Reporting duties for sponsored staff: family leave and return to work

Schools and Academy Trusts holding a skilled worker sponsor licence must take particular care when managing family leave for sponsored staff, ensuring reporting obligations are met consistently and within required timeframes. The UKVI requires sponsors to report specified changes to a sponsored worker’s circumstances within 10 working days. This commonly includes the start and end of family leave, adjustments to salary where staff move onto statutory pay, and confirmation of return to work. All updates must be submitted via the Sponsor Management System.

A key compliance risk arises where a sponsored teacher or member of support staff is absent without pay, or on reduced pay, for more than four weeks in total during a calendar year. This threshold applies whether the absence is continuous or cumulative. In most cases, sponsors are expected to cease sponsorship if this limit is exceeded.

There are, however, important exceptions. Statutory maternity, paternity, parental, shared parental, and adoption leave are all treated as permissible absences. These do not trigger the requirement to withdraw sponsorship, even where they exceed four weeks. Skilled Worker visa holders are entitled to the same statutory leave rights as other employees. Despite this, sponsors must still report such absences via the Sponsor Management System and maintain clear, auditable records.