Hiring and Sponsoring Gardeners and landscape gardeners (SOC Code 5113)

Gardeners and Landscape Gardeners, classified under SOC Code 5113, are essential professionals in the horticulture and landscaping sectors. They play a vital role in enhancing outdoor spaces through various tasks, including:

• Ground Preparation: Levels ground and installs drainage systems as necessary to ensure optimal conditions for plant life.
• Plant Care: Prepares soil, plants, transplants, prunes, weeds, and tends to plant life to promote healthy growth.
• Pest and Disease Management: Protects plants from pests and diseases, ensuring the sustainability of gardens.
• Turf Management: Cuts and lays turf using hand and machine tools, while also repairing damaged areas.
• Garden Design Implementation: Prepares or interprets garden design plans to create visually appealing outdoor environments.
• Contouring and Landscaping: Moves soil to alter surface contours using mechanical equipment; constructs paths, rockeries, ponds, and other landscape features to enhance aesthetics.
• General Maintenance: Performs routine garden maintenance to keep outdoor spaces looking their best.

With the increasing focus on sustainable living and urban greening projects, the demand for skilled gardeners and landscape gardeners in the UK continues to rise. This guide aims to assist HR professionals in understanding the process of hiring and sponsoring gardeners under the UK’s immigration regulations.

What is SOC Code 3411 for Gardeners and landscape gardeners?

SOC Code 5113 refers to gardeners and landscape gardeners who are responsible for the maintenance and development of gardens, parks, and other green spaces. Their responsibilities can include:

• Ground preparation: Leveling ground and installing drainage systems as needed.
• Plant care: Preparing soil for planting, transplanting, pruning, weeding, and tending to plant life.
• Pest management: Protecting plants from pests and diseases to ensure healthy growth.
• Turf management: Cutting and laying turf using hand and machine tools, as well as repairing damaged turf.
• Design implementation: Preparing or interpreting garden design plans to create aesthetically pleasing landscapes.
• Land contouring: Moving soil to alter the surface contour of land using mechanical equipment, and constructing paths, rockeries, ponds, and other garden features.
• General maintenance: Performing routine garden maintenance to keep spaces tidy and vibrant.

Gardeners and landscape gardeners play a vital role in enhancing the beautification of environments, promoting biodiversity, and improving community well-being through green spaces.

Eligibility to Hire Gardeners and landscape gardeners (SOC Code 3411)

1. Job Requirements

Gardeners and landscape gardeners must demonstrate their skills and meet specific qualifications or experience criteria. These may include:

• Practical experience: Proven hands-on experience in gardening and landscape maintenance.
• Knowledge of horticulture: Understanding of plant species, soil types, pest management, and plant care techniques.
• Skills in landscaping: Ability to prepare and interpret garden design plans, construct features such as paths, rockeries, and ponds.
• Equipment proficiency: Experience in operating hand and machine tools for tasks such as turf laying and soil movement.
• Physical fitness: Capability to perform strenuous tasks and work outdoors in varying weather conditions.
• Certification: While not always mandatory, certifications in horticulture or landscape design can be advantageous.

Ensure the job description aligns with SOC Code 5113 and that the gardener’s experience and work meet the expectations for the role.

1. Salary Thresholds
2. Use the Minimum Salary Calculator to ensure your salary offer meets immigration requirements.

Sponsoring Gardeners and landscape gardeners: A Step-by-Step Guide for HR Professionals

Once you’ve confirmed that the role and candidate meet the eligibility requirements, follow this step-by-step guide to sponsoring Gardeners and landscape gardeners under SOC Code 5113.

Step 1: Obtain a Sponsor Licence

Before hiring non-UK Gardeners and landscape gardeners, your company or institution must obtain a sponsor licence. This licence enables you to legally sponsor overseas Gardeners and landscape gardeners under the Skilled Worker Visa program.

• Sponsor Licence Application: Submit documentation proving that your business is legitimate and has a genuine vacancy. Visit the sponsor licence application guide for more information. 
• Sponsor Licence Fees: Small businesses typically pay £574, while larger institutions pay £1,579. For more information, visit the sponsor licence fees guide. 
• Processing Time: Applications typically take up to 8 weeks, but using the Sponsor Licence Priority Service can reduce the processing time to 10 working days.

Once your sponsor licence is approved, you will receive a sponsor licence number, which allows you to assign Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS).

Step 2: Assign a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)

Once you have your sponsor licence, the next step is to assign a CoS to the Gardeners and landscape gardeners. This document provides key details about the job and the individual being sponsored.

• Defined vs Undefined CoS: Use a Defined CoS for Gardeners and landscape gardeners applying from outside the UK, and an Undefined CoS for those already in the UK. Learn more in the Defined & Undefined Certificates of Sponsorship guide. 
• Required Documents: Provide details such as the Gardeners and landscape gardeners’s portfolio, passport and job offer. Refer to Documents Required for Certificate of Sponsorship for a full list of necessary documents.

Step 3: Apply for the Skilled Worker Visa

Once the CoS is issued, the Gardeners and landscape gardeners can apply for the Skilled Worker Visa.

• Visa Fees: Fees vary depending on the role and visa length—use the visa fees calculator to estimate the costs. 
• Immigration Skills Charge: Employers are required to pay this charge as part of sponsoring non-UK workers. This is separate from visa fees.

Conducting a Right to Work Check for Gardeners and landscape gardeners

Before the Gardeners and landscape gardeners begins working, you must conduct a right to work check to ensure they are legally allowed to work in the UK.

• Manual Right to Work Check: Verify original documents such as the Gardeners and landscape gardeners’s passport and visa. 
• Online Right to Work Check: If the Gardeners and landscape gardeners holds an eVisa, you can use the UK government’s online system to verify their right-to-work status.

For more details on how to perform these checks, see the right to work check guide.

Post-Hiring Responsibilities and Compliance

1. Record-Keeping and Reporting  
2. • Record-Keeping: Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of the Gardeners and landscape gardeners’s employment details, salary and contact information. 
   • Reporting Changes: Report any significant changes to the Gardeners and landscape gardeners’s role—such as promotions or salary increases—via the Sponsor Management System (SMS).
3. Sponsor Licence Duties and Compliance
4. Failure to comply with your sponsor licence duties can result in penalties or sponsor licence revocation, impacting your ability to sponsor future Gardeners and landscape gardenerss.

How Borderless Can Help with Sponsoring Gardeners and landscape gardeners

Sponsoring Gardeners and landscape gardeners under SOC Code 5113 can be a complex process, but Borderless can simplify it for you. We offer comprehensive support to help you manage the entire sponsorship process.

End-to-End Sponsorship Support

At Borderless, we assist with:

• Sponsor Licence Application: Guiding you through the application process and ensuring all required documents are submitted correctly. 
• Certificate of Sponsorship Assignment: Streamlining the CoS process to make hiring easier. 
• Compliance Management: Helping you stay compliant with immigration laws to avoid penalties.

If you need assistance with hiring or sponsoring Gardeners and landscape gardeners, get in touch for personalised support.

Conclusion

Hiring and sponsoring Gardeners and landscape gardeners under SOC Code 5113 can be a rewarding way to enrich the cultural landscape of your organisation. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can successfully navigate the sponsorship process while ensuring compliance with UK immigration laws.

For further guidance, Borderless is ready to assist you with all your sponsorship needs. Contact us for expert advice.