When you request additional Certificates of Sponsorship, the Home Office assesses whether your business genuinely needs the workers and can afford to employ them. The documents below are how you prove it. This guide explains what each document must show and the most common reasons documents are rejected.
Reason for hiring a migrant worker
The Home Office grants additional CoS only when it can clearly see why your existing workforce cannot meet demand. Specific, evidence-based answers are the single biggest factor in approval, and vague responses are the most common reason requests are refused or delayed. Use real numbers, dates, and concrete examples: "we signed three new care contracts in April, adding 480 hours of weekly delivery our current team cannot cover" carries far more weight than "we are experiencing increased demand".
Your answers should cover:
The gap between the work you need to deliver and what your current workforce can cover, using rota data, payroll records, or contract schedules where possible
Any reliance on agency staff, contractors, or regular overtime, with volumes and costs
What has changed in your demand, with a clear causal link between the event and your shortfall
The recruitment you attempted locally and why it failed: adverts placed, platforms used, applications received, interviews held, and why candidates were unsuitable or withdrew
Workers who have left, gone on extended leave, or whose visas are expiring
Bank statements
Upload your full business bank statements for the last 6 consecutive months. Each statement must:
Be un-redacted, showing all transactions
Display the bank logo, account holder name and address, sort code, account number, statement dates, and opening and closing balances
Include all pages, with no gaps in the sequence
Screenshots, redacted statements, or incomplete documents are not accepted. Borderless shows you the minimum balance your account should hold for the number of workers requested, and warns you before submission if your closing balance is below it. Un-redacted statements are a mandatory Home Office requirement to verify financial stability. Documents are handled securely in line with GDPR and used only for your CoS request.
Employment contracts and payslips for current employees
Every named individual who already works for you needs a signed employment contract on file. Draft contracts are not accepted. For care CoS requests, migrant current employees also need their last 3 months of payslips showing the employee name, pay period, gross pay, and hours worked.
Governing body registration
Provide one registration for each site where named individuals will work: Care Quality Commission (CQC) in England, Care Inspectorate in Scotland, Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW), or the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) in Northern Ireland.
Organisation chart
An up-to-date chart showing your company's hierarchy from owners and directors down to frontline staff. This is a specific Home Office requirement, and gaps or inconsistencies here can lead to refusal.
Local authority contracts
Active contracts with the NHS or a local authority. Accepted types include NHS Standard Contracts, framework agreements, tender approvals, dynamic purchasing systems, and spot contracts or Individual Placement Agreements (IPAs). Every contract must include a start and end date and be signed by both parties. For Defined CoS applications it must state the number of care hours serviced per week, or you need written confirmation from the commissioner. Rolling or indefinite contracts need proof they are ongoing, such as recent invoices, emails, or a letter from the local authority. Contracts expiring within 6 months need an extension letter or equivalent proof of renewal. Expired contracts are rejected unless supported by clear evidence of continuation.
Service user agreements
Three to five agreements that the newly sponsored staff will cover, each dated within the last 3 months, signed, and clear to read. If signed agreements are unavailable, private client contracts, individual placement agreements, care plans, purchase orders, or email or letter confirmations from the local authority can be used instead. The more recent and complete your evidence, the stronger your case.
Service user list, overtime proof, and agency usage
Complete the Borderless service user list template using reference codes (e.g. SU001) rather than real service user names, for data protection. Adding start dates and care ratios (e.g. 2:1 care) helps justify staffing levels. Overtime evidence should cover the last 4 to 8 weeks, one row per employee, and can be supported by timesheets or rotas. Agency evidence such as invoices, signed agreements, timesheets, or rotas should cover the last 1 to 3 months; sustained agency usage demonstrates both ongoing need and commercial strain.
Other documents
Anything that demonstrates a staffing shortfall: P45s and resignation letters, MAT B1 forms for staff on maternity leave, fit notes or absence records for long-term sickness, evidence of failed local recruitment, or communications from local authorities or private clients requesting hours your team cannot meet. The Home Office responds to human evidence: names, dates, and specific instances carry far more weight than general statements.
If you cannot provide a document, use the "I can't provide this document" option on the document card to explain why, rather than leaving the section empty.
For the Home Office's own guidance on sponsoring workers, see GOV.UK: Sponsor a worker - general information.