Who approves communities to become a sponsor and what is the process?
The Home Office approves every sponsor. The approval process is designed to establish that the prospective sponsor:
- has sufficient resources (housing, financial and personnel) to support a resettled family, including £9000 in reserves;
- has a credible plan for supporting a resettled family, backed by relevant experience; and
- does not present a risk to the resettled family.
You can apply to be approved as a sponsor using the application form and resettlement plan template found on their website. The Home Office will assess your suitability to be a community sponsor, according to the criteria set out below.
- Local Authority gives consent to a prospective sponsor to operate as community sponsor in that area
- Prospective sponsor submits application for approval as a community sponsor
- Application considered against criteria for approval
- Approval granted
- Agreement with sponsor signed
- Family to be resettled proposed for allocation to sponsor
- Sponsor and local authority consider and jointly agree allocation
- Resettled family arrives (typically six weeks after allocation is agreed)
Your organisation must have status as either:
- a charity, registered with the Charities Commission in England and Wales, the
- Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) in Scotland, or the Charities Commission for Northern Ireland;
- an individual or body falling within section 10(2)(a) of the Charities Act 2011;
- a Community Interest Company, registered with Companies House.
There must be a named individual with responsibility for the sponsorship arrangement, the ‘lead sponsor’. The lead sponsor should hold a permanent and senior position within the organisation. Typically, they will be a member of the board of the charity or community interest company, or hold the position of Chief Executive or director or equivalent. There must be a clear line of accountability between the lead sponsor and the personnel delivering the Resettlement plan.