What sponsor ratings mean
Every entry on the register carries a rating. It describes the Home Office's current assessment of the sponsor's compliance with its duties, not the quality of the employer.
A rating
An A-rating is the standard rating a sponsor holds when its licence is granted and it is meeting its sponsor duties.
B rating
A B-rating is a downgrade applied when the Home Office finds a sponsor is not meeting its duties. The sponsor is set an action plan to return to an A-rating and, according to the guidance, cannot sponsor new workers while B-rated.
The guidance describes an action plan with a time limit; a sponsor that does not complete it can have its licence revoked.
A (Premium) and A (SME+)
A-rated, and enrolled in the Home Office's paid Premium customer service scheme for larger sponsors. A-rated, and enrolled in the Home Office's paid SME+ customer service scheme for smaller sponsors.
Provisional
A provisional rating is issued only on the UK Expansion Worker route, to a business that does not yet have a trading presence in the UK; it is replaced by a full rating once the UK presence is established.
How this site shows ratings
Ratings are per route. An organisation licensed on two routes can hold different ratings on each; the profile page lists every route with its own rating, and the change history records when a rating changed and from what.
Common questions
- Does a B-rating mean the licence has been revoked?
- No. A B-rated sponsor still holds a licence. Revocation removes the organisation from the register altogether.
- Is an A (Premium) sponsor better than an A sponsor?
- Both are A-rated. Premium and SME+ indicate the sponsor pays for the Home Office's enhanced customer service scheme; they say nothing about the workers or the jobs.
Sources
Regulated advice
We publish the facts. An adviser explains what they mean for you.
Questions about a sponsor licence, a rating, or a change on the register can only be answered for your own circumstances by an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority, or by a solicitor.
Ask a regulated adviser