Immigration lawyers in Reading for sponsor licences
A Reading business can hire an immigration lawyer for its sponsor licence without meeting face to face, because applications and supporting documents go to the Home Office online and by email. Write to us using the form on this page, and one immigration solicitor firm that takes sponsor licence cases will answer.
- Licensed sponsors based in Reading913organisations, equal to 0.7% of the UK's 127,744
- Under the Skilled Worker route883of Reading's 913
- Transfers under Senior or Specialist144sponsors bringing staff over from a branch abroad
- Sponsor licence fee£611 or £1,682small or charity / medium or large, paid to the Home Office
These figures come from the Home Office register for licensed sponsors, 22 October 2026 edition.
Immigration solicitors in Reading for sponsor licences
Employers in Reading who want an immigration solicitor tend to look for support 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 comes with its own paperwork and deadlines. A single regulated immigration solicitor firm receives your question and then works with you directly. What that involves is set out in our general guide to immigration solicitors.
| Skilled Worker | 883 |
|---|---|
| Senior or Specialist Worker | 144 |
| International Sportsperson | 16 |
| Minister of Religion (old Tier 2) | 12 |
| Charity Worker | 9 |
| Religious Worker | 9 |
| Graduate Trainee | 6 |
| Creative Worker | 2 |
| UK Expansion Worker | 2 |
Does the immigration lawyer you use have to be in Reading?
Not for the licence, no. You fill in the application form online, then the supporting documents must be emailed to the Home Office within 5 working days of submission (Appendix A, sections 1.3 and 1.5). Your key contact, the person named on the licence as the Home Office's main contact, receives any caseworker question by email. A firm anywhere in the UK can therefore run your Reading application over email and video.
Visits are the exception. With a compliance visit, the Home Office comes to your premises, or to wherever your sponsored staff work, and it may be unannounced (Part 3 sponsor guidance).
Reading employers that hold a sponsor licence
The Home Office register dated 22 October 2026 shows 913 organisations giving their town as Reading (GOV.UK register). Out of 127,744 licensed sponsors across the UK, about 0.7% are Reading's. Among the register's 5,763 towns, Reading falls between Coventry (915) and Slough (863). Of the Reading sponsors, 883 hold a Skilled Worker licence. To find a named employer, use our register search.
Keeping a Reading licence compliant
After your licence is granted, you have 20 working days to report most changes to your organisation. Use SMS, the sponsorship management system, which is the Home Office's account for sponsors online (Part 3, section C2). There are also 20 working days to reply in writing if you receive a suspension letter (Part 3, section C9). Employers usually bring in a solicitor during that short window. Our guide to sponsor duties covers the day-to-day obligations.
What lawyers charge, and papers to have ready
Every solicitor decides their own fees. Among firms that publish their prices, two ask between £3,000 and £4,500, plus VAT, for a sponsor licence application. Whichever firm replies, it will quote you its own fee. Having these to hand before you make contact is useful (Appendix A):
- your latest annual accounts, or a Companies House link to the free online copies
- a recent bank statement for the business
- proof from HMRC that you are registered for PAYE, with your employer reference
- a list of your staff with everyone's job title, if you employ at most 50 people
- who will take on the three licence management roles: level 1 user, key contact and authorising officer (GOV.UK)
Immigration lawyer questions from Reading employers
How do I check that an immigration lawyer in Reading is regulated?
Since Reading is in England, its solicitors come under the Solicitors Regulation Authority and appear on the SRA register. There is also a Find a Solicitor directory run by the Law Society of England and Wales. A non-solicitor adviser can be checked through the Immigration Advice Authority adviser finder, which lists the level of work each person may do. You cannot claim a refund when the adviser is not regulated, GOV.UK warns (GOV.UK).
What if our Reading licence application was refused?
If you applied unsuccessfully within the last 6 months, you will not usually get a licence (GOV.UK). A review is possible only if the caseworker got something wrong or overlooked your documents. Merely disagreeing is not enough (GOV.UK). A solicitor can read your refusal letter and say which of these applies to you. Our guide to refused licences has more.
Ask an immigration solicitor about your Reading business
Tell the firm what you are trying to do and it will answer by email.