Licensed sponsor
British Council (IAESTE Programme)
Licensed by the UK Home Office to sponsor Government Authorised Exchange (Temporary Worker) visas with A rating. Based in Belfast, Antrim.
Government Authorised Exchange (Temporary Worker)ABelfast
Licence details
- Organisation
- British Council (IAESTE Programme)
- Town
- Belfast
- County
- Antrim
- Route
- Temporary Worker
- Sub-route
- Government Authorised Exchange
- Rating
- A
- First seen on register
- 7 May 2026
- Last verified from gov.uk
- 9 June 2026
How this licence works
A UK sponsor licencepermits an employer to issue Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) to non-British workers under the Home Office's points-based immigration system. Licences are issued for an immigration route— typically Worker (Skilled Worker, Senior or Specialist Worker, etc.) or Temporary Worker (Creative Worker, Charity Worker, etc.).
Ratingindicates the licence holder's compliance standing. A-rated sponsors can sponsor new workers; B-rated sponsors have remediation action plans and cannot issue new CoS until restored to A. A (Premium) indicates access to expedited services and is subject to additional annual fees.
Sponsors must comply with reporting, record-keeping, and right-to-work duties at all times. Loss of licence — usually following a Home Office compliance visit — means existing sponsored workers must find alternative sponsorship within 60 days or leave the UK. The British Council (IAESTE Programme)entry above reflects the organisation's status at the most recent daily refresh.
Source: UK Home Office Register of Licensed Sponsors (Workers), retrieved 9 June 2026 under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Harveys Legal re-presents the public register with attribution; corrections to the underlying data should be raised with the Home Office.