A sponsor licence is an ongoing responsibility. The Home Office treats it as a privilege with four broad duties: keeping records, reporting changes, co-operating with compliance and monitoring migrants. Getting these wrong can result in suspension, downgrade to a B-rating, or revocation.
Record-keeping
Every sponsor keeps an up-to-date right-to-work file, a record of absences, a copy of passports and BRPs, the sponsored worker’s contact details, their contract of employment, and their qualifications where the CoS relied on them. Records must be retrievable for Home Office audit at short notice.
Reporting
A long list of events must be reported through the Sponsor Management System (SMS), usually within 10 working days. These include: the worker starting, not starting, being absent for more than 10 working days, changing job within the same company, receiving a salary change, or ending employment.
Changes to the organisation itself — ownership, name, registered address, key personnel — also need SMS updates.
Co-operation with compliance
The Home Office carries out pre-licence audits, scheduled compliance visits and unannounced visits. Sponsors grant access, produce records on request and respond to information requests. Refusing access is effectively refusing the licence.
Monitoring migrants
The sponsor is responsible for the migrant’s attendance, activity and salary throughout their stay. A sponsor licence carries responsibility for the person and their family.
Ratings
A-rated is the standard active rating. B-rated means the sponsor is on a Home Office action plan and cannot issue CoS to new workers until rating returns to A. Any sponsor page on this site shows the current rating pulled from the most recent register.
Where to look next
If you are an employer considering a licence, start with the Home Office’s Sponsor guidance collection. If you want to see how other employers in your sector are rated, browse the sector directory.
This guide is informational. For specific compliance questions, consult an immigration solicitor with sponsor-licence experience.
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