Maintaining your Sponsor Licence is an ongoing responsibility that requires diligence, accurate record-keeping and a proactive approach to compliance. By following these key steps, you can protect your licence and continue to attract top talent from around the world.
As a UK employer, holding a Sponsor Licence allows you to hire skilled workers from outside the UK – a critical asset in today’s competitive job market. However, maintaining this licence is a significant responsibility. Non-compliance with Home Office regulations can result in severe penalties, including suspension or revocation of your licence. To help you safeguard your Sponsor Licence, here are some key steps to follow:
Understand and adhere to your sponsorship duties
The first step in protecting your licence is understanding the duties outlined in the Home Office’s Sponsor Guidance. These duties include record-keeping, reporting changes and ensuring compliance with immigration laws. Regularly reviewing this guidance helps to ensure that your organisation stays updated on any changes and remains compliant.
Maintain accurate and up-to-date records
Accurate record-keeping is fundamental. Employers must maintain comprehensive records for each sponsored worker, including their contact details, job roles, salaries and work start dates. Implementing a robust HR system can help streamline this process, assisting your organisation to ensure that records are kept updated and easily accessible for an audit by the Home Office.
Report significant changes promptly
Sponsors are required to report any significant changes in a sponsored worker’s employment or circumstances, such as a change in job title, salary adjustments or termination of employment. These reports must be made via the Sponsor Management System (SMS) within the timeframe specified by the Home Office. Failure to report such changes in the required timeframe can lead to non-compliance issues.
Conduct right-to-work checks
Before employing any worker, it is essential to conduct right-to-work checks correctly, to verify that the individual has the legal right to work in the UK. The way in which you carry out a right-to-work check depends on the status of the individual, and you must keep evidence of these checks. Regularly reviewing these checks helps prevent any oversights that could jeopardise your Sponsor Licence.
How Gherson can assist
Gherson’s Immigration Team are highly experienced in advising on UK corporate immigration and sponsor licence 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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