Immigration lawyers in Ilford for sponsor licences
Since the Home Office handles licence applications, and their supporting documents, online and by email, a Ilford business never has to meet an immigration lawyer in person to instruct one. Write to us through the form on this page, and a firm of immigration solicitors that handles sponsor licence cases will get back to you.
- Licensed sponsors in Ilford942organisations, 0.7% of the UK's 127,744
- Under the Skilled Worker route925 outof the 942 in Ilford
- Senior or Specialist transfers6sponsors moving staff from an overseas branch
- Sponsor licence fee£611 or £1,682small or charity / medium or large, paid to the Home Office
The figures come from the licensed sponsors register kept by the Home Office, 22 October 2026 edition.
Sponsor licence help from immigration solicitors in Ilford
When Ilford employers look for an immigration solicitor, they usually want help with one of these:
- getting a licence on a first application
- weighing up their options after a refusal
- staying on top of their sponsor duties
- replying to a suspension letter, or handling a revocation
- sponsoring one particular worker with a licence they already hold
Each one has its own papers and its own deadlines. One regulated immigration solicitor firm receives your question, and it then works with you directly. What that involves is explained in our general guide to immigration solicitors.
| Skilled Worker | 925 |
|---|---|
| Religious Worker | 7 |
| Minister of Religion (old Tier 2) | 7 |
| Charity Worker | 6 |
| Senior or Specialist Worker | 6 |
| Creative Worker | 5 |
| International Sportsperson | 2 |
Does the immigration lawyer you use need to be in Ilford?
Not for the licence. You apply online, and the Home Office needs your supporting documents by email within 5 working days of the submission (Appendix A, sections 1.3 and 1.5). Your key contact (the Home Office's main contact, as named on the licence) gets any caseworker question by email. So firms in any part of the UK can manage your Ilford application by email and video.
Visits are the exception to that. Compliance visits from the Home Office happen at your premises, or at the place where any sponsored staff of yours work, and they can be unannounced (Part 3 sponsor guidance).
Ilford employers that hold a sponsor licence
The Home Office register dated 22 October 2026 lists 942 organisations that name Ilford as their town (GOV.UK register). It equals about 0.7% of all UK licensed sponsors, 127,744 in total. The register covers 5,763 towns, with Ilford falling between Coventry (915) and Nottingham (1,050). A Skilled Worker licence is held by 925 of the Ilford sponsors. You can search for a named employer with our register search.
Although Ilford is part of Greater London, towns are kept separate by the register. If an employer's entry says London, it counts towards the London total of 36,656 rather than the Ilford figure.
Keeping to the rules with a Ilford licence
After your licence is granted, you have 20 working days to report most changes affecting your organisation. Reports go through SMS, the Home Office's online sponsor account (Part 3, section C2). There's also a 20 working day window to reply in writing to a suspension letter (Part 3, section C9). Employers usually bring in a solicitor during that short window. The day-to-day obligations are set out in our sponsor duties guide.
What lawyers charge, and the papers to have ready
Prices are set by each solicitor. When you apply for a sponsor licence, two of the firms that publish what they charge ask £3,000 to £4,500 plus VAT. The firm that answers you will give its own quote. It helps to have these ready before you get in touch (Appendix A):
- your latest annual accounts, or a Companies House link to where they are posted free online
- your business's recent bank statement
- HMRC proof of PAYE registration, showing the employer reference you use
- a staff list showing each person's job title, if your workforce is no bigger than 50 people
- who will fill the three licence management roles: level 1 user, key contact, and authorising officer (GOV.UK)
What Ilford employers want to know about immigration lawyers
How do I check whether an Ilford immigration lawyer is regulated?
Since Ilford is in England, the Solicitors Regulation Authority regulates a solicitor there, and the SRA register lists them. There is also a Find a Solicitor directory from the Law Society of England and Wales. Search the Immigration Advice Authority adviser finder if your adviser is not a solicitor; it shows each adviser's permitted level of work. GOV.UK warns that, with an unregulated adviser, you can't get your money back (GOV.UK).
What if our application for an Ilford licence was refused?
A failed application in the last 6 months usually means no licence (GOV.UK). You can only ask for a review if the caseworker got something wrong or failed to consider your papers; disagreement is not enough (GOV.UK). Looking at the refusal letter, a solicitor can tell you which of these applies. Our refused licence guide has more.
Ask an immigration solicitor about your Ilford business
Tell the firm what you are trying to do and it will answer by email.