If you are a hotelier, you will know how critical it is to retain a team of both skilled and dependable staff.


Exceptional service leads to repeat business, and so staffing a hotel with the best talent available is not simply important, but crucial. You only need to peruse the online Google reviews of a popular hotel to see what keeps customers coming back.

UK Hospitality recently published an article on the six factors that affect hospitality and restaurant staffing, with the list as follows:

  1. Customer demand fluctuations
  2. Seasonality and special events
  3. Employee skills and roles
  4. Staff availability and preferences
  5. Labour laws and compliance
  6. Labour costs and business goals

Whether you are facing a staffing shortage in skills or availability, or are simply looking to remain resilient in the face of future challenges, it might be worthwhile acquiring a UK sponsor licence from the Home Office.

A UK sponsor licence is issued by the Home Office to an organisation, allowing it to sponsor and employ non-UK nationals to work in the UK. As such, anyone considering looking to employ foreign workers will be required to hold one before offering a job to someone from overseas.

Embracing a global mobility strategy allows you to expand your organisation’s market reach to address long term staffing shortages and access a wider and more diverse talent pool. Our corporate immigration team helps ensure that our clients can continue to grow unimpeded by the myriad of legal hurdles and bureaucratic delays.

How we can help

At the outset we aim to understand your specific requirements. Chefs, front-of-house staff, and housekeeping managers are all examples of roles which a company can sponsor a non-UK candidate using their sponsor licence. The process can be difficult and complex, so legal advice is necessary to understand the intricacies such as job descriptions, necessary skill levels, and legal compliance with UK employment laws.

From screening candidates abroad on visa requirements, to processing their visa applications, we offer a full service taking the burden from a hotelier to focus on their customers.

At the conclusion of the visa process, we also provide training and internal audits to ensure that you meet the ongoing right to work compliance obligations.

The process of obtaining and maintaining a UK sponsor licence can be complex. If you would like to speak to a member of our specialist team, please get in touch to find out how we can help.

Written by

James Ritchie

James Ritchie

Associate

Immigration & Visas

james.ritchie@burnesspaull.com +44 (0)141 273 6933

Get in touch
Grace Mcgill V2

Grace McGill

Partner

Immigration & Visas

grace.mcgill@burnesspaull.com +44 (0)131 357 4464

Get in touch

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