Preparing for a sponsor compliance visit

The records, systems and reporting duties the Home Office expects a licensed sponsor to keep.

Published 24 September 2026 by WLIS Admin

A compliance visit is not an audit of whether your business is well run. It is a check on whether you are meeting duties you accepted when the licence was granted, and it can happen with little or no notice.

What is actually examined

Right to work checks, and whether they were carried out correctly and before employment started.
Personnel files for sponsored workers, including contact details and absence records.
Whether the role being performed matches the one on the Certificate of Sponsorship, including the duties and the pay.
Evidence of genuine recruitment activity where it applies.
The HR and reporting systems themselves, and who is responsible for them.

Reporting is where most licences slip

Sponsors must report a range of changes within short deadlines: a worker who does not turn up, a significant change to duties or pay, a change of work location, early termination, and changes to the business itself such as a merger or a change of ownership.

These duties are ongoing rather than annual. A sponsor who reports everything accurately but three months late is in a worse position than one who has less to report.

The role has to match the paperwork

Roles evolve. Someone sponsored as one thing gradually becomes another, and salaries drift as responsibilities change. If the job being done no longer matches the Certificate of Sponsorship, that is a compliance problem even when everyone involved is content with the arrangement.

Sensible preparation

Name the people holding each licence role, and check they are still with the business and still able to do it.
Run an internal file check against the duties before someone else does.
Make sure whoever answers the door knows who to contact, because a visit can be unannounced.
Keep a written record of recruitment decisions while the reasons are still fresh.

If something is already wrong

Finding a problem yourself is a much better position than having it found for you. Suspension stops you assigning new Certificates of Sponsorship, and revocation can end the permission of the workers you sponsor, which is a consequence for them as much as for the business. Where a gap exists, correcting and reporting it is almost always better than waiting.

Responding to compliance concerns, a suspension or a revocation is outside our IAA Level 1 authorisation. If you are in that position, we will signpost you to an appropriately authorised adviser.

How WLIS can help

1 We check that the route suits your plans and that the matter is a straightforward one within our IAA Level 1 authorisation.
2 We review your eligibility and your documents, and explain plainly anything that needs attention.
3 We give you a document checklist written for your circumstances rather than a generic one.
4 We prepare the application form and supporting documents, and you check and approve the final information before anything is submitted.
5 We help with submission, biometrics or identity steps, and your eVisa and UKVI account after the decision.

Questions clients often ask

How much notice do we get?

Sometimes a short period, sometimes none at all. Pre-licence visits are often arranged, but a compliance visit to an existing sponsor can be unannounced. Preparation has to be a standing state rather than something done on notice.

What if our licence is suspended?

You cannot assign new Certificates of Sponsorship while suspended, and you are given the opportunity to respond to the concerns raised within the time the Home Office sets. That response needs an adviser authorised for that work, which is outside our IAA Level 1 authorisation, so take advice from an appropriately authorised adviser promptly.

Have a question about your own case?

General guides cannot cover every situation. Tell us what has happened and we will confirm whether we can help.

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