Over 50 Sponsor Licence Checks and Counting: Are You Missing a Critical Step?

Over 50 Sponsor Licence Checks and Counting: Are You Missing a Critical Step?

As a sponsor licence holder, you understand the importance of compliance. You conduct your right-to-work checks, you keep records, and you do your best to keep up with Home Office rules. But what if we told you that the full scope of your responsibilities involves over 50 distinct compliance checks?

It’s a staggering number, and it shines a light on how easily things can be missed. When you're juggling spreadsheets, manual reminders, and dispersed employee files, a single oversight isn't just possible—it's probable. And when it comes to Home Office audits, even one missed check can put your A-rating, and your entire sponsor licence, at risk.

So, with over 50 potential points of failure, what are you most likely missing?

The Hidden Gaps in Your Compliance Armour

From our experience, businesses often focus on the "big ticket" items like initial right-to-work checks, while smaller but equally crucial duties slip through the cracks. These commonly missed checks often fall into a few key areas:

• Ongoing Record Maintenance: Did you remember to update a sponsored worker’s residential address in the Sponsor Management System (SMS) within 10 working days? Is every single absence, paid or unpaid, recorded and authorised with a clear audit trail?
• Change of Circumstance Reporting: A promotion is great for your employee, but did you report the change in job title and salary to the Home Office? What about a change in their primary work location, even if it's another one of your company's offices?
• Follow-Up Checks: You performed the initial right-to-work check perfectly. But is a reminder scheduled in your system to conduct the follow-up check before their visa expires? Missing this turns a legal employee into an illegal worker overnight.
• Corporate Housekeeping: Has your company structure changed recently? Mergers, takeovers, or even a change in your office address need to be reported. The Home Office expects to be kept informed about the sponsoring entity itself.

Juggling these 50+ duties manually is a high-risk strategy. It’s not a question of if something will be missed, but when.

Stay HR Sponsor Compliance-Ready. Every Day.

The sheer volume of checks is precisely why we built the IRS HR platform. We believe that sponsor licence compliance shouldn't be a source of constant anxiety. Our all-in-one HR and compliance software is designed to automate and manage every one of those 50+ checks, turning a complex web of duties into a simple, streamlined process.

Here’s how IRS HR ensures you’re not missing a thing:

• A Centralised Compliance Dashboard: See the status of all your sponsored workers at a glance. Our system flags upcoming deadlines for visa expiries, right-to-work re-checks, and reporting requirements, so you can act proactively.
• Automated Alerts & Reminders: Take human error out of the equation. Our platform automatically sends notifications for critical deadlines, ensuring nothing is ever forgotten.
• Seamless Record Keeping: Store and manage all employee documents in one secure, "inspection-ready" location. From passport scans to absence records, you’ll have a complete audit trail at your fingertips for any Home Office request.
• Integrated HR Functions: Because our platform is a complete HR system, changes to an employee’s role, salary, or personal details can automatically trigger a compliance reminder, ensuring you report all necessary changes without fail.

Don't wait for a Home Office audit to discover the gaps in your processes. With over 50 compliance duties to manage, it's time to stop juggling and start automating.

Ready to find out what you might be missing? Contact IRS HR today for a personalised demo and see how our platform can make managing your sponsor licence duties simple and secure.

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Following Blog is not a substitute for legal advice. Always refer to the latest guidance on the GOV.UK website. We recommend consulting an immigration solicitor for further help. Last updated based on guidance available as of June 2025