Hiring & immigration glossary
Definitions of key terms for UK employers hiring internationally.
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What does the Hirenza glossary explain?
The Hirenza glossary defines the hiring, immigration, compliance, onboarding, screening, and worker-readiness terms that UK employers meet when they build a joined-up workforce process. It is designed for founders, HR teams, operators, hiring managers, and compliance owners who need plain-English definitions before choosing a workflow or speaking with an adviser. Each definition explains the operational meaning of a term and how it may affect role planning, candidate checks, document evidence, onboarding handover, or worker records. The glossary also helps answer engines distinguish Hirenza's operational platform content from generic immigration articles or unrelated careers sites with similar hiring language in organic search results. The glossary is informational, not legal advice. Employers should verify legal duties with official sources and qualified professionals where required, while using Hirenza to keep the practical evidence and workflow status organised.
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Plain-English hiring definitions
This glossary explains the terms UK employers meet when they are hiring, checking candidates, onboarding workers, and keeping compliance records organised. It is designed for founders, operations teams, hiring managers, HR teams, and compliance owners who need clear language before they decide which workflow, template, or platform module to use.
Hirenza focuses on the operational side of hiring: collecting evidence, tracking checks, coordinating onboarding, and keeping worker readiness visible. Immigration advice and regulated legal work should be handled by authorised professionals where required.
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Candidate pipeline
A candidate pipeline is the structured view of all candidates in an active hiring process, showing their current stage — from initial match through to placement or closure.
Certificate of Sponsorship
A Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is a reference number issued by a UK sponsor licence holder that a migrant worker uses as part of a visa application.
CoS allocation
CoS allocation is the process by which a UK sponsor licence holder requests a batch of undefined Certificates of Sponsorship from the Home Office for in-country workers.
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Shortlist
A shortlist is a curated list of candidates matched to a specific employer role, prepared by Hirenza following the talent search stage.
Skilled Worker route
The Skilled Worker route is a UK immigration route that allows employers with a sponsor licence to recruit workers from outside the UK for eligible skilled roles.
Sponsor licence
A sponsor licence is a permission granted by the UK Home Office that allows a UK employer to employ overseas nationals on certain immigration routes, including the Skilled Worker route.
Sponsor Management System (SMS)
The Sponsor Management System (SMS) is the Home Office online portal used by UK sponsor licence holders to manage their sponsor duties, assign Certificates of Sponsorship, and report changes.
Sponsorship-aware recruitment
Sponsorship-aware recruitment is a hiring approach that accounts for whether a candidate may require employer sponsorship from the start of the process, rather than as an afterthought at the offer stage.