo a compliance visit and receive approval which could delay matters further.

If you are interested in exploring the possibility of becoming a Premium Service Sponsor, please speak to your usual Kingsley Napley contact. 

Nicolas Rollason, Head of Immigration