CG's business immigration team helps UK employers to sponsor and retain overseas workers while staying compliant with the Home Office rules. We apply for and manage sponsor licences, manage end-to-end visa applications across all sponsored immigration routes, carry out compliance audits and can act as a named contact on your licence.
Because our immigration and employment teams sit side by side, you get expert advice that holds up from both angles - not one without the other.
Unsure if you are Home Office compliant? Use our online audit tool to see if you need us to assist.
THE NUMBERS THAT MATTER
Sponsorship costs add up fast. Here's what you're budgeting for on average.
£611-£1,682
sponsor licence fee - small / large.
CoS £525
per Certificate of Sponsorship (Worker routes). CoS assignment fee per CoS.
£1,320
Immigration Skills Charge, per worker per year for large sponsors.
8 wks
typical Home Office decision on a licence.
Avg.3
dedicated immigration specialists on your matter.
Home Office fees correct as of June 2026 and payable to UKVI, not CG. Always confirm the latest figures on gov.uk before budgeting.
the routes we handle
Our Immigration Services
Whatever you're trying to do either bringing in a specialist, employing a graduate, or setting up in the UK - there's a route for it. We'll find the right one.
The UK's main work route. Long-term hires in eligible roles, with a path to settlement.
Moving senior staff or specialists from an overseas group company into the UK.
Graduates on a structured training programme within a multinational group.
Setting up a UK footprint before you have a trading presence.
Contractual service and secondment arrangements with an overseas link.
Employing students who have completed their studies and graduates already in the UK.
Younger workers from participating countries coming to experience life and work in the UK.
What overseas staff can and can't do on a business visit.
Partners and children of the above (where eligible), handled alongside the main application.
Immigration Compliance Check
Why not see if you are compliant?
Compliance visits from the Home Office are rising, and they increasingly turn up unannounced. An audit is the difference between fixing a problem on your terms and explaining it on theirs. Whether you are considering gaining a sponsor licence, wanting peace of mind on your HR and right-to-work processes or making sure your licence isn’t at risk we can help.
We review everything an officer would – contracts of employment, Certificates of Sponsorship, licence records, right-to-work checks, payroll, reporting then cross-check it to surface the inconsistencies that cause trouble. You get a RAG-rated report, with a plain-English action point against every item.
how we work
What to expect working with us
At CG, we help your business to get to grips with, and stay on top of, the increasingly complex immigration landscape. We assist with all aspects of sponsorship, the visas, the audits and the day-to-day, so you can get on with running your business with peace of mind.
01
A proper conversation
We start by understanding your business, your workforce and where you're trying to get to. No jargon, no assumptions.
02
Scope & audit
Agreeing a clear plan to support your existing and anticipated migrant workforce. Whether you require training, an audit, or a review of your processes and documentation, we will make sure you have all the information you need, explained in plain English, to get you in a great place.
03
We do the work
Gaining and maintaining your licence, Certificates of Sponsorship and visas - handled end to end, with timely applications managed in a professional and friendly manner.
04
Ongoing management
On a retainer, we become an extension of your team and one of your Key Personnel on the licence, tracking expiries, handling reporting, planning ahead and flagging risk early.
Immigration Compliance Check
End-to-end support for UK employers
From the licence application to ongoing day-to-day management, pick the bits you need or hand us the lot.
Sponsor licence applications
We find the licence structure that fits your business structure. Whether that’s head office only, or covering branches and subsidiaries setting you up for success.
Compliance & management
We can review and prepare contractual and policy documentation and help with roll out of the same. Advising and reviewing any clawback clauses in respect of immigration costs is key.
Immigration audits
A full health-check of your sponsorship and HR systems, delivered as a clear, RAG-rated report with practical fixes before the Home Office finds the gaps.
Visa applications
From requesting and assigning Certificates of Sponsorship to the application itself - entry clearance, switching or extension across all the main routes.
Settlement & retention
Indefinite Leave to Remain for workers who qualify so you keep good people and lose the ongoing cost of re-sponsoring them.
Training
Tailored sessions in person or remotely for managers and HR on right-to-work checks and sponsor duties.
"Thank you for delivering a wonderfully informative Immigration Training session"
Air IT - CG client
"CG were able to advise practical and realistic options when dealing with a number of employment issues."
CTS Group - CG client
"CG have provided high quality legal support to us for many years. We really value the personable & approachable nature of the CG team"
The Alchemist - CG client
"We really value the support and appreciate the transparent and up-front approach to fees."
TrustFord - CG client
"Thank you for the engaging training sessions. Everyone found the content both engaging and highly informative"
Lucchini - CG client
Immigration and employment
Our focus is on delivering much of our support on a fixed price retainer basis where possible. Avoid being charged in minimum blocks of 6 minutes for every call, email or document! Budget friendly yearly planning provides you with certainty on our fees.
We protect sponsors first
Our focus is to keep the organisation holding the licence compliant, keeping the licence safe, and keeping unnecessary risk out of your recruitment, allowing you to retain your migrant workforce.
Fees that suit how you work
Our transparent pricing can be found at the top of this page.
Immigration FAQs
Everything you need to know about Business Immigration and how CG can help.
In most cases, yes. To employ someone who doesn't already have the right to work in the UK including EU, EEA and Swiss nationals who arrived after 31 December 2020 - you'll generally need a sponsor licence before they can apply for their visa. There are a few exceptions, and we can tell you quickly whether you need one.
Business immigration concerns the framework applicable to organisations and migrant workers who need to navigate government rules governing the entry and stay of migrants in the UK for business activities.
CG bring legal expertise in this area to help reduce the risk of non-compliance, civil penalties and sponsor licence revocation which can lead in some cases to mass dismissals of migrant workers.
Plenty of firms will get you a licence. Far fewer will help you keep it. We do both.Most applications are decided within eight weeks. A priority service is available for an additional Home Office fee, targeting a decision in roughly ten working days.
No. Since 2024, sponsors are banned from passing on the licence fee, the Certificate of Sponsorship assignment fee or the Immigration Skills Charge to sponsored workers. Doing so is a serious breach and can cost you your licence which is why professional support with training, audits and compliance is essential.
A Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is an electronic record you create through the Sponsor Management System for each worker you sponsor. It carries a unique reference number the worker uses to apply for their visa. A new one must be assigned and paid for each time you sponsor a worker, including for extensions and changes of employer. Just to complicate matters there are two types and it’s essential you get the right type for the specific visa application.
An immigration audit can be used to help prepare for a licence application (as the Home Office can visit you before making a decision) or give assurance that you remain complaint with the latest immigration provisions. It is a structured review of your HR systems against current Home Office guidance, delivered as a RAG-rated report with practical fixes. If you hold a licence, sponsor workers, or are about to start, it gives you assurance you are fighting fit.
Yes! We can act as your Level 1 User, legal representative and/or key contact for Home Office communications, run your day-to-day Sponsor Management System tasks, track every deadline, and handle reporting so immigration matters stop causing you sleepless nights.
Unfortunately, if your business loses its sponsor licence, it will usually be subject to a mandatory 12-month cooling off period.
During the cooling off period, your business cannot apply for a new sponsor licence and must instead seek to address the issues that led to the revocation.
At the end of the cooling off period, provided your business can demonstrate to the Home Office that all concerns have been dealt with and measures put in place to ensure future compliance, you may apply for a new sponsor licence.
Want to speak to one of the wider CG team?
We can be contacted in several ways: use the enquiry form below, phone us, e-mail or follow us on social media.
© 2026 CG Professional. Company number 10621734