Keeping up to date with the Sponsor Guidance

When applying for a sponsor licence, prospective applicants are advised that being a sponsor comes with a set of compliance duties. These include a requirement for all licence holders and prospective sponsors to read all relevant parts of the sponsor guidance. If you are granted a licence, it is expected that you must remain aware of the content of this guidance, and any changes that the UKVI make to it. 

Whilst reviewing sponsor guidance at the point of application is already a considerable task, it is equally important for sponsors to ensure regular reviews, as the guidance continues to evolve. For example, the “Sponsor a Worker” guidance (Part 2 of the Workers and Temporary Workers guidance) has just received its fourth update this year. The most recent update includes an important clarification on the scope of right to work checks that sponsors must carry out, following earlier changes introduced in March and April. 

The sponsor guidance must also be read in conjunction with any organisation-specific policies, such as the enhanced right to work standards required by the Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance.

We wanted to use this as reminder to our sponsor licence holding clients to set aside time to review changes throughout the lifetime of their sponsor licence, to ensure they are well informed about the relevant legal updates.

The Immigration Team are happy to deliver tailored training on the Immigration Rules and guidance, as well as arranging audits of our client’s record keeping and internal practices, to ensure excellent compliance with their sponsor duties. If you would like support, please do not hesitate to contact us.