Sponsor licences employing non-EEA skilled workers begin to run out in a few days’ time and employers need to take action now, according to the head of immigration at Charles Russell.

Shahram Taghavi tells Recruiter that because sponsor licences are issued for a fixed four-year period, the first batch of licences issued when the points-based immigration system was launched in 2008 will start expiring on Tuesday of next week (27 November).

Sponsor licences are issued to employers wishing to employ skilled migrants with job offers who are coming to the UK to fill a gap in the labour market. To get a sponsor licence, you need to register with the UK Border Agency and file an online application form.

“It is essential for licences to be renewed, not only to ensure that employers can continue to hire skilled non-EEA skilled workers as and when they need them, but also to ensure that the can continue to lawfully employ their existing non-EEA workforce,” says Taghavi.

Among the other consequences of not applying for renewal of a licence before the expiry date is that all migrant workers have their visas curtailed and are forced to leave the UK.

For more on sponsor licences, see Richard Nicolle’s answer ‘What you need to know about sponsoring migrant workers from outside Europe'.