If you want to employ someone to work for you from outside the UK, you will need a sponsor licence and the employee you are looking to hire or relocate will need a work visa. It doesn’t matter whether the work is paid or unpaid—you will still need to deal with UK Visas and Immigration before the employee can begin to work for you.

As a UK employer, it is your responsibility to ensure that any migrant workers from outside of the EEA or Switzerland are operating with a valid UK visa. You must also have a Sponsorship Licence in order to employ any foreign nationals who are subject to immigration control in the UK.