Key personnel are the people a UK employer appoints to manage its sponsor licence with the Home Office. The three roles are the authorising officer, who is responsible for the licence, the key contact, who deals with UK Visas and Immigration, and the Level 1 user, who runs the licence day to day.
Key points
- An application must name an authorising officer, a key contact and at least one Level 1 user. One person can fill all three roles if they are eligible.
- The authorising officer must be a paid member of staff or an office holder. A representative cannot be the authorising officer.
- At least one Level 1 user must be an employee, a director or a partner and a settled worker, unless an exception applies.
- A sponsor without an eligible authorising officer and Level 1 user in place risks losing its licence.
- The Home Office checks all key personnel on application and may repeat the checks at any time.
How key personnel work
A business that wants a sponsor licence must appoint people inside the business to manage sponsorship. The Home Office calls them key personnel.[1]Home Office, UK visa sponsorship for employers: Sponsorship management roles The application form asks for three roles. They can be filled by one person or by several, provided each is suitable and eligible. A sponsor can have only one authorising officer and one key contact at a time. It can have more than one Level 1 user.[2]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 1: apply for a licence (accessible version)
The Home Office checks the people it is told about. It checks its own records and the Police National Computer, and it may repeat the checks at any time while the licence is held.[2]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 1: apply for a licence (accessible version) The guidance says a licence may be refused if anyone involved in sponsorship has an unspent conviction for a listed offence, has been fined by UKVI in the past 12 months, or has been key personnel at a sponsor whose licence was refused in the last 6 months.[1]Home Office, UK visa sponsorship for employers: Sponsorship management roles
The three roles
Authorising officer
The authorising officer is a senior and competent person who is responsible for the actions of staff and representatives who use the sponsorship management system.[1]Home Office, UK visa sponsorship for employers: Sponsorship management roles The guidance says this must be the most senior person responsible for recruiting sponsored workers and making sure the sponsor meets its duties. The person must be a paid member of staff or an office holder. A representative or someone from another organisation cannot fill the role.[2]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 1: apply for a licence (accessible version)
The authorising officer does not get access to the sponsorship management system automatically. They must also be appointed as a Level 1 user to use it.[2]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 1: apply for a licence (accessible version)
Key contact
The key contact is the sponsor’s main point of contact with UKVI. The Home Office contacts them about queries on the application, supporting documents or payment of fees.[2]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 1: apply for a licence (accessible version) The key contact must be a paid member of staff, an office holder or a UK-based representative. The representative must be qualified to give immigration advice or services.[1]Home Office, UK visa sponsorship for employers: Sponsorship management roles[2]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 1: apply for a licence (accessible version)
Level 1 user
A Level 1 user is responsible for all day-to-day management of the licence using the sponsorship management system.[1]Home Office, UK visa sponsorship for employers: Sponsorship management roles That includes assigning certificates of sponsorship, reporting worker activity and telling the Home Office about changes to the organisation.[2]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 1: apply for a licence (accessible version) The sponsor must not let an SMS user assign a certificate to themselves or to a close relative or partner.[3]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance (accessible version) The older Level 2 user role cannot be filled any more. It was a more restricted role and it will not exist after 8 March 2027.[1]Home Office, UK visa sponsorship for employers: Sponsorship management roles
Who is eligible
| Requirement | What the guidance says |
|---|---|
| Location | Based in the UK most of the time, with an exception for some UK Expansion Worker sponsors |
| Status | Not a contractor or consultant hired for a specific project |
| Financial | Not subject to a bankruptcy restriction order or undertaking, or a debt relief restriction order or undertaking |
| Record | No history of non-compliance with sponsor requirements |
| Level 1 user | At least one must be an employee, a partner or a director, and a settled worker |
The first four rows apply to key personnel in general.[1]Home Office, UK visa sponsorship for employers: Sponsorship management roles The guidance sets out exceptions to the settled worker rule, for example for diplomatic missions and for authorising officers on certain other routes.[2]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 1: apply for a licence (accessible version) After the licence is granted, a sponsor can also appoint extra Level 1 users who are employees of an outside HR provider or a UK-based representative.[2]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 1: apply for a licence (accessible version)
Example
Anita is a director and the only employee who handles immigration matters at a small company. She is appointed authorising officer, key contact and Level 1 user. This is allowed because the roles can be held by one person who meets the rules.
Later the company wants its immigration solicitor to be the main contact for UKVI. It can appoint the solicitor as key contact, because a qualified UK-based representative can fill that role. It cannot make the solicitor the authorising officer.[2]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 1: apply for a licence (accessible version)
What people get wrong
A common mistake is to think that an outside adviser or HR contractor can hold every role. The authorising officer must be a paid member of staff or an office holder. A representative can be key contact or, after the licence is granted, an additional Level 1 user, but the sponsor must always keep at least one eligible Level 1 user who is an employee, director or partner.
The guidance also says the sponsor is responsible for anything done by anyone it sets up as an SMS user, including people from outside the business.[2]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 1: apply for a licence (accessible version) If the sponsor has no eligible authorising officer or no Level 1 user who meets the rules, the Home Office will normally revoke the licence. See suspension and revocation.[2]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 1: apply for a licence (accessible version)
The bottom line
Key personnel are the named people who answer to the Home Office for a sponsor licence. The authorising officer carries overall responsibility, the key contact is the line to UKVI and the Level 1 user does the daily work. One person can hold all three roles. The sponsor must make sure each person stays eligible for as long as the licence lasts.
Common questions
Yes. The guidance says the roles can be filled by the same person or by different people, as long as each person is suitable and eligible. A sponsor can have only one authorising officer and one key contact at a time.
A UK-based legal representative can be appointed as key contact when the sponsor applies. The representative must be qualified to give immigration advice or services. A representative cannot be the authorising officer.
Not automatically. They can use the sponsorship management system only if they are also appointed as Level 1 users, either at application or after the licence is granted.
The sponsor must keep at least one eligible Level 1 user throughout the life of its licence. If it does not, the Home Office will revoke the licence. The guidance sets out limited exceptions, such as a sponsor in administration.
Sources
We cite the Immigration Rules, legislation and GOV.UK guidance directly. Rules change, so each source shows the date we last checked it.
- Home Office. UK visa sponsorship for employers: Sponsorship management roles. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- Home Office. Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 1: apply for a licence (accessible version). Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- Home Office. Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance (accessible version). Checked 11 November 2026. ↩