Why your practice needs a Skilled Worker sponsor licence

If you run an NHS or mixed dental practice, there's a good chance your future workforce will include overseas dentists.

The problem is: many clinics still don't realise they now need a Skilled Worker sponsor licence to hire most of those dentists, and that the rules changed after Brexit.

Before Brexit, EEA dentists could usually work in the UK without visas. Sponsorship was mainly something you heard about for "Tier 2" non-EEA dentists. Now, for most non-UK dentists, you need:

• a Skilled Worker sponsor licence for your practice, and
• a Skilled Worker visa for the dentist

If you don't have the licence in place, you simply cannot employ them, even if they're perfect for your clinic.

This article explains:

• what a sponsor licence is
• why it matters more than ever post-Brexit
• what law firms usually charge to do it
• how Dentello removes most of the cost and hassle for clinics hiring through the platform

What is a Skilled Worker sponsor licence?

A sponsor licence is Home Office permission for your practice to employ non-UK workers under the Skilled Worker route.

In practice, it means:

• your practice is registered with the Home Office as a sponsor
• you can issue Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) to eligible dentists
• those dentists can then apply for Skilled Worker visas linked to your practice

Without a sponsor licence, you cannot sponsor most overseas dentists, even if they're GDC-registered and keen to join.

Why many practices still don't have one

A lot of clinics are still operating with a pre-Brexit mindset:

• "We've always hired from Europe easily."
• "We'll just look for someone already in the UK."
• "Sponsorship sounds complicated, we'll deal with it later."

In reality:

• there are fewer UK-trained and EU dentists to go around
• more clinics are chasing the same limited pool
• the best candidates increasingly expect sponsorship as standard

By waiting, many practices discover too late that:

• the dentist they want needs sponsorship
• they don't have a licence
• visa timelines are tight
• the surgery sits empty for months while they "figure it out"

What law firms usually charge

Most practices that do apply for a sponsor licence go straight to an immigration law firm.

Typical costs look like:

• professional fees for the firm
• plus Home Office fees
• plus further fees when doing visa applications for each dentist

For a single licence + initial visa, you may easily be into several thousands of pounds in professional fees alone, on top of your internal admin time.

For a busy practice, the licence often ends up feeling like:

• "an expensive side project"
• "a lot of forms and back-and-forth"
• "something we don't want to repeat too often"

How Dentello handles it differently

Dentello was built for clinics that want overseas dentists, but don't want to become immigration experts.

If you are hiring dentists through Dentello:

• we support you in obtaining your Skilled Worker sponsor licence
• we arrange this at cost price for partner clinics (so you are not paying a large "law firm margin" on top)
• for the visa application itself, Dentello absorbs the legal fee element, you are not paying a separate legal bill for each dentist we place via the platform

In other words:

• you still pay the Home Office / government fees (because those are fixed),
• but Dentello removes most of the professional fee pain for clinics that partner with us.

At the same time, Dentello:

• helps manage the process so you know what's needed and when
• coordinates with the dentist so documents, timing and expectations are aligned
• ties the whole process to a clear start date and UDA plan for your practice

What this means financially

Instead of:

• paying an agency £5,000 + VAT
• then paying an immigration law firm
• then paying a high UDA rate
• and still carrying all the risk if it doesn't work out

Dentello offers:

• fees starting from £12.50 per UDA including our own fees
• most clinics ending up in a £12.50 to 14.50 per UDA band depending on area and requirements
• a replacement guarantee for the full length of the contract, if a dentist doesn't work out at any point during the agreed term, Dentello is committed to replacing them under your agreement
• sponsor licence support at cost, and visa legal fees absorbed on Dentello's side for dentists placed through the platform

So your sponsorship and visa work is no longer an expensive one-off project, it's built into a long-term, performance-linked relationship.

From "confusing obligation" to strategic advantage

Handled badly, sponsorship and visas are a source of stress, cost and delay.

Handled properly, they become:

• a strategic advantage in hard-to-recruit areas
• a way to secure loyal, long-term associates
• a foundation for a 3-year workforce plan instead of a series of emergencies

Dentello's model is designed so that:

• your cost per UDA stays within a defined band from £12.50 including our own fees
• your risk is reduced by a full-term replacement guarantee
• your overseas recruitment (sponsorship, visas, performers) is managed with you, not dropped on your desk