The government announced new plans to reduce net migration in September, which included new measures for Sponsor Licence holders. This comes to proactively handle what they believe is over-reliance on foreign talent in certain sectors. This involves the Home Office being stricter regarding sponsorship licence compliance and possibly increasing audits. In line with this, we have collated some key sponsor licence compliance tips for you as an employer.
Licence Reporting
One of the most important aspects of Sponsorship Licence compliance is to keep up to date with necessary reporting on your licence. You can do this via the SMS platform. The information you need to report in relation to your sponsored workers includes (as some examples):
- Change in job title and job description
- Change of work address
- Salary changes
Reporting this information late, or even failing to do so, puts your Sponsorship Licence at risk. It is important to keep this information up to date to maintain transparency and an accurate record of your sponsored employees, which can be provided to the Home Office should you receive a compliance audit.
Changes to licence details
It is vital that the details of the company are kept up to date on the licence. You can view this in your ‘Licence Summary’ on the platform.
You must ensure the Key Personnel named on the are current and correct – for example, your Authorising Officer (AO). The AO must be someone working in the company who is responsible for the actions of staff and representatives. Furthermore, they will be accountable for the duration of the licence. If you need to update or replace this information, please contact us for assistance.
Conducting right to work checks
Another fundamental responsibility you have as a sponsor is to ensure you are completing ‘Right to Work checks’. This ensures your HR records are up to date and avoids any risk of employing staff illegally.
You must conduct the Right to work check prior to the first day of work of the employee. This should also be checked regularly and ensures that extension applications can be filed in plenty of time prior to any visa expiries.
Our services
At Permits2Work, we can help advise you on your duties as a licenced sponsor to ensure you are complying with your obligations. To know more about our services for audit and compliance training, you can find more information here: Sponsor Audits and Compliance