The United Kingdom’s Home Office has introduced changes to its work visa sponsor licence issuance system that will greatly benefit foreign workers and local employers, VisaGuide reported.

Under the amendment, effective from April 6, the requirement to renew the United Kingdom work visa sponsor licences every four years will be lifted and will be extended for a period of ten years.

With the new changes, the expiring sponsor licences will automatically be extended for ten years.

Local businesses need a sponsor license to hire labourers to work in the UK from outside the country, including EU, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland citizens who arrived in the UK after December 31, 2020.

However, the local employers do not need a licence to sponsor a few groups of people including Irish citizens, foreigners with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, and those with indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

The local employers with sponsor status will not be required to renew their licences after their licenses are automatically extended as the changes take effect on April 6.

It is pertinent to mention that the earlier regime required sponsors to submit applications 90 days before the expiry date. The processing times for renewals could extend up to eight weeks.

Meanwhile, the UK’s Home Office is set to approach sponsors who have initiated the renewal process of their licences to refund their application fee.