130 care workers, one revocation letter, and fifty-four days

The Home Office revoked a care provider's sponsor licence after cross-checking payroll data, putting around 130 care workers at risk. The licence was reinstated after our challenge.

Sponsor Licence Revocation / Suspension

Care provider responding to a sponsor licence revocation

The Home Office revoked the licence with immediate effect after cross-checking payroll data. The director had answered its earlier questions herself, sending documents rather than arguments. The firm was instructed two days later.

At a glance

Client: Health and social care provider
Sponsored workers at risk: Around 130
Revoked: 9 June 2026, with immediate effect
Grounds: Three sponsored workers allegedly paid below their stated salary, with the shortfall not reported
Instructed: 11 June 2026
Outcome: Licence reinstated, recorded 3 August 2026. Home Office to reconsider, with a further decision expected within about three months.

How they found us

First contact on 10 June, the day after the revocation letter. A discovery call the same day and instruction the next.

The challenge

The Home Office revoked the licence with immediate effect, relying on tax data suggesting three named sponsored workers were paid less than their stated salary because they had worked fewer hours.
It found the reductions had not been reported, and concluded no substantive explanation had been provided.
Around 130 sponsored care workers, and the people they care for, were affected immediately.
The director had handled all earlier Home Office correspondence herself, treating it as a document-submission exercise rather than a legal response.
Two of the three named workers were reportedly on maternity leave during the relevant period, a fact that changes how their pay should be assessed and which had never been put to the Home Office.

What we did

Reviewed the decision immediately. The revocation carried no response deadline, which makes speed a choice rather than a requirement. It was treated as urgent.
Found what the Home Office had not considered. The maternity leave position on two of the three named workers, which materially changes the salary analysis.
Instructed specialist counsel. To strengthen the pre-action challenge rather than running it in-house.
Answered the allegations rather than resending the documents. An evidence-led pre-action protocol letter addressing each ground, the mitigation, and the steps taken to prevent recurrence.

The outcome

The licence was reinstated on 3 August 2026, fifty-four days after revocation. The Home Office was to reconsider the revocation decision and issue a further decision within approximately three months. This is a reinstatement with a reconsideration reserved, not a final determination.

Why it matters

The most common and most expensive mistake a sponsor makes is treating a Home Office information request as an administrative task. Sending documents is not the same as answering an allegation. By the time the revocation letter arrives, the chance to explain has usually already been missed.