If you are planning a sponsored hire, you need to know which Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) request is required, what supports it and who will complete the submission.
Knightsbridge Immigration prepares Defined CoS requests and Undefined CoS allocation applications for licensed sponsors. We assess the proposed roles, prepare the business justification, review supporting documents and handle the agreed submission arrangements.
Once the necessary approval or allocation is available, we can also help assign a CoS to an individual worker.
Our professional fees
| Service | Fixed professional fee |
|---|---|
| Defined CoS request | £500 |
| Undefined CoS allocation request | £700 |
| CoS assignment to an individual worker | £99 per assignment |
The £500 and £700 fees cover the allocation request only. Assignment is a separate service.
For an agreed request followed by one assignment, our combined professional fees are £599 for a Defined CoS or £799 for an Undefined allocation request and one assignment. Home Office charges are additional.
Before you instruct us, we confirm the roles, number of certificates and work covered by your allocation request. The agreed fee remains fixed for that scope.
Payment is required in full before the agreed work begins. We are not currently VAT registered, so VAT is not added to our professional fees.
Tell us about your sponsor licence, the recruitment you are planning and any important dates. We will identify the appropriate service and explain the work and fees before you instruct us.
Which service does your business need?
This service is for businesses that already hold a sponsor licence and need help requesting certificates or assigning one to a worker.
A Defined CoS request is relevant to a Skilled Worker applying from outside the UK. The Home Office must approve the request before the certificate can be assigned.
An Undefined CoS allocation request concerns certificates available under your licence. Undefined CoS are used for Skilled Worker applications made within the UK and for other sponsored work routes. You may need an allocation increase or an annual allocation request, depending on your existing allocation and recruitment plans.
CoS assignment records the sponsorship of an individual worker. If your business already has the necessary allocation or approval, tell us when you enquire so we can establish the work required.
Our CoS allocation guidance explains these distinctions in more detail.
What our allocation service includes
Assessment of the proposed role
We assess the occupation code against the actual duties, alongside the proposed salary, working hours and sponsorship dates.
The aim is to establish whether the information supports the proposed sponsorship and identify points that need resolving before the request is submitted. A job title alone does not explain the work the person will perform.
Consideration of the worker’s circumstances
Where you have identified a worker, we consider the circumstances relevant to the sponsorship, including their current immigration position and the proposed timing.
This helps connect the employer’s recruitment plans with the individual who may take up the role. It also identifies questions that require attention before assignment or a separate visa application.
A business justification prepared for your request
We prepare the explanation of why your business needs the requested certificates, using your actual recruitment plans, roles and supporting information.
Your justification and document requirements are developed for your business and the particular request. We explain where further information or evidence is needed to support the account being presented.
Supporting-document review and preparation
We review the documents relevant to the request, identify material gaps and prepare the submission around the applicable requirements.
You provide complete and accurate information about the business and proposed employment. We explain what needs to be supplied or clarified so the request can be prepared properly.
How submission through SMS works
Where Knightsbridge has been appointed with the necessary Level 1 access to your Sponsorship Management System (SMS), we use our own authorised account to carry out the agreed work.
Otherwise, we prepare the information and guide your business’s authorised Level 1 user through the submission. Your appointed user signs in and completes the necessary actions using their own account.
We agree these arrangements before submission so your team understands who is responsible for each step.
Assigning a CoS to a worker
Once the necessary approval or allocation is available, the certificate can be assigned to the worker.
For £99 per assignment, we prepare the worker-specific CoS using the agreed role and sponsorship details and complete the assignment through our authorised access, or guide your appointed Level 1 user through that stage.
The assignment service is separate from applying for an allocation. It also does not include preparing or submitting the worker’s visa application.
If the Home Office asks for further information
Our allocation service includes responding to requests for clarification or further details relating to the original requirements, provided your business supplied accurate and complete information at the outset.
You will need to provide any additional records or explanations required from the business.
If a request introduces materially new issues or requires substantial work outside the agreed scope, we explain what further work is needed and agree a separate fixed fee before carrying it out. Receiving a Home Office query does not automatically mean an additional charge.
Preparation times and Home Office decisions
We can normally prepare and submit an allocation request within one week after receiving payment, the complete information and documents required, and the necessary SMS arrangements.
We confirm the preparation timetable for your matter. Where your own Level 1 user will submit, completion also depends on their availability.
This timeframe covers our preparation and initial submission. The Home Office decides the request and controls its processing times. Where approval is required before assignment, that stage follows the Home Office decision.
Tell us about any proposed start date or approaching visa expiry when you enquire so timing can be considered from the outset.
Costs and work outside this service
Our fees are separate from Home Office charges, including the government CoS assignment fee, any applicable Immigration Skills Charge and any priority-service charge. Third-party costs and the worker’s visa application costs are also separate.
A sponsor licence application, the worker’s visa application, ongoing sponsor compliance and any challenge to a refusal require their own agreed scope. Instructing us for a CoS request or assignment does not automatically include those services.
Why Knightsbridge?
An IAA-regulated adviser personally oversees your case. Our work connects the proposed role, sponsorship details and business evidence, so questions requiring attention are identified during preparation.
We build the justification around your business’s circumstances and explain the information needed to support it. You know what work we will undertake, how submission will be handled and when a separate instruction would be required.
You can meet our team before deciding whether to instruct us.
Discuss your CoS requirements
Start with a Case Assessment and tell us which route your business sponsors under, how many certificates you need, whether workers have been identified and any relevant deadlines.
We will review your enquiry, establish the appropriate starting point and explain the proposed service and fixed fee. Any substantive assessment and preparation work is agreed before it begins.
