Curtailment Letter 2026: What It Means & What to Do

If you have received a curtailment letter, the immediate concern is simple: how long you can lawfully remain in the UK and what you need to do next to avoid overstaying or losing the right to work. For employers and sponsor licence holders, the same event triggers a different but equally urgent risk: whether the organisation is about to employ someone unlawfully, breach sponsor duties, or lose a key worker with little notice.

Curtailment is not just an immigration outcome. It is a compliance event that can quickly become a right to work enforcement risk, a sponsor licence risk and a workforce continuity risk, particularly where the cause is sponsor-related (role ending, sponsorship withdrawn, licence action) rather than wrongdoing by the individual. UKVI also applies “curtailment” and “cancellation of permission” through caseworker guidance, which matters because it shapes how decisions are made, how notice is calculated and when UKVI expects employers and individuals to act. Where enforcement context is relevant, employers should assume UKVI will assess decision-making and record-keeping with hindsight.

What this article is about: If you have received a curtailment letter, the key questions are immediate and practical: how long you can stay in the UK, whether you can keep working, and what you need to do now to avoid overstaying or breaching immigration rules. This guide explains what a curtailment letter means in practice, why the Home Office issues them, how long it can take for a letter to be sent, and what options may be available to regularise your status. For employers, it also explains the compliance steps that must be taken straight away to manage right to work risk and avoid sponsor licence consequences.

Section A: What Is a Curtailment Letter and Why Have You Received One?

1. What is a curtailment letter in UK immigration law terms?

A “curtailment letter” is the Home Office notification that a person’s current immigration permission is being shortened to a new expiry date or cancelled either immediately or with effect from a specified future date. In plain terms, it is UKVI telling the visa holder: your current leave is ending earlier than you expected, and you must either regularise your status or leave the UK by a deadline.

Since the Immigration Rules were reworked in late 2020, the Rules use “cancellation of permission” terminology, including that cancellation can take effect immediately or at a future date. However, UKVI guidance and correspondence continue to use “curtailment” to describe shortening leave, and employers should treat the terms as operationally interchangeable. The practical point for HR is not the label. The point is the effect: a changed expiry date and an immediate compliance decision about ongoing employment and sponsorship management.

Employer decision impact: A curtailment letter is not “informational”. It is a trigger for reassessing (1) the employee’s ongoing right to work, (2) sponsor reporting and record-keeping obligations and (3) contingency planning for retention or exit. Where sponsored workers are involved, the starting point is the organisation’s sponsorship compliance position.

2. Why has the Home Office issued a curtailment letter?

Curtailment (or cancellation of permission) is typically considered where UKVI believes the person no longer meets the basis on which permission was granted or where suitability or public interest grounds apply. Common scenarios include: sponsored employment ending (resignation, dismissal, redundancy, business closure) and UKVI being notified through sponsor reporting, sponsorship being withdrawn, a worker no longer meeting route requirements, sponsor licence action (such as sponsor licence suspension or sponsor licence revocation), breach of conditions, or suitability grounds including deception or criminality.

For individual readers: a curtailment letter does not automatically mean criminality or deliberate wrongdoing. A large proportion of curtailment activity arises because a sponsorship relationship has ended or changed, or because UKVI has taken action against the sponsor.

Employer risk signal: Where the cause is sponsor-related, UKVI will often treat the situation as a compliance indicator. Employers should assume UKVI may later test whether the business met its duties (reporting, genuine vacancy, correct role and salary compliance, record keeping, monitoring). Where the worker is sponsored, employers should also cross-check the position against the relevant route requirements, for example under the Skilled Worker visa and the accuracy of the Certificate of Sponsorship issued.

3. Is “curtailment” still a real concept after 2020, or is it now “cancellation”?

In strict Rules drafting, the Home Office uses “cancellation of permission” language, including that cancellation can take effect immediately or at a future date. In operational decision-making, UKVI guidance and practice still describe the combined space as cancellation and curtailment, and the Home Office continues to issue correspondence that employers and visa holders recognise as curtailment letters. The practical consequence is that HR teams will continue to encounter “curtailment” language and should treat it as part of the enforcement toolkit used by UKVI caseworkers.

Employer action point: Do not debate terminology internally while time runs. Your core task is to establish whether permission has been ended immediately or future-dated, what work conditions apply until expiry and whether a new application is being made (and what that means for ongoing employment decisions).

Section A Summary: A curtailment letter is UKVI’s mechanism for bringing permission to an earlier end, either immediately or by setting a new expiry date. The post-2020 legal language sits under “cancellation of permission”, but UKVI guidance and operational practice still treat “curtailment” as a live concept used in decision-making and notifications. For individuals, the letter creates an urgent legal deadline. For employers, it creates an urgent compliance and workforce risk event that must be managed defensibly, not informally.

Section B: How Long Does the Home Office Take to Send a Curtailment Letter?

1. Is there a fixed Home Office timeframe for issuing a curtailment letter?

There is no fixed statutory or policy timeframe requiring the Home Office to issue a curtailment letter within a set number of days or weeks after the trigger event occurs. This is a critical point for both individuals and employers. UK immigration law does not impose a deadline on UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) to notify a person that their permission is being curtailed or cancelled.

For individuals, this means that a curtailment letter can arrive long after the event that caused it, such as employment ending or a sponsor licence being revoked. For employers, it means there can be a significant gap between a report being made to UKVI and formal curtailment action being communicated, during which right to work and sponsorship risks can quietly accumulate.

Employer risk framing: Waiting for a curtailment letter before reviewing employment status or right to work exposure is not a defensible compliance strategy. UKVI does not treat delay in issuing a letter as a grace period.

2. How long does it usually take in practice?

In practice, the time it takes for the Home Office to issue and send a curtailment letter varies widely depending on the context in which the curtailment arises. Common scenarios include:

• After an employer reports employment ending: Curtailment letters may be issued weeks or months later. There is often no immediate action following a Sponsor Management System report.
• After sponsor licence revocation: Letters are often issued more quickly, but still not always immediately. Delays of several weeks are not unusual, particularly where large numbers of sponsored workers are affected.
• After student course withdrawal or early completion: Curtailment is often processed in batches and may be delayed depending on data flow between institutions and UKVI.
• Following criminality or suitability checks: Curtailment may only occur once internal checks or information-sharing processes are completed, which can significantly extend timelines.

For searchers asking “how long does the Home Office take to send a curtailment letter?”, the honest legal answer is: there is no standard timeframe and significant delay is normal.

Employer workforce impact: Delayed curtailment can mean an organisation only becomes aware of impending loss of permission at short notice, creating sudden recruitment gaps, rota disruption and client delivery risk. Where sponsored workers are concerned, employers should stress-test their pipeline and contingency plans, particularly for roles supported by the Health and Care Worker visa.

3. Why are curtailment letters often delayed?

UKVI curtailment action is not automated in most cases. Delays commonly arise because:

• Curtailment decisions require caseworker assessment, not just system triggers
• UKVI prioritises enforcement activity by risk, not chronology
• Sponsor reporting, compliance, criminality and suitability data sit across different systems
• Large-scale sponsor licence action can create processing backlogs
• Correspondence checks (address, representatives, service method) slow issuance

For individuals, this can feel arbitrary. For employers, it reflects a wider enforcement reality: UKVI enforcement is reactive and risk-led, not time-bound or employee-friendly. If an organisation is under heightened scrutiny, it should assume UKVI may review broader compliance through the lens of sponsorship duties. Employers can contextualise this within wider UKVI oversight by referring to the UKVI hub and internal compliance policies.

4. Can your visa be curtailed before you receive the letter?

Yes. A person’s permission can be cancelled or curtailed before they are personally aware of it, particularly where the decision is served electronically or “on file” because UKVI cannot contact the individual at their last known address.

From a legal perspective, the effective date of cancellation or curtailment is set by the decision, not by when the individual or employer reads the letter. This is especially important where the individual has changed address without updating UKVI, the letter is sent to a legal representative, UKVI relies on email service, or UKVI records the decision as served “on file”.

Employer compliance risk: An employer may unknowingly continue employing someone whose permission has already been cancelled with immediate effect. This creates exposure to civil penalties and, where the employer knew or had reasonable cause to believe the individual was working unlawfully, potential criminal liability. Employers should also understand the wider enforcement context around illegal working risk.

5. Why employers cannot safely “wait for the curtailment letter”

A common mistake is assuming that no action is required until a curtailment letter is received. This approach is risky because UKVI does not align curtailment timing with payroll or HR cycles, right to work legality depends on permission status not employer knowledge, sponsor duties require proactive compliance not reactive response, and delays compress decision-making time once the letter finally arrives.

Defensible employer approach: Where an employer knows that a trigger event has occurred (for example, employment ending, sponsor licence action or role change), the employer should already be assessing immigration exposure and contingency options rather than waiting for formal curtailment correspondence. For sponsored workforces, this should sit within a wider sponsor compliance framework.

Section B Summary: There is no fixed Home Office timeframe for issuing a curtailment letter. Delays of weeks or months are common, and permission can be cancelled before a letter is received. For individuals, this means curtailment can arrive suddenly and feel retrospective. For employers, it means that immigration compliance and right to work risk must be managed based on known trigger events, not on the arrival of UKVI correspondence. Waiting for the letter is not a safe or compliant strategy.

Section C: What Does a Curtailment Letter Mean for Your Right to Stay and Right to Work in the UK?

1. Does a curtailment letter cancel your visa immediately?

A curtailment letter does not always cancel a visa immediately, but it can. The legal effect depends on the ground on which the Home Office has decided to cancel or shorten permission and whether the decision is made on mandatory or discretionary grounds under the Immigration Rules and associated guidance.

In some cases, permission is cancelled with immediate effect, meaning the individual has no lawful leave remaining from the date of the decision. Immediate cancellation may occur on both mandatory and discretionary grounds where UKVI considers that allowing continued permission would be inappropriate, for example where there are serious suitability concerns, deception or other circumstances where delay is not justified.

In other cases, permission is curtailed to a future date, leaving the individual with a limited period of lawful stay. This is most often seen where sponsorship has ended or a sponsor licence has been revoked and the individual was not knowingly involved in any wrongdoing.

Individual impact: The curtailment letter will state whether cancellation takes effect immediately or specify a new expiry date. That date, not the original visa expiry, becomes the legal deadline.

Employer compliance impact: Employers must determine immediately whether the worker’s permission continues and, if so, on what conditions. Continuing employment without confirming this exposes the business to illegal working risk and potential civil penalty exposure.

2. Do you always get 60 days after receiving a curtailment letter?

No. While UKVI policy indicates that individuals will normally be granted up to 60 days’ permission following curtailment in certain scenarios, this is not guaranteed and should never be assumed.

A period of up to 60 days is usually considered where permission is being curtailed due to sponsor-related reasons outside the individual’s control and the individual had more than 60 days’ leave remaining at the time the decision was made. However, the Home Office will not extend permission beyond the original expiry date. If the individual had less than 60 days’ leave remaining, the curtailed period will usually be shorter. Immediate cancellation is also possible on discretionary grounds where the facts justify it.

Key risk for individuals: Assuming that “60 days is automatic” can lead to overstaying.

Key risk for employers: Assuming a worker has a 60-day window without checking the letter or verifying status can result in employing someone unlawfully.

3. Can you continue working after a curtailment letter is issued?

Whether work can continue depends on three factors: (1) whether permission has been cancelled immediately or future-dated, (2) whether the conditions of the visa still permit work and (3) whether the sponsor relationship remains valid.

If permission is cancelled with immediate effect, all work must stop immediately. There is no grace period for employment.

If permission continues until a future date, work may continue only if the individual’s visa conditions still allow work and the employment relationship remains lawful under sponsorship rules.

This distinction is particularly important where a sponsor licence has been revoked. In those cases, sponsored workers cannot continue working for the revoked sponsor, even if they have remaining permission during a curtailment period.

Employer enforcement risk: Continuing to employ a worker after immediate cancellation, or where sponsorship has ended, exposes the employer to civil penalties and, where the employer knew or had reasonable cause to believe the individual was working unlawfully, potential criminal liability. Employers should also ensure their right to work share code processes and escalation routes are robust where a worker’s status is time-limited or in question.

4. What happens to right to work checks after curtailment?

A curtailment letter is a clear trigger for employers to reassess right to work compliance. Employers should not rely on historic checks alone once they are on notice of a potential change in immigration status.

Key considerations include whether a fresh check is required, whether evidence of ongoing permission exists, whether employment should be paused or terminated pending clarification and whether records clearly demonstrate a compliant decision-making process. Where online checks are used, employers should ensure staff understand how to run and evidence a share code check and retain outputs in a way that remains defensible in an audit.

Failure to reassess status following curtailment significantly weakens the employer’s statutory excuse position and increases exposure to enforcement action.

5. What if a new visa application is submitted during the curtailment period?

If the individual submits a valid application for further permission before their curtailed leave expires, they may benefit from statutory continuation of leave while the application is pending in relevant cases. However, any statutory continuation of leave does not automatically preserve the right to work, particularly in sponsored roles or where sponsorship has ended. Employers must not assume protection applies without verifying work permission.

Employer decision point: HR must verify whether continued work is lawful during the application period, rather than relying on assumptions about Section 3C leave or “in-time” applications.

Section C Summary: A curtailment letter can end permission immediately or shorten it to a new expiry date. A 60-day period is common in sponsor-related cases but is not guaranteed and never extends beyond the original visa expiry. The right to work may end immediately, particularly where cancellation is immediate or a sponsor licence has been revoked. Employers must reassess right to work status as soon as curtailment is known, as assumptions or delays create serious enforcement and licence risk.

Section D: What Options Are Available After Receiving a Curtailment Letter?

1. Can you remain in the UK after receiving a curtailment letter?

Receiving a curtailment letter does not automatically mean you must leave the UK immediately. The options available depend on whether permission has been cancelled with immediate effect or curtailed to a future date, and on the reason for the decision.

Where a future expiry date is given, the individual remains lawfully in the UK until that date. During this period, they must either submit a valid application for further permission to stay or make arrangements to leave the UK before the curtailed leave expires.

If permission has been cancelled with immediate effect, there is no lawful period to remain unless a fresh application is submitted that engages statutory protection in relevant cases. Immediate cancellation therefore creates the highest risk of overstaying and unlawful residence.

Employer context: Employers should establish early whether an application is being made and whether the individual can lawfully remain and, if relevant, work during any interim period. This should be treated as a right to work and workforce continuity issue, not simply an immigration process point.

2. Can you apply for a new visa from inside the UK?

In many cases, yes, provided the application is submitted before the curtailed leave expires and the Immigration Rules permit in-country switching for the category in question.

Common scenarios include switching to the same sponsored route with a new licensed sponsor, switching to a different work route where eligibility is met, or switching to a family or private life route where applicable. Where the curtailment arose due to sponsor-related issues outside the individual’s control, UKVI policy recognises that in-country switching may be appropriate, subject to meeting all requirements.

Employer decision point: Where a business is considering retaining the worker by offering new sponsorship, the timing of the application, availability of a compliant role and sponsor licence status must all align. For practical guidance on retaining overseas talent lawfully, employers should cross-reference internal sponsorship capability and route planning, including the organisation’s ability to assign and manage SMS activity and ongoing reporting.

3. Can a curtailment decision be challenged or reviewed?

There is no general right of appeal against a curtailment or cancellation decision. In limited circumstances, it may be possible to submit representations requesting reconsideration where there is a clear factual or administrative error, for example incorrect sponsor reporting information, evidence not considered or misinterpreted, or an obvious misapplication of policy. UKVI is not obliged to engage with such requests, and they should not be treated as a substitute for a time-critical application or departure plan.

These representations are not formal appeal mechanisms, do not suspend the effect of the decision and do not extend the deadline to leave the UK. They should therefore be treated as parallel risk management steps, not as replacements for timely applications or departure planning.

Employer risk: Relying on informal reconsideration instead of managing right to work exposure is not defensible in an audit or enforcement context.

4. What happens if no action is taken?

If no application is made and the individual does not leave the UK by the curtailed expiry date, they will become an overstayer. Overstaying has serious consequences, including negative impact on future visa applications and potential enforcement action by the Home Office.

For employers, continuing to employ an overstayer creates direct exposure to civil penalties for illegal working, sponsor licence action and reputational damage. Where a business employs sponsored workers, this can also become a broader compliance issue affecting the organisation’s long-term ability to recruit internationally.

5. How much time do employers really have to decide?

From a practical compliance perspective, employers often have less time than the curtailment letter suggests. By the time a letter is received, UKVI may already have assessed the underlying compliance issue, any delay in action reduces flexibility, and workforce planning options narrow rapidly.

Best practice: Employers should treat curtailment as an immediate trigger for legal and HR review, even if the individual technically has remaining permission. Where a replacement hire is likely, employers should build timelines around recruitment lead-in and any sponsorship onboarding, rather than around the date printed on the letter.

Section D Summary: A curtailment letter creates a narrow and time-sensitive decision window. Individuals may be able to remain in the UK by submitting a valid application before curtailed leave expires, but there is no automatic right to stay and no general right of appeal. For employers, the priority is managing right to work and sponsorship risk while assessing whether retention is legally and commercially viable. Delay, assumption or informal approaches significantly increase enforcement exposure.

Section E: What Must Employers Do When a Worker Receives a Curtailment Letter?

1. What are an employer’s immediate legal responsibilities?

When an employer becomes aware that a worker has received a curtailment letter, or that a curtailment trigger event has occurred, the employer must act immediately to assess right to work legality and sponsor compliance exposure. This obligation arises regardless of whether the curtailment takes immediate effect or is future-dated.

The first priority is to establish whether the worker still has valid permission to work, whether the permission allows them to work in their current role and whether sponsorship remains valid or has already ended.

Employers must not rely on assumptions, historic right to work checks or informal assurances from the worker. UKVI expects employers to take active steps to verify status once they are on notice of a potential change.

Risk if delayed: Continuing to employ a worker without lawful permission exposes the employer to civil penalties and, where the employer knew or had reasonable cause to believe the individual was working unlawfully, potential criminal liability. Employers should ensure their internal escalation processes align with the Home Office right to work framework and consider reviewing internal policies against the right to work check guidance and operational steps, including use of online verification.

2. What sponsor duties are triggered by curtailment?

For sponsor licence holders, curtailment-related events sit squarely within the Home Office’s compliance framework. Depending on the circumstances, sponsor duties may include ensuring all required reports have been made accurately and on time, retaining records that demonstrate compliance with sponsorship conditions, cooperating with UKVI enquiries or follow-up action, and reviewing whether internal monitoring systems functioned correctly.

Where curtailment arises from sponsor licence suspension or revocation, UKVI will often review historical compliance, not just the immediate issue. Curtailment can therefore act as a gateway into broader sponsor compliance scrutiny. Employers should ensure the organisation’s sponsor governance aligns with the expectations set out in the Home Office sponsor guidance and internal best practice for sponsor duties.

Common sponsor mistake: Treating curtailment as an individual immigration issue rather than as a sponsor compliance issue.

3. Can the employer continue employing the worker during a curtailment period?

Whether employment can lawfully continue depends on the legal status of the worker’s permission and the status of the sponsorship relationship.

Employment must stop immediately where permission has been cancelled with immediate effect, or where the employer’s sponsor licence has been revoked and the worker is sponsored under that licence.

Employment may be able to continue for a limited period where permission continues until a future date, the visa conditions still permit work, and sponsorship remains valid. Employers must document how they reached their decision and retain evidence supporting continued employment. In the event of a UKVI audit, decision-making records are often as important as the outcome itself.

Where status verification is unclear or time-critical, employers should ensure they understand when and how to use the Employer Checking Service and what evidence is required to maintain a defensible position pending confirmation.

4. Can employers help the worker remain in the UK?

In some cases, employers may decide that retaining the worker is both legally and commercially desirable. This may involve offering sponsorship under a new Certificate of Sponsorship where permitted, supporting an in-country switch to a different route, or allowing time-limited unpaid leave while immigration options are explored, where lawful and contractually permitted.

However, employers must be clear about the limits of their role. They cannot “pause” immigration law, extend permission or allow work where the law no longer permits it. Where future sponsorship is contemplated, organisations should ensure they can meet ongoing compliance and monitoring requirements, including role and salary compliance, reporting and record keeping, to avoid repeat enforcement issues.

Decision risk: Attempting to retain a worker informally without legal footing is likely to be treated as deliberate non-compliance if discovered.

5. How does curtailment affect sponsor licence risk?

From a UKVI enforcement perspective, curtailment is often viewed as a compliance signal, particularly where multiple workers are affected or where reporting or role compliance issues are involved.

UKVI may respond by scheduling a compliance visit, reviewing historical sponsorship records, downgrading, suspending or revoking the sponsor licence, or restricting the sponsor’s ability to assign future Certificates of Sponsorship. The commercial impact of licence action can be severe, including loss of sponsored workers, recruitment restrictions and reputational damage. Employers managing an overseas workforce should ensure curtailment events are captured within broader immigration governance and linked to workforce planning under the organisation’s overall UK immigration risk controls.

Section E Summary: For employers, a curtailment letter is not simply an immigration notification about an individual worker. It is a compliance event that requires immediate, documented decision-making around right to work, sponsorship duties and workforce continuity. Employers who treat curtailment reactively or informally significantly increase their exposure to enforcement action, licence sanctions and business disruption.

Curtailment Letter FAQs

What is a curtailment letter?

A curtailment letter is a formal notice from the UK Home Office (UKVI) informing a visa holder that their permission to stay in the UK is being shortened to a new expiry date or cancelled entirely. It means the individual’s immigration status is changing and urgent action is required.

For employers, a curtailment letter is a right to work and sponsor compliance trigger, not just an immigration update for the worker.

Why have I received a curtailment letter?

Curtailment letters are commonly issued where the basis of the visa no longer applies. This can include employment ending with a sponsoring employer, sponsorship being withdrawn or a sponsor licence being revoked, changes to a student’s course, breach of visa conditions, or suitability or criminality issues under the Immigration Rules.

Importantly, many curtailment letters are issued without any wrongdoing by the individual, particularly in sponsor licence cases.

How long does the Home Office take to send a curtailment letter?

There is no fixed timeframe. The Home Office can issue a curtailment letter weeks or months after the event that triggered it, such as employment ending or a sponsor licence being revoked.

For both individuals and employers, this means curtailment letters often arrive unexpectedly, immigration risk may exist before the letter is received, and waiting for the letter is not a safe compliance strategy.

Does a curtailment letter always give 60 days to stay in the UK?

No. While UKVI policy indicates that individuals will normally be given up to 60 days in certain sponsor-related cases, this is not automatic and not guaranteed.

The Home Office may cancel permission immediately, curtail it to a future date shorter than 60 days, or curtail it only until the original visa expiry if that is sooner. Assuming a guaranteed 60-day period is a common and serious mistake.

Can I keep working after receiving a curtailment letter?

It depends on whether permission was cancelled immediately or future-dated, whether visa conditions still permit work, and whether sponsorship remains valid.

If permission is cancelled immediately, all work must stop immediately. If permission continues to a future date, work may only continue where it remains lawful under immigration and sponsorship rules.

For employers, continuing employment without confirming legality creates exposure to civil penalties, sponsor licence action and, where the employer knew or had reasonable cause to believe the individual was working unlawfully, potential criminal liability.

Can my employer dismiss me because of a curtailment letter?

A curtailment letter does not automatically require dismissal, but it may leave the employer with no lawful option to continue employment, particularly where permission has been cancelled immediately or where sponsorship has ended and cannot be lawfully continued.

Employers must balance immigration compliance with employment law obligations, but immigration illegality will usually override contractual arrangements.

Can I apply for a new visa after receiving a curtailment letter?

In many cases, yes, provided the application is submitted before the curtailed leave expires and the Immigration Rules allow in-country switching for the route. This often applies where curtailment arose from sponsor-related issues outside the individual’s control.

However, not all routes permit switching, and timing is critical. Employers considering retention should treat this as a time-limited workforce planning decision, not a theoretical option.

Can a curtailment decision be appealed?

In most cases, there is no right of appeal against a curtailment decision. In limited situations, it may be possible to submit representations requesting reconsideration where there is a clear factual or administrative error, but UKVI is not obliged to engage with such requests.

Reconsideration does not suspend the curtailment and does not extend the deadline to leave the UK. Relying on it as a primary strategy is risky.

What happens if I ignore a curtailment letter?

If no action is taken and the individual does not leave or submit a valid application before the curtailed expiry date, they will become an overstayer. Consequences include damage to future visa applications and potential enforcement action.

For employers, employing an overstayer creates direct illegal working exposure and can escalate into sponsor licence action and wider compliance scrutiny.

Does a curtailment letter affect future UK visa applications?

It depends on the reason for curtailment. Curtailment due to sponsor licence issues or external factors does not necessarily prejudice future applications. Curtailment linked to breaches, deception or criminality can have serious long-term consequences.

Conclusion

A curtailment letter is one of the most disruptive events in the UK immigration system for both individuals and employers. For the individual, it creates an immediate and time-limited decision about how to remain lawfully in the UK or when to leave. For employers and sponsor licence holders, it is a compliance event that can quickly escalate into right to work enforcement action, sponsor licence scrutiny and workforce disruption if handled incorrectly.

A key feature of curtailment is uncertainty. There is no fixed Home Office timeframe for issuing curtailment letters, permission can be cancelled before a letter is received, and the commonly cited 60-day period is not guaranteed. Employers cannot safely wait for formal correspondence before acting. Once a curtailment trigger event is known, defensible decision-making, documentation and early legal advice are essential.

Handled correctly, curtailment does not always mean loss of the worker or long-term damage to immigration prospects. Handled poorly, it can lead to overstaying, illegal working penalties, sponsor licence action and reputational harm. Speed, accuracy and compliance-led judgement are what determine the outcome.

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