Promotion or Role Change With the Same Sponsor: Do You Need a New CoS?

The Short Answer

A promotion or role change with your current sponsor does not always need a new CoS. CoS stands for Certificate of Sponsorship. It is the digital record your sponsor creates to confirm your job. Our guide on the Certificate of Sponsorship explains what it is.

Whether you need a new one comes down to one main question. Does your new role fall under a different occupation code? If it does, your sponsor usually must assign a new CoS. If it does not, you often do not need one.

What Is a SOC Code?

SOC stands for Standard Occupational Classification. A SOC code is the number the Home Office uses to identify your job. Every Skilled Worker job has a SOC code, and each code comes with its own going rate.

Your CoS lists the SOC code for your role. The going rate, which you can read about in our guide on the going rate, is tied to that code. This is why the SOC code matters so much when your job changes.

When You Need a New CoS

You usually need a new CoS when your duties change enough that your job falls under a different SOC code. A few examples make this clearer.

• You move from a hands-on technical role into a management role, and the new role sits under a different occupation code.
• You switch from one type of professional work to another, for example from one engineering field to a different one with its own code.
• Your job is reshaped so that most of your duties are now different from those on your current CoS.

In these cases, your sponsor usually has to assign a new CoS and, in many situations, you will need to make a new visa application as well. Ask your sponsor to confirm what is required for your exact change.

When You Probably Do Not Need a New CoS

Not every change triggers a new CoS. You often do not need one in these cases.

• A pay rise on its own. If your duties stay the same and only your salary goes up, the SOC code does not change.
• A new job title with the same duties. A title change does not matter if your actual work stays the same.
• More senior duties under the same code. If you take on more responsibility but the role still sits under the same SOC code, a new CoS may not be needed.

Even so, your sponsor should keep clear records of any change. If you are not sure whether the code has changed, treat it as something to check rather than to assume.