Employment Agencies prohibited from sponsoring UK Work Permit applications

The Home Office has announced the result of their review of the policy regarding Employment Agencies sponsoring work permits. The Home Office has decided to retain the prohibition.

This was due to the following reasons:

• The present arrangements protect the interests of the overseas worker and ensure that the employer of the overseas worker is accountable for their terms and conditions of employment.
• A change of policy would increase the risk of displacement of resident workers and/or an increase in the abuse of the work permit arrangements.
• It was doubted that allowing agencies to sponsor work permits would in fact help employers to more efficiently find overseas workers with the skills that they need.
• There was concern about the possible impact on recruitment costs.