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Employer and sponsor centre

Sponsor licence and compliance hub

A practical public-information library for organisations building lawful, reliable sponsorship systems.

14employer guidesPhase 2 · reviewed 26 July 2026
1. Prepare2. Apply3. Sponsor4. Monitor5. Report
General information, not a personal recommendation

Employer sponsorship is a regulated compliance system. These pages explain published duties and official sources; they are not organisation-specific legal advice.

01Employer guide

Sponsor licence eligibility

The organisational suitability questions to check before starting a worker sponsor-licence application.

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02Employer guide

Choosing the sponsor licence type

How Worker and Temporary Worker categories relate to the roles an organisation plans to sponsor.

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03Employer guide

Sponsor licence key personnel

The authorising officer, key contact and level 1 user roles that control sponsorship compliance.

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04Employer guide

Sponsor licence supporting documents

How organisational evidence supports the identity, operation and route requested by the sponsor.

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05Employer guide

Preparing for a sponsor compliance visit

What a Home Office visit may test about the organisation, vacancies, records and sponsor systems.

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06Employer guide

Using the Sponsor Management System

The operational role of the SMS in assigning sponsorship and reporting changes.

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07Employer guide

Sponsor duties explained

The main monitoring, record-keeping, reporting and compliance responsibilities of a licensed sponsor.

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08Employer guide

Sponsor record-keeping duties

A practical framework for locating, owning and retaining sponsor compliance records.

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09Employer guide

Reporting worker and business changes

How sponsors can build a reliable process for identifying and reporting changes to UKVI.

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10Employer guide

Assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship

The checks a sponsor should complete before assigning the electronic record to a worker.

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11Employer guide

Occupation code and salary checks

Why job duties, code eligibility, going rates, hours and salary need to be assessed together.

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12Employer guide

Right-to-work checks for sponsors

How the general employer duty connects to—but remains distinct from—sponsor compliance.

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13Employer guide

Sponsor licence ratings and action plans

The difference between an A-rating, downgrade and the corrective action expected from a sponsor.

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14Employer guide

Sponsor licence suspension or revocation

A high-level guide to urgent sponsor action when UKVI raises serious compliance concerns.

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