WEB 3074 Sponsor Licences and Compliance: obtaining and keeping a licence

Level: Intermediate

Description:

Practitioners and HR specialists will receive an in-depth look at sponsor licences. This will not only include practical advice on how to obtain a sponsor licence but also how to ensure effective compliance and retain the licence. We will discuss the submission process and compliance requirements, highlighting pitfalls and providing tips. We will advise upon the HR practices necessary to ensure sponsor duties are met and other factors that the Home Office would be looking for at a compliance visit. We will also discuss our experience with sponsor license refusals, downgrading and revocations – providing tips for avoiding these and challenging them where necessary.

Audience:

This course is designed for business immigration practitioners and HR specialists who advise on sponsor licences.

Tutors: Smruti Jeyanandhan, Bates Wells and Sam Ingham, Laura Devine Immigration

Smruti Jeyanandhan is a UK immigration and nationality law specialist with over 18 years’ experience advising corporate and private clients on complex business and personal immigration matters.

Smruti has significant experience in delivering strategic solutions-focused advice to employers on sponsor licence applications and employer compliance support. Smruti regularly advises on sponsored as well as self-sponsored routes and provides an end-to-end service to ensure each individual feels supported throughout the process. As the immigration landscape is ever-changing, having an in-depth understanding of the multitude of immigration routes and how they interplay, allows Smruti to provide strategic advice that takes into account business drivers as well as personal needs of the individual.

Smruti is a seasoned presenter, delivering training to corporate clients on sponsorship and compliance. She previously held the role of co-convenor for ILPA’s economic migration working group and regularly provides training for ILPA on Innovators and on Sponsor Licences and Compliance . Smruti is recognised in a number of legal directories, including Chambers and Partners, Legal 500 and Who’s Who Legal.

Sam Ingham is a Solicitor at Laura Devine Immigration and has focused exclusively on UK immigration and nationality law since 2012. His extensive experience includes facilitating immigration solutions for multinational companies including tech start-ups and companies in the insurance, banking, and life sciences sector. He has developed particular expertise with sponsor licence applications, compliance and sponsored worker applications.

Sam is an experienced trainer and public speaker having delivered ILPA training on sponsorship and compliance for over seven years and presented at the ILPA sponsor licence conference for the last two years. He attends and contributes to the ILPA Economic Migration Working Group and has been involved in successfully lobbying the Home Office to effect policy changes.