If you hold a sponsor licence, the Home Office can conduct compliance visits at any time — either as part of the licence application process or as an ongoing check. These visits assess whether you're meeting your sponsor duties and can be announced or unannounced.
What Inspectors Check
- HR systems — do you have adequate processes to monitor sponsored workers?
- Record-keeping — are you maintaining copies of passports, visas, contact details, and attendance records for sponsored workers?
- Reporting compliance — have you reported all required changes within the 10-day deadline?
- Genuine vacancies — are sponsored roles genuine and meeting the advertised skill and salary levels?
- Right to work checks — are checks being conducted for all employees, not just sponsored workers?
- Key personnel — are the Authorising Officer and Key Contact available and aware of their responsibilities?
How to Prepare
- Keep all sponsored worker files up to date and easily accessible
- Ensure your Authorising Officer understands their role and can answer questions
- Maintain a compliant filing system — either physical or digital — for all required documents
- Conduct regular internal audits of your sponsorship records
- Train relevant staff on reporting duties and document retention
Possible Outcomes
- No action — everything is in order
- Action plan — minor issues identified that must be resolved within a set timeframe
- Licence downgrade — from A-rating to B-rating, with mandatory improvement requirements
- Licence suspension — pending investigation, you cannot sponsor new workers
- Licence revocation — serious non-compliance results in losing your licence entirely
If Your Licence Is Revoked
All sponsored workers will have their visas curtailed (typically 60 days to find a new sponsor or leave the UK). This has severe consequences for your workforce and reputation.
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