UKVI Issuing Urgent Information Requests to Sponsors

Section A: UKVI Issuing Urgent Sponsor Compliance Requests

UKVI is contacting sponsor licence holders by email, requesting detailed payroll and employment information relating to sponsored workers. These requests require a substantive response within a short timeframe and include an explicit warning that failure to respond may result in licence revocation.

The level of detail requested, combined with the enforcement language used, means these communications should be treated as urgent.

The Home Office has not published any formal announcement or guidance explaining how sponsors are selected. As a result, organisations of all sizes and across all sectors should be alert to the possibility of receiving such a request.

Section B: What does the Email Say?

The following extract is from a recent UKVI communication to a sponsor licence holder:

From: Sponsor Licensing Unit – Sponsor Assurance Admin Subject: UKVI – [Sponsor Name] – Sponsor Action Required

As per the published guidance, we reserve the right to revoke a licence where there is a serious or systematic breach of your sponsor duties.

We are looking into concerns that suggest your current sponsored workers may not be receiving a salary that matches the salary stated on their Certificate of Sponsorship. As per Annex C1(aa) of the sponsor guidance where it states such circumstances where we will revoke your licence:

“You pay a sponsored worker less than you said you would on the worker’s CoS, and;

• you have not notified us of the change in salary; or

• the reduction is not otherwise permitted by the Immigration Rules or the Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors”.

So that we can make a fully informed assessment, please answer and provide ALL of the following:

1. Contracts of employment for ALL of your sponsored staff. These should be signed and dated.

2. Corporate/business bank statement(s) for ALL business accounts used by your organisation covering the last 6 months. These must include the bank account in which you pay your employee’s salary into, must include the logo, statement date, the holder’s name/address, sort code, account number and balances.

3. If you are paying your sponsored workers via an external payroll system, where wages appear in bulk payments. Please provide a monthly breakdown of each sponsored workers salary payment, covering the last 6 months.

4. Payslips for ALL of your sponsored workers for the last 6 months that demonstrate the hourly rate and hours worked.

5. National insurance numbers for ALL of your sponsored workers.

6. Full Pay Run Report/Payroll Summary or Real Time Information (RTI), confirming Gross & Net pay and NI & Tax deductions for ALL your sponsored workers in the last 6 months.

7. P60s for ALL of your sponsored workers covering each year they have been employed by yourselves.

8. If you are using a prepaid card such as FOREX, evidence that you have made payments onto each of the sponsored workers’ cards for the last 6 months.

9. If you are paying a sponsored worker by cheque, evidence that this has been paid into the worker’s own bank account for the last 6 months.

This is also your opportunity to provide any relevant mitigation or explanation you may have. This must be supported by documentary evidence.

You must send ALL of the requested information within 10 working days, which means it must be received no later than [date inserted].

Information received after the above date will not be assessed.

Failure to respond within the above deadline will likely lead to your sponsor licence being revoked.

Information must be submitted by email to SponsorAssuranceAdmin@homeoffice.gov.uk. You must include your sponsor licence name and sponsor licence number in the Subject field of the email. Please note, our system will not accept emails larger than 25MB, therefore, please ensure your email does not exceed these limits.

If necessary, send more than one smaller email, marked 1 of 4, 2 of 4 etc. Documents should be attached directly to your email, as we are unable to access links to files hosted on sites such as Dropbox™ or Google Drive™.

We cannot receive emails with an encrypted or password-protected attachment.

Yours sincerely,

Sponsor Assurance Admin

Visa, Status and Information Services Customer Services Group | UK Visas and Immigration

Who is receiving the emails?

The Home Office has not published any formal announcement or guidance explaining how sponsors are selected. As a result, organisations of all sizes and across all sectors should be alert to the possibility of receiving such a request.

The reference to “concerns” in the email suggests the possibility of data-led or intelligence-based selection, although no formal position has been published and UKVI has not confirmed how sponsors are selected to receive these requests.

It is also unclear whether this forms part of a wider sector-based exercise.

Section C: What Information Is UKVI Requesting?

Receipt of the email should not be taken as confirmation that a breach has been identified. However, it is a formal compliance enquiry and requires a considered and timely response.

The scope of the request indicates that UKVI is seeking to verify that sponsored workers are being paid in line with the salary stated on their Certificate of Sponsorship.

The documents requested allow UKVI to compare data across multiple systems, including:

• Salary stated on the Certificate of Sponsorship
• Payroll records and payslips
• HMRC RTI submissions
• Bank statements showing salary payments

Any inconsistency across these sources may be treated as evidence of non-compliance.

Sponsors are required to ensure that salary payments align with sponsorship records, subject to permitted variations under the Immigration Rules, and that any changes are reported via the Sponsor Management System (SMS) within the required timeframe.

The email makes clear that failure to respond may result in licence suspension or revocation, and potential curtailment of sponsored workers’ visas.

Even where a response is submitted, inconsistencies in the evidence may lead to further scrutiny or enforcement action.

Section D: What Sponsors Should Do If They Receive This Email

If you receive this email from UKVI, you will need to take immediate and considered action. The timeframe is short, the scope of the request is extensive and the response will form part of the Home Office’s compliance assessment.

1. Treat the Request as Time-Critical

The deadline is typically 10 working days, with UKVI stating that late submissions may not be considered. This is a fixed timeframe within which sponsors are expected to gather documents, review internal records and submit a complete response.

Delays at the outset can reduce the time available to identify and address issues, increasing the risk of an incomplete or inconsistent submission.

2. Identify All Relevant Data Sources

The request spans multiple internal systems. Sponsors should identify and coordinate all relevant data sources before preparing a response. Fragmented data or inconsistencies between these sources are likely to be identified during UKVI’s review.

3. Reconcile Salary Against the Certificate of Sponsorship

Sponsors should check that the salary paid to each sponsored worker aligns with the salary stated on the Certificate of Sponsorship.

Where differences are identified, the sponsor should establish:

• Whether the change was permitted under the Immigration Rules
• Whether the change was reported on the Sponsor Management System
• How the variation is reflected across payroll and HMRC records

Any discrepancies should be clearly understood before documents are submitted.

4. Prepare a Coherent and Complete Response

The email makes clear that this is an opportunity to provide mitigation and explanation. A response limited to uploading documents may not therefore be sufficient to assist UKVI in understanding the context of any issues identified.

Sponsors should ensure that:

• All requested documents are included
• The information provided is consistent across all sources
• Any discrepancies are explained clearly and supported by evidence
• The response addresses the underlying issue, not just the document request

5. Avoid Submitting Unreviewed Documents

Submitting documents without prior review may expose inconsistencies that could otherwise have been identified and addressed.

Once submitted, the documents form part of the Home Office record and may be relied upon in any subsequent enforcement decision.

6. Take Advice Before Responding

The way the response is prepared can influence how UKVI assesses whether any issues are isolated or indicative of wider non-compliance. Early legal advice can assist in identifying areas of exposure under sponsor guidance, framing explanations and supporting representations and ensuring the response is complete and internally consistent.

Section E: We Can Help with Your Response

The scope of the request, the short response window and the reference to revocation powers mean the response will be assessed not only for completeness, but for consistency and credibility across all materials and evidence submitted, so this is more than just collating documents.

We are currently advising sponsors who have received these requests and are supporting them through the response process. Our role is to ensure that the information provided reflects an accurate and coherent account of the organisation’s sponsorship arrangements, supported by evidence that aligns across systems and provides critical background and related context and information, as well as any mitigating factors where necessary.

1. Initial Assessment and Risk Identification

At the outset, we will scope out the request and identify any areas of potential exposure under sponsor guidance. This typically involves reviewing payroll data, Sponsor Management System records and supporting HR documentation to assess whether salary payments align with the Certificate of Sponsorship and whether any variations have been correctly reported.

For example, discrepancies commonly arise from gaps between internal systems rather than deliberate non-compliance:

• Salary changes implemented in payroll but not reported on the Sponsor Management System
• Allowances or deductions affecting the level of pay recorded
• Incorrect application of permitted salary reductions under the Immigration Rules
• Errors in recorded working hours or pro-rated salary calculations

We will carry out an immediate review to identify potential areas of weakness.

2. Preparing the Response

The response is prepared with a view to ensuring that all requested information is provided in a consistent and structured format, supported by extensive explanation or mitigation where required. Additional context will be important to assist UKVI in understanding the organisation’s operations, the role of sponsored workers within the business and the wider economic and social implications of enforcement action.

3. Managing Escalation Risk

Where issues are identified, the focus shifts to managing the risk of escalation, such as assessing potential exposure under Annex C revocation provisions and preparing for the possibility of further Home Office engagement, including audit or enforcement action. We have extensive experience of advising sponsors facing enforcement action.

Need Assistance?

If you have received a UKVI request for information, we can help.

We are supporting sponsors through these UKVI compliance investigations and advising on how to present complete and consistent evidence within the required timeframe.

For specialist advice on responding to a UKVI information request, contact our UK immigration compliance advisers.

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