Immigration compliance
Sponsors and employers must stay compliant or risk losing their licence and facing civil penalties of up to £60,000 per illegal worker. We help you build the systems and evidence to meet every requirement.
- Up to £60,000
- Civil penalty per illegal worker
- 20 working days
- To report significant business changes
- 2 years
- Keep right to work records after employment ends
- £350
- Priority SMS request — 5 working days
Who this is for
Whether you sponsor workers or simply employ staff, the right to work and sponsor duty rules apply.
Sponsor licence holders
Employers with a Worker or Temporary Worker licence who must meet ongoing sponsor duties.
Employers of all sizes
Any UK employer that hires staff and must complete right to work checks before they start.
Growing or changing businesses
Companies going through mergers, takeovers or changes to the nature of their business that must report to UKVI within 20 working days.
Employers facing audits
Businesses preparing for, or responding to, a UKVI compliance visit or civil penalty referral.
Three ways to check right to work
You must check every employee's right to work before they start work.
Online share code
Used for most workers with valid UK immigration status. British and Irish citizens cannot use a share code.
Original documents
Check original documents in the holder's presence — the only manual route accepted for British and Irish citizens.
IDVT identity service provider
Identity Document Validation Technology provided by a certified provider — available for British and Irish citizens.
- Carry out the right to work check before the employee starts work.
- Biometric residence cards and biometric residence permits are no longer accepted — use an online share code instead.
- Keep copies of the documents you check during employment and for 2 years after employment ends.
- Record the date you carried out each check.
- Do follow-up checks before any time-limited permission to work expires.
Ongoing sponsor duties and SMS reporting
Sponsors must keep the systems and records that prove they are meeting their duties.
Monitor immigration status
Track each sponsored worker's immigration status throughout their employment.
Keep right-to-work evidence
Retain all right-to-work documents and records as required.
Track attendance
Have systems to record and monitor worker attendance.
Keep contact details up to date
Maintain current contact details for every sponsored worker.
Report problems to UKVI
Report issues such as a worker stopping coming to work.
Significant business changes must be reported through the Sponsorship Management System within 20 working days. They include stopping trading, insolvency, mergers or takeovers, and a change in the nature of the business.
- Standard SMS requests
- Up to 18 weeks
- Priority service
- £350 · 5 working days
Penalties for illegal working
The right to work checks are your statutory excuse against a civil penalty — get them right and keep the evidence.
Civil penalty
Up to £60,000 per illegal worker if you did not carry out the correct right to work checks.
Criminal liability
If you knew, or had reasonable cause to believe, that someone had no right to work, you can face up to 5 years in prison and an unlimited fine.
Statutory excuse
You will not have to pay the civil penalty if you can show that you made the correct right to work checks.
Licence action
Sponsor licences may be downgraded, suspended or withdrawn for non-compliance.
How we build your compliance
- 1Step 1
Audit your current compliance
Review existing right to work records, HR systems and sponsor management arrangements.
- 2Step 2
Fix right to work processes
Move every new hire through one of three accepted methods — share code, original documents or IDVT — before they start work.
- 3Step 3
Build sponsor duty systems
Set up monitoring of immigration status, attendance tracking, contact details and follow-up checks.
- 4Step 4
Set SMS reporting triggers
Document who reports changes via the Sponsorship Management System and within what timescales.
- 5Step 5
Train key personnel
Make sure key personnel and HR staff know their reporting obligations, including reporting significant business changes within 20 working days.
- 6Step 6
Prepare for UKVI visits
Hold mock audits, fix gaps and keep an audit-ready evidence pack on hand.
- 1Step 1
Audit your current compliance
Review existing right to work records, HR systems and sponsor management arrangements.
- 2Step 2
Fix right to work processes
Move every new hire through one of three accepted methods — share code, original documents or IDVT — before they start work.
- 3Step 3
Build sponsor duty systems
Set up monitoring of immigration status, attendance tracking, contact details and follow-up checks.
- 4Step 4
Set SMS reporting triggers
Document who reports changes via the Sponsorship Management System and within what timescales.
- 5Step 5
Train key personnel
Make sure key personnel and HR staff know their reporting obligations, including reporting significant business changes within 20 working days.
- 6Step 6
Prepare for UKVI visits
Hold mock audits, fix gaps and keep an audit-ready evidence pack on hand.
Common compliance mistakes
- Starting an employee before their right to work check has been completed.
- Relying on biometric residence cards or permits — these are no longer accepted; a share code must be used instead.
- Trying to use a share code for British or Irish citizens — check original documents or use IDVT.
- Failing to keep copies of documents during employment and for 2 years after employment ends.
- Missing follow-up checks before time-limited permission expires.
- Not reporting significant business changes within 20 working days.
- Failing to report when a sponsored worker stops coming to work.
Non-compliance puts the licence at risk
Related
Other routes worth checking
Sponsor licence
Applying for a Worker or Temporary Worker licence, and the duties that come with it.
Read moreEducational sponsor compliance
The equivalent duties for universities, colleges and schools sponsoring international students.
Read moreHR compliance software
Systems for tracking right to work evidence, attendance and follow-up check dates.
Read moreReady when you are
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