To qualify for the UKVI Pre-Licence Priority Service, the following conditions must be met:

• You must have submitted an application for a sponsor licence in an eligible category by completing the online form on the Home Office website.
• The application fee and the priority service fee must be paid in full.
• All required documentation, including the submission sheet and additional supporting documents for your work route(s), must be submitted to SponsorshipValidations@homeoffice.gov.uk within five business days of paying the priority service fee.
• If you’re adding the priority service to an existing application, all required documents must have already been submitted, and your application must not be under review.

The pre-licence priority service is available for eligible sponsor licence applications submitted between 9:00 am and 11:59 pm, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays. Please note that only 30 priority service slots are available each day across all qualifying routes.

You may request this service at the time of your sponsor licence application by paying both the application and priority service fees, provided you meet the eligibility criteria. Your submission sheet will serve as confirmation of payment.

If you wish to add the priority service after submitting your application, simply log back into your sponsor account using your username and password, then select ‘Finish incomplete applications.’ Make sure to keep your login credentials safe, as they will be necessary to request the priority service later.

Once the priority service fee is paid, a separate submission sheet will be generated, confirming your payment. You are not required to email this sheet.

There are several reasons why the pre-licence priority service may not be available to you, including:

• You are applying under an ineligible route.
• The Home Office has already reached its daily limit for priority requests.
• Your application was submitted outside the service’s operating hours.
• Your application is already under review by a Home Office caseworker.

Sponsor licence applications under the Priority Service are reviewed within 10 business days. The 10-day timeline starts from the next working day following the payment of the priority service fee, excluding weekends and public holidays. For instance, if you pay the fee on a Monday, the review period will commence on Tuesday.

However, the UKVI may be unable to meet this 10-day timeframe if:

• You fail to submit all mandatory and supplementary documents within 5 working days of paying the fee.
• You are adding the Priority Service to an already submitted application, but have not yet provided all required documents.
• You do not respond to requests for additional information.
• Additional checks are necessary for your case.

If the UKVI cannot process your application within the agreed timeframe, they will notify the authorising officer via email. It’s important for the authorising officer to regularly check their email inbox, including the junk folder.

Please note, UKVI will not issue refunds for the priority service fee if:

• Required documents were not submitted on time.
• You failed to respond to requests for further information.
• Your case involves complexities that require more time for assessment.

In rare cases where delays occur due to issues outside normal processing procedures, such as technical errors, you may be eligible for a refund of the priority service fee. The result of your application will be sent via email to the authorising officer listed on your licence application.

The Priority Service for a sponsor licence allows applicants to receive a decision within 10 working days, rather than the standard 8-week processing time. This expedited service requires an additional fee of £500. The service is often referred to as the Pre-Licence Priority Service.

You can opt for the Priority Service either when submitting your sponsor licence application or after it has been submitted and is still under review by the Home Office UKVI.

Opting for the UKVI Pre-Licence Priority Service allows you to receive a decision on your sponsor licence application within 10 working days. This is significantly faster than the standard service, which can take up to 8 weeks for the Home Office UKVI to process. By expediting the decision, you can promptly issue a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) and proceed with hiring your migrant worker much sooner.

Yes, you can still request the Pre-Licence Priority Service after submitting your sponsor licence application online, as long as your application has not yet been assigned to a caseworker. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Log into your sponsor application account using your username and password.
2. Navigate to ‘Finish incomplete applications’ and submit your request for the Priority Service.
3. Pay the additional £500 fee for Priority Service. After payment, you’ll receive a confirmation on a separate submission sheet.

No further action is needed after paying the fee, and the 10-day processing window begins the next working day following payment.

In certain cases, the Home Office UKVI may require more than 10 working days to process your application. This may happen if further checks are necessary, such as requesting additional documents or conducting a pre-licence compliance visit. If they cannot process the application within the 10-day period, the Authorising Officer will receive an email notification explaining the delay.

There are several reasons why the Priority Service may not be available for your sponsor licence application, including:

• Applications under the GBM Expansion Worker, GBM Service Supplier, or Scale-up routes are not eligible for Priority Service.
• The Home Office UKVI may have reached its daily limit for Priority Service requests.
• If you submit your request outside the service’s operating hours.
• If your application has already been assigned to a caseworker and is under review.

The daily cap for Priority Service requests pertaining to sponsor licence applications across all eligible routes is set at 30.

Requests for the Priority Service concerning sponsor licences can be submitted from 9:00 AM to 11:59 PM, Monday through Friday, excluding public holidays.

Opting for the Priority Service does not ensure the success of your application; rather, the chances of approval hinge on fulfilling all eligibility criteria requisite for obtaining the sponsor licence.

No, the Priority Service for sponsor licences is an optional feature designed to expedite decision-making, promising a response within 10 working days instead of the standard 8 weeks. Utilizing this service is not obligatory when applying for a sponsor licence.

On 21 June 2023, the Home Office UKVI unveiled updated procedures for applying for the pre-licence Priority Service. Effective immediately, requests for Priority Service are no longer accepted via email.

Under the revised application process for the pre-licence Priority Service, you may submit your request online either during the initial submission of your sponsor licence application or afterward, provided it is submitted before your application is assigned to a caseworker for evaluation.

The Home Office UKVI imposes an additional fee of £500 for the pre-licence priority service. This premium option expedites the decision-making process for sponsor licence applications, ensuring a response within 10 working days, in contrast to the standard processing time of 8 weeks.

For standard service applications, the fees are £536 for small organizations and £1,476 for medium or large organizations.

No, if your sponsor licence application encompasses any ineligible routes, the priority service option will not be available.

Yes, you may request priority service when adding a new sponsor licence route to your current licence.

It is not necessary to delay your submission. You should proceed with the standard service application. After submitting, log back into your sponsor application account the following day using your credentials. You can then select ‘Finish incomplete applications’ to check if the priority service is available, allowing you to request and pay for it separately.

You may continue this process on each working day until your application is assigned to a UKVI caseworker for review.

The Home Office UKVI limits pre-licence priority requests to maintain the quality and efficiency of service for applicants willing to pay for expedited processing. Regular evaluations of capacity are conducted, and the Home Office may increase the number of daily requests when demand can be met.