Moving offices can be challenging for businesses, and that should not be compounded by failing to meet the Sponsor reporting and compliance obligations. After all, being a Sponsor in the UK affords huge opportunities for you to leverage international talent and hire overseas workers, jeopardising that ability to recruit by small oversights could cost your business not only time and money, but talent.
What are my compliance duties when it comes to a change of address?
One of the key responsibilities of the Sponsor is to ensure that the Home Office is informed of any relevant changes to circumstances, including any changes to the address of your company.
What’s involved in the reporting process?
Most changes of circumstance can be directly reported online via the portal available through the UKVI Sponsor Management System. The relevant officers who have access to the system within your company will be able to log-in with their credentials and update details as necessary.
You must then send the relevant supporting documentation to the Home Office to complete the report.
Is there anything else I should be aware of?
It’s worth keeping in mind that it’s not just reporting you need to think about, but also how you report changes within your company:
- Make sure that you report changes, such as change of address, as soon as reasonably possible the latest being within 20 working days of the change;
- Make sure that you keep a comprehensive catalogue of information submitted and confirmations;
- Make sure that you are cognisant of moving parts, for example, if you inform the Home Office regarding a change of address, you will likely also have to change the working address for your key personnel, Level 1 User and sponsored migrants. It’s worth nothing that you must make each change separately;
What happens if we don’t report?
Home Office guidance indicates that you must report a change within 20 working days after the relevant change occurs or for certain changes, 10 working days. Without the relevant updates, you will be in breach of your sponsor duties and obligations. If the Home Office has reason to believe that you have been non-compliant of your sponsor duties and obligations, they may take relevant action against you which may include suspending or even revoking your licence entirely.
How Gherson can assist
Gherson’s Immigration Team are highly experienced in advising on UK visa matters. If you have any questions arising from this blog, please do not hesitate to contact us for advice, send us an e-mail, or, alternatively, follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn to stay-up-to-date.
The information in this blog is for general information purposes only and does not purport to be comprehensive or to provide legal advice. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information and law is current as of the date of publication it should be stressed that, due to the passage of time, this does not necessarily reflect the present legal position. Gherson accepts no responsibility for loss which may arise from accessing or reliance on information contained in this blog. For formal advice on the current law please do not hesitate to contact Gherson. Legal advice is only provided pursuant to a written agreement, identified as such, and signed by the client and by or on behalf of Gherson.
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