If you are looking to hire from outside of the UK you will need to have a sponsor licence (this includes anyone who arrived in the UK from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland after 31st December 2020)
The position you wish to fill should fall under a ‘job shortage occupation’ category – in this instance, that would be ‘Health and Social Care’. A list of eligible roles can be found here.
To gain a sponsor licence there are various steps to follow and further information can be found here on the Governments website. The key points being:
The application process can take 8 weeks, but if successful you will be given the relevant licence rating and will be able to issue Certificates of Sponsorship to successful applicants. Once issued, the licence is valid for 4 years, although this is on the basis that you continue to meet the sponsor responsibilities.
For an applicant to be eligible for a Skilled Worker Visa they must score at least 70 points. 50 of these points are mandatory, and non-negotiable:
The remaining 20 points can be awarded via salary, or additional relevant qualifications (PhD/ STEM PhD), or be applying for a job on the ‘shortage occupation’ list (as mentioned above).
If you do not wish to go down the sponsorship route, or the Points-Based Immigration System is not suitable, you can hire from the existing UK labour market. This includes:
Checks must be done on all applicants, and since 1st July 2021 you are no longer allowed to accept EU passports or ID cards (unless an Irish citizen) – all checks should be carried out online. Evidence must be kept as you could be asked to provide proof at a later date (a printout or saved pdf copy).
For further information on Right to Work Checks can be found by visiting the Governments website – Checking a job applicant’s right to work or they can be called on 0300 790 6268
