Employers who are seeking to sponsor non-EU workers for a UK Tier 2 work permit during the winter season have been told to expect delays.
According to a report published by Personnel Today, employers need a restricted Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) for a UK Tier 2 work permit if your future employee is applying for a UK visa from abroad.
However, the report warns that there is currently no guarantee that an application for a restricted CoS will be accepted due to concerns that the visa cap will be reached within a matter of weeks in the first few months of the year.
According to Personnel Today, the annual visa allocation year runs from April to April, with up to 20,700 UK visas allocated unevenly throughout the year. While those applying in April may be one of around 2,200 accepted, this number is likely to reduce to as low as 1,000 by March.
Commenting on the figures, Sanwar Ali of Workpermit.com suggested that it could be a waste of time and resources for employers to apply for a restricted CoS if their employee’s salary will be lower than around £50,000.
“Applications for those who are on the shortage occupation list or in PhD level occupations will still most likely gain enough points even at lower salary levels,” he said. “Maybe it will be easier to obtain restricted Certificates of Sponsorship from April 2018 when the new quota starts.”