UK employers who hold a Sponsor Licence need to be aware of the reality of unannounced audits by the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) during any point whilst a Tier 2 Sponsor Licence is held to ensure they are complying with their duties as a sponsor. In some cases the UKVI officials will provide notice of their attended arrival, but employers need to take a robust approach to their sponsor duties.
What happens during a UKVI visit?
As part of sponsor licence compliance and audits, the compliance officers carry out the checks and they may want to:
- Check that employers are complying with all of their sponsor duties or will be able to comply if they visit before the licence application has been decided.
- Speak to any migrant workers.
- Conduct checks on other workers to ensure they are complying with their obligation to prevent illegal working in the UK
- Verify any information stated on the sponsor Licence application which may include taking photographs of the location and the premises from which the business is being operated.
- Speak to any of the employees or colleagues involved in the recruitment of migrant workers, inspect records and/or systems to ensure they are following their sponsor obligations and adherence to rules, such as on ‘Record Keeping’ as set out in Appendix D of the guidance for sponsors.
