A-Rated vs B-Rated Sponsor Licence: What It Means for Workers
If you hold or are applying for a Skilled Worker visa, your employer's sponsor licence rating directly affects your immigration status. This guide explains the rating system, what each category means, and how to protect yourself.
- Section
- Employers & Sponsors
- Reading time
- 9 min
- Last checked
- 1 February 2026
- Source
- The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
- Rowan does not
- Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.
In short
- An A-rated sponsor can assign certificates of sponsorship normally.
- A B-rating costs £1,579 for an action plan, payable within 10 working days, and the plan runs for a fixed 3 months.
- A B-rated sponsor cannot sponsor new workers, but can still assign certificates to existing workers extending their permission.
- A sponsor can be B-rated twice in any 4-year rolling period; a third downgrade means revocation.
- The GOV.UK register of licensed sponsors lists each sponsor's rating and routes.
UK sponsors are rated A or B by the Home Office based on their compliance record. An A-rating means the sponsor is fully compliant, while a B-rating indicates problems that must be fixed. Understanding this system is essential for anyone on or applying for a sponsored work visa.
How the Sponsor Rating System Works
Every UK employer that wants to sponsor overseas workers must hold a sponsor licence. The Home Office assigns each licensed sponsor a rating based on their compliance with immigration duties. There are two ratings:
- A-rated: The sponsor meets all compliance requirements. They can assign certificates of sponsorship and sponsor new workers without restriction.
- B-rated: The sponsor has failed to meet one or more compliance duties. They are placed on a time-limited action plan and face restrictions until they demonstrate improvement.
The rating system is designed to ensure that employers take their sponsorship responsibilities seriously. You can view the full register of licensed sponsors on GOV.UK.
What Makes a Sponsor A-Rated
An A-rated sponsor is one that has demonstrated full compliance with its sponsorship duties. These duties include:
- Keeping accurate records of sponsored workers (contact details, attendance, right to work documents)
- Reporting changes to the Home Office (such as a worker leaving, being absent, or changing roles)
- Only assigning certificates of sponsorship for genuine vacancies that meet the skill and salary requirements
- Cooperating with Home Office compliance visits
A new licence is granted with an A-rating. GOV.UK puts the downgrade condition plainly: “Your A-rated licence may be downgraded to a B-rating at a later stage if you do not continue to meet your sponsor responsibilities.”
What a B-Rating Means
A B-rating is a downgrade, not a revocation. The Home Office has identified failures against the sponsor duties and is setting out what must change. The grounds are listed in the annexes to part 3 of the sponsor guidance and include:
- Failing to report worker absences or changes in circumstances
- Not keeping proper records
- Assigning certificates of sponsorship for jobs that do not meet the requirements
- Failing a compliance visit or audit
A B-rated sponsor is given an action plan. GOV.UK sets out the terms: it costs £1,579, which must be paid within 10 working days of the Home Office notifying the downgrade, and the plan runs for a fixed period of 3 months. A sponsor that does not pay loses its licence.
At the end of the 3 months the sponsor is restored to an A-rating if every step has been completed, or loses its licence if they have not. A sponsor can be B-rated twice in any 4-year rolling period; if the grounds for a downgrade are met a third time in that period, the licence is revoked rather than downgraded.
While on a B-rating, the sponsor cannot assign new certificates of sponsorship to sponsor new workers. It can still assign them to workers it already employs who want to extend their permission to stay, within the allocation the action plan sets.
Impact on Existing Workers
If you already hold a valid Skilled Worker visa and your employer is downgraded to a B-rating, your visa is not automatically cancelled. You can continue working for that employer while they address the compliance issues.
However, there are risks to be aware of:
- If the sponsor fails to return to an A-rating and their licence is revoked, your visa will be curtailed (shortened). You will typically have 60 days to find a new sponsor or make alternative arrangements.
- An extension is still possible. GOV.UK says a B-rated sponsor can assign certificates to workers it already employs who want to extend their permission to stay, so a downgrade does not by itself block an extension or a later application for indefinite leave to remain.
Impact on New Applicants
A B-rated sponsor cannot assign certificates of sponsorship to sponsor new workers. That means a new hire from outside the organisation cannot be sponsored while the rating stands. The rating is published, so it can be checked before a job offer is accepted.
To check an employer's rating, visit the GOV.UK register of licensed sponsors and search for the company name. The register shows the sponsor's name, rating, and which visa routes they are licensed for.
If the employer you want to work for does not appear on the register at all, they do not hold a sponsor licence and cannot sponsor you. They would need to apply for a sponsor licence first. GOV.UK says most licence applications are dealt with in less than 8 weeks.
What Happens When a Licence Is Revoked
If a sponsor's licence is revoked (whether from a B-rating or for other reasons), all sponsored workers are affected. The Home Office will:
- Shorten the worker’s permission, normally to 60 calendar days from the date of the curtailment letter — or leave it as it is, if less than 60 days remained
- Write to the worker to say so. The sponsorship itself ends with the licence
Within those 60 days, you can:
- Find a new employer with a valid sponsor licence and apply to change sponsors
- Apply to switch to a different route from inside the UK, if that route allows switching. The Graduate route does not: GOV.UK requires that your current visa is a Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa
- Leave the UK before the curtailment date to avoid overstaying
What Is Public, and What Is Not
A worker has no visibility of an employer’s compliance correspondence. What is published is narrower:
- The register of licensed sponsors. It lists each sponsor’s name, its rating, and the routes it is licensed for. It is updated regularly, so a rating can be re-checked.
- Nothing about the reason for a rating. The register does not say why a sponsor is B-rated, when the action plan started, or how it is going.
- The switching rules. Which routes can be applied for from inside the UK is published route by route on GOV.UK, and summarised in our visa switching guide.
Next Steps
The GOV.UK register of licensed sponsors is the published source for any employer's rating. For an individual case, an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority can advise; our guide to immigration solicitor costs covers what that involves.
Related guides:
Questions and answers
What is the difference between an A-rated and B-rated sponsor?
An A-rated sponsor can assign certificates of sponsorship normally. A B-rated sponsor has been downgraded for failing to meet its sponsor duties, must pay £1,579 for an action plan within 10 working days, and cannot assign certificates to sponsor new workers while the rating stands.
Can I still work for a B-rated sponsor?
A visa already granted is not cancelled by the sponsor being downgraded. A B-rated sponsor cannot assign certificates to sponsor new workers, but GOV.UK says it can still assign them to workers it already employs who want to extend their permission to stay.
How do I check my employer's sponsor rating?
You can check the register of licensed sponsors on GOV.UK. It lists every licensed sponsor along with their current rating (A or B) and the visa routes they are licensed for.
What happens if my sponsor loses their licence entirely?
If a sponsor's licence is revoked, the Home Office shortens the permission of the workers it was sponsoring, normally to 60 calendar days from the date of the curtailment letter — unless less than 60 days remained, in which case the permission is left as it is.
This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.