Home Office Compliance Visits & UKVI Compliance
Section A: What is UKVI Compliance? UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) is the division of the Home Office responsible for managing the UK’s visa system, sponsor licensing and immigration compliance enforcement. A UKVI compliance inspection can be a cause of real concern for employers. The Home Office has powers to investigate organisations to […]
UK Sponsor Guidance 2026 | Duties, Compliance & Rules
Section A: Home Office Sponsor Guidance Hiring from overseas is a business decision that is rarely taken lightly, yet the UK immigration rules are complex and demanding on employers of foreign workers. The official UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) sponsor guidance is called “Workers and Temporary Workers: Guidance for Sponsors”, which details the […]
Sponsor Licence 2026: Apply to Hire Overseas Workers
Section A: What is a Sponsor Licence? A sponsor licence is a legal requirement for UK organisations that want to hire non-UK resident skilled workers. UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), a division of the Home Office, operates the sponsor licence application process to verify if organisations meet the requirements to sponsor overseas workers. Through […]
Apply for a UK Sponsor Licence 2026: How, What & When
Section A: About the UK Sponsor Licence A sponsor licence is the statutory authorisation that allows a UK-based organisation to employ overseas nationals in roles that require immigration sponsorship. Issued by UKVI, it grants the employer permission to assign Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) to qualifying workers under specific visa categories. Without a sponsor […]
Appendix D: Sponsor Licence Record Keeping
Section A: What is Appendix D? Appendix D is an appendix to the Home Office sponsor guidance that sets out the record-keeping requirements for sponsor licence holders under the wider sponsor licence duties. It specifies the documents that UK employers must retain for each individual they sponsor under various immigration routes, such as […]
Certificate of Sponsorship 2026: Request, Assign & Amend
Section A: What is a Certificate of Sponsorship? A Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is a digital record that allows workers who do not already have the right to work in the UK in the role, such as British citizens, Irish citizens, settled workers or others with permission allowing the work, to apply for […]
Apply for CoS: Common Sponsor Mistakes 2026
Section A: How to apply for a Certificate of Sponsorship Applying for a Certificate of Sponsorship is often described as an administrative step carried out through the Sponsor Management System (SMS). In effect, it is a formal compliance event under the Immigration Rules. When a sponsor assigns or requests a CoS, it confirms […]
Sponsor Change of Circumstances Form 2026
Section A: Sponsor Licence Change of Circumstances Among the compliance duties that sponsor licence holders have to meet is the requirement to inform the Home Office of certain changes in circumstances relating to sponsored workers and to the organisation itself. Failure to meet this duty can result in enforcement action, potentially impacting your […]
Post-Licence Priority Service | 2026 Fast-Track Sponsor Requests
Section A: What is the post licence priority service? If your organisation has a sponsor licence to employ overseas workers under the Worker and/or Temporary Worker routes, you are required to meet certain compliance duties. This includes notifying the Home Office of certain changes relating to your organisation and your sponsored workers within […]
Sponsor Licence Suspension | What to Do & How to Respond 2026
Section A: What is a Sponsor Licence Suspension? A sponsor licence suspension is one of the most serious compliance actions the Home Office can take against an employer. It is imposed where UKVI believes a sponsor may not be meeting its legal duties, and it immediately restricts the ability to issue new Certificates […]