Sponsor Compliance

All entities with a sponsor licence in the UK are required to remain compliant with sponsor duties and responsibilities. These duties cover how businesses recruit, manage, monitor, and report on sponsored employees to ensure full compliance with immigration law.

What Is Sponsor Compliance?

Anyone who holds a UK sponsor licence is required to adhere to compliance rules; these rules are an ongoing set of legal and operational obligations which sponsors are required to abide by. Once a licence is granted, employers must continue to meet strict requirements under the Points-Based Immigration System to retain their ability to sponsor overseas workers.

Compliance extends beyond assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship. It includes maintaining accurate records and effectively using HR systems to assist with accurate recording keeping, reporting key changes to the Home Office, and ensuring sponsored workers only carry out permitted roles. These duties apply throughout the duration of sponsorship, not just at the application stage.

Who Must Meet Sponsor Compliance Rules?

All organisations that hold a sponsor licence must comply with sponsor compliance rules. This includes UK businesses, charities, public sector bodies, and educational organisations. 

Compliance obligations apply to every sponsored worker, regardless of seniority, nationality, visa length or type. 

Employee’s also have an obligation to ensure they are compliant with the conditions of their visa, and they may also have a requirement to report changes to their circumstances to the Home Office. 

Documents You’ll Need to Maintain

Licensed sponsors must keep detailed and up-to-date records for each sponsored worker. These documents must be readily available in case of a Home Office compliance visit.

Key records include:

• Evidence of right-to-work checks
• Copies of passports and biometric residence permits
• Copies of Certificates of Sponsorship 
• Employment contracts and job descriptions
• Absence and attendance records
• Up-to-date contact details

Record-keeping duties apply across sponsored routes, such as the Skilled Worker Visa, and form a central part of sponsor compliance assessments.

Different visa categories will carry different record keeping requirements, so it’s always good practice to check which documents you must keep on file for each sponsored worker. 

How Ensure You Meet the Sponsor Compliance Requirements

Step 1: Implement a Reliable HR System

Sponsors must have a system in place which can monitor sponsored workers effectively. This includes tracking start dates, job changes, absences, and salary adjustments. Robust systems are especially important for employers sponsoring workers under the Skilled Worker or Global Business Mobility routes, where role and salary thresholds must be maintained and reported.

Step 2: Understand Reporting Duties

Sponsors must report changes via the Sponsor Management System within strict deadlines. 

Reportable events include changes to a worker’s role, salary, work location, or employment status. These must be reported to the Home Office within 10 working days of the event occurring. 

Changes to an organisation’s circumstances, such as a change in premises or company size, must also be reported to the Home Office. 

Step 3: Maintain Proper Up-to Date Records

All mandatory documents must be accurate, complete, and accessible. Missing or outdated records are one of the most common reasons for enforcement action.

Step 4: Prepare for Home Office Audits

The Home Office can conduct announced or unannounced compliance visits. Audits may review HR systems, interview key staff, and assess whether sponsored workers are carrying out permitted activities only.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Common sponsor compliance failures include:

• Late or missed reporting on the SMS
• Inadequate HR and monitoring systems
• Missing or incomplete records
• Assigning a CoS incorrectly under the Skilled Worker Visa
• Misusing Global Business Mobility routes for roles that do not qualify
• Allowing visitors to carry out work beyond what is permitted under the Business Visit Visa

These issues can often be avoided through regular internal audits, staff training, and professional compliance support.

How Long Must You Maintain Sponsor Compliance? 

Sponsor compliance continues for as long as a licence is held. Ongoing responsibilities include:

• Monitoring sponsored workers’ immigration status
• Keeping SMS information up to date
• Reporting changes within required timeframes
• Preparing for Home Office audits
• Managing visa extensions and sponsor licence renewals

Record keeping requirements for each sponsored worker may even extend beyond the duration of their employment, so it’s always important to check how long you must keep your records. 

Why Choose Migrate UK

Migrate UK provides expert support across all aspects of sponsor compliance. Our services include compliance audits, HR system assessments, sponsor licence management, and direct engagement with the Home Office. We help employers reduce risk, maintain licence status, and sponsor overseas talent with confidence.