An employer that wishes to employ specified foreign nationals, including skilled workers, from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) must ensure that it obtains a sponsorship licence from the Home Office. (A sponsor licence will be required when recruiting EEA nationals from 1 January 2021.)
The employer is required to comply with a number of conditions when applying for a licence, such as appointing individuals to certain defined positions of responsibility and having effective HR systems in place.
