Corporate compliance · IAA-regulated advice
Sponsor Licence Audit and Compliance Visit Help in Birmingham & London
UKVI can check your sponsor licence at any time, with or without notice. We run a mock audit that mirrors a compliance visit, tell you plainly what an officer is likely to find, and help you fix it before they arrive, for a fixed fee agreed in writing.
Last checked 11 October 2026 · Reviewed by Vishal Gautam, IAA-regulated adviser
Overview
What is a sponsor licence audit?
A sponsor licence audit is a review of your HR systems, records and SMS history against your sponsor duties. UKVI carries out its own compliance checks: on-site visits or digital checks by video, announced or unannounced, and it also checks pay with HMRC.
A mock audit is the same exercise done privately, before UKVI comes. We look at what a compliance officer looks at: your records, your reports, your Key Personnel and the jobs your workers actually do, and we speak to staff the way an officer would. You get a written report and a plan to fix the gaps.
✓This service is for you if…
- You hold a sponsor licence and haven’t had your systems reviewed recently
- UKVI has told you about a compliance visit, or you think one is coming
- Your HR team, Authorising Officer or SMS users have changed
- You plan to sponsor more workers or add a route
Quick check
Ready for a compliance visit? Six questions, one minute
Answer honestly. Nothing is saved or sent: this is a general guide, not advice on your case.
Could you show an officer every sponsored worker’s Appendix D file today?Right to work checks, recruitment, pay, job description, contact details and absences.
Is every sponsored worker doing the job, at the pay, shown on their certificate?Officers may interview workers about what they actually do.
Has every reportable change been reported on time?10 working days for most worker changes, 20 for your organisation.
Are your Authorising Officer and Level 1 Users eligible and in place?Including a plan for any Level 2 Users, which end after 8 March 2027.
Would whoever is on site know what to do if an officer arrived unannounced?You must give officers full access to your premises on demand.
If workers are based at a client’s site, does the client know UKVI may visit?You must make sure the client co-operates.
Eligibility
What a sponsor licence audit covers
Our mock audit follows what UKVI says its compliance officers may look at. These are the five areas we test.
Appendix D records
- Right to work checks for every worker, and entry-date checks where needed
- Recruitment evidence for each sponsored role
- Payslips, proof of salary paid into each worker’s own account, and contracts
- Job descriptions, qualifications, registrations, contact details and absence records
Officers can also check that your other staff have the right to work, not only sponsored workers.
Genuine jobs and correct pay
- Each worker’s real duties match the occupation code and job description on their certificate
- Pay matches the certificate and the route’s salary rules, with no unreported cuts
- No cash payments, and no licence fees, certificate fees or Immigration Skills Charge recovered from workers
- Employment law is met too, including National Minimum Wage and working time rules
UKVI also checks pay with HMRC regularly, not only during visits.
Reporting history
- Absence without permission over 10 working days, late starts and leavers were reported on time
- Pay cuts, role changes and new work locations were reported
- Changes to your organisation, such as new sites, ownership or size, were reported
- Suspected breaches of visa conditions were reported promptly
We compare your SMS history with your HR records, the way an officer would.
Key Personnel and SMS users
- An eligible Authorising Officer and at least one eligible Level 1 User are in place
- Any Level 2 Users have a plan to be upgraded or deactivated by 8 March 2027
- User details are current for multi-factor authentication, and inactive accounts are dealt with
- Someone senior checks the certificates your users assign
Without an eligible Authorising Officer or Level 1 User, UKVI will revoke a licence.
Ready for the visit itself
- A named person and a plan for announced and unannounced visits, on-site or by video
- Managers and sponsored workers who can describe their roles accurately
- Client sites where your workers are based know UKVI may visit, and will co-operate
- Records you can produce quickly, on paper or electronically
The officer won’t give you their view on the day. UKVI tells you its decision in writing.
Documents
Sponsor licence audit documents: the easy part
We ask for the documents an officer would ask for. What matters is whether they match each other, and the SMS.
What everyone needs
- Your licence details and SMS records
- Details of your Key Personnel and SMS users
- Appendix D files for each sponsored worker
- £Payroll records for sponsored workers
- An organisation chart, your sites and job descriptions
- Right to work checks for all staff
Plus your HR policies on recruitment, absence and reporting, and any earlier letters from UKVI.
Costs & timeline
Sponsor licence audit: what’s at stake
A mock audit costs our fixed fee only. If UKVI finds minor breaches, it usually downgrades you to a B-rating with an action plan costing £1,579. Serious or systematic breaches can lead to suspension or revocation, and a wait of at least 12 months before you can reapply.
If UKVI finds problems
| Action plan after a B-ratingpay within 10 working days, or your licence is revoked | £1,579 |
| New licence after revocation, small sponsor£1,682 for a large sponsor; only after at least 12 months | £611 |
| Home Office fees if a downgrade ends in revocationbefore the cost of losing your sponsored workers | £2,190 |
Home Office fees from the fees table in force from 8 October 2026, checked 11 October 2026. A B-rating means no certificates for new workers until your A-rating is restored. If your licence is revoked, workers who weren’t involved usually have their permission cut to 60 days. Our consultation fees →
Mock audit
Before UKVI callsWe review records, reports, Key Personnel and roles, and speak to staff.
Report and fixes
Straight afterYou get a written report and a plan to fix the gaps, ranked by risk to your licence.
Compliance check
Any time, with or without noticeOn-site or by video. Officers may interview you and your workers and inspect your records.
UKVI’s decision
In writingNo action, a B-rating with a 3-month action plan or, for serious breaches, suspension or revocation.
Back to an A-rating
After the action planIf you meet every step, UKVI restores your A-rating. If not, it revokes the licence.
Protect your licence
Common sponsor licence compliance failures
These are the issues behind most downgrades and revocations. A mock audit tests each one.
Missing Appendix D documents
Not giving UKVI an Appendix D document when asked, within the time it sets, is a ground on which it will normally revoke a licence.
We check: every sponsored worker’s file.
Roles that don’t match the certificate
If a worker does a job that doesn’t match the occupation code or job description on their certificate, UKVI will revoke the licence.
We check: duties against certificates, including by speaking to workers.
Changes never reported
Unreported absences, pay cuts or leavers breach your duties, and suggest your systems don’t work.
We check: your SMS history against your HR records.
Pay below the certificate
Paying a worker less than their certificate says, without reporting it or where the cut isn’t allowed, is a ground on which UKVI will revoke a licence.
We check: payroll against each certificate.
No process behind the people
Not having the systems to meet your duties, such as knowing when a worker stops turning up, is a ground on which UKVI will normally revoke a licence.
We check: who does what, and what happens when they’re away.
An unprepared visit
Not co-operating with a compliance check, or delaying it, is a ground on which UKVI will normally revoke a licence.
We check: your visit plan and who’s briefed.
How we help
Our sponsor licence audit services
Choose a one-off mock audit, or regular reviews, for a fixed fee.
Mock audit
We review your records, reports, Key Personnel and roles, and speak to staff the way an officer would.
Written report
You get a clear list of findings, ranked by risk to your licence.
Putting it right
We help you fix the gaps: missing records, late reports, user changes and HR processes.
Visit briefing and reviews
We brief your team before a visit and re-check your systems when you choose.
Our scope: we’re regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority at Level 1. We carry out compliance reviews and help you put things right before any enforcement action. If UKVI proposes to downgrade, suspend or revoke your licence, we explain the process and deadlines and refer you to a solicitor or higher-level adviser. If your licence is downgraded to a B-rating, we can help you carry out the Home Office action plan; any written response to the downgrade itself is referred on.
FAQs
Sponsor licence audit questions, answered
Will UKVI tell us before a compliance visit?
Not always. Compliance checks can be announced or unannounced, on-site or by video, and can happen before or after your licence is granted. You must give officers full access to your premises on demand, and make sure any client site where your workers are based co-operates too.
What happens during a UKVI compliance visit?
An officer may check what you said in your licence application, inspect your records and systems, check right to work for other staff, and interview you, your sponsored workers and staff involved in recruiting them. They won’t give a view on the day; UKVI tells you its decision in writing.
What is a B-rating?
A downgrade for breaches UKVI thinks can be put right. You must accept an action plan and pay £1,579 within 10 working days, and you can’t assign certificates to new workers until your A-rating is restored. You can still assign certificates to existing workers who need to extend.
How long does an action plan last?
Every action plan lasts 3 months. UKVI then checks whether you’ve met it: if you have, your A-rating is restored; if not, your licence is revoked; if new issues have appeared, you may get a second plan and fee. You can be B-rated only twice in any rolling 4-year period.
What happens to our sponsored workers if the licence is suspended or revoked?
While a licence is suspended, current workers aren’t affected unless it’s revoked, but you can’t assign certificates. If it’s revoked, workers who weren’t involved usually have their permission cut to 60 days to find another sponsor or leave. There’s no right of appeal against revocation, and you must wait at least 12 months to reapply.
How often should we audit our licence?
The guidance doesn’t set a frequency. It makes sense to review regularly, and always after a change in HR staff, Key Personnel, systems or the routes you sponsor on. We can agree a schedule that suits your size.
Can a mock audit guarantee we pass a UKVI check?
No. UKVI makes its own decision. A mock audit shows you what an officer is likely to find, so you can fix it first.
UKVI wants to suspend our licence. Can you help?
We can explain the process, the 20-working-day deadline for your written response and what happens to your workers. Preparing written representations against a suspension or revocation is outside our Level 1 scope, so we’ll refer you straight away to a solicitor or higher-level adviser.
Related routes
More on employer compliance
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