Compliance Audits

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.

Our immigration team regularly carries out mock audits at client premises. Following our mock audit, you will receive a comprehensive written report prepared by the immigration barrister who conducted the audit identifying risk areas and providing expert recommendations for improvement.

Our immigration team will ensure that you become fully compliant with their sponsor duties and well prepared for a Home Office visit.

If you would like confidential business immigration advice, please get in touch with our team today.