There are dozens of rules and regulations that come along with having a Sponsor Licence. One of the most daunting? Home Office visits. Should your business fail to be prepared, you could risk immediate suspension of your Sponsor Licence entirely — meaning your employees and your business reputation are at risk. And with courts often reluctant to overturn Home Office revocations where there has been a clear breach, this is a risk you can’t afford to take. Our team is here to ensure you minimise the chance of breaching compliance by preparing you in the event of an immigration audit. So if a Home Office compliance officer comes knocking,
you won't be caught off guard.
At A Y & J Solicitors in London, we’ve helped thousands of clients sail through their Sponsor Licence visits stress-free by conducting bi-annual ‘mock’ audits of your HR systems. We know there's a lot at stake, and if the Home Office springs a visit on your business without notice, we want to make sure you're fully prepared and equipped with the relevant information and training to satisfy their requirements. Our immigration solicitors have decades of experience in immigration audit compliance and are here to help you meet every rule and regulation.
Step 1 - Pre-audit:
Step 2 – Audit:
Step 3 - Post-Audit:
GNL
Bad advice can lead to delays and refusals you can’t afford to risk. That’s why we assign a subject matter expert - a UK immigration associate - to manage your case throughout.
It’s frustrating when you don’t know what’s going on with your case. We guarantee a reply to all messages/emails within 24 working hours or we refund 20% of your fees.
We are specialists in immigration law and have supported more than 4,000 business owners and professionals around the globe to successfully navigate the UK system. We work quickly, always responding to any queries within 24 working hours. And we work closely with the Home Office to pre-empt issues before they jeopardise sponsorship applications or breach compliance. We manage all United Kingdom immigration matters including visa applications under the new points-based immigration system, sponsor licence applications, skilled worker visa, global mobility visa, global talent visa and more. We also handle complex cases of appeal, administrative reviews, judicial reviews and the many immigration challenges involving European Union law and human rights.
Had notification from the Home Office?
How A Y & J Solicitors can help.
Had notification from the Home Office?
What to do next.
Download our guide on how to apply
for a sponsor licence:
With a crackdown non-compliance, there is an increase in inspections in these industries.
Calculate the cost of a
sponsor licence here:
Understand the eligibility requirements
for a sponsor licence here:
A Y & J Solicitors has more than 1,200 positive client reviews across Google and Trustpilot and is listed in The Legal top 500 best UK law firms, so you can rest assured your immigration challenges are in safe hands when you take these three simple steps:
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"Very helpful and efficient team, the fees are a significant investment but I couldn't have done the process without them. I recommend allowing 2-3 months for applications to avoid extra fees, but I was on a very tight timeline and the team was able to wrap up everything very quickly. Really grateful for all their hard work."
"I have used A Y & J Solicitors twice now to deal with spouse visa applications. They are highly professional and each time got excellent service. Recently, Nagina Hanif helped out with our application and she was very thorough and diligent in getting all the paperwork done and kept us posted through out the process. I know A Y & J solicitors fees might be bit on the higher end when compared to others, but I think this represents the quality of service you get in return. Before signing on A Y & J solicitors, I looked at few other options few years ago but our first application, when it came to renewal time I simply went with them as I knew they were highly reliable. I would highly recommend them!"
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Obtaining a Sponsor Licence is a challenging yet rewarding process that can open up opportunities for organisations to recruit talent from anywhere in the world. As a part of your application, you may have already met a Home Office compliance officer for a pre-licence visit. Once you hold your Sponsor Licence, you can expect to receive a Home Office compliance visit at any time – often without notice.
There is zero tolerance for non-compliance and illegal working. Non-compliance can result in a loss of critical skilled workers and an inability to hire skilled workers in the future. It can also damage your professional reputation.
The courts are often reluctant to overturn Home Office revocations where there has been a clear breach of compliance. Judges are keen to reinforce the view that a Sponsor Licence is a privilege, not a right.
Avoiding these damaging effects requires extensive knowledge and experience with the rules and regulations related to a Sponsor Licence. A Y & J Solicitors have been working with SMEs, large companies, and multinationals for nearly a decade and possess the resources and knowledge required to help our clients achieve full compliance.
Many firms fail to meet Sponsor Licence compliance duties and responsibilities for the following reasons:
There are no exceptions for Sponsor Licence holders who are found to be non-compliant in one or more areas. Being unprepared for an immigration audit is unacceptable, even if it is unannounced. This can put a great deal of stress on Sponsor Licence holders, especially smaller companies that do not have large HR departments to manage this.
A Y & J Solicitors provide full support to Sponsor Licence holders seeking Home Office inspection preparation. We will conduct a Sponsor Licence compliance audit so all of your business procedures and protocols meet the strict compliance guidelines. Our document and system review services will identify any areas of concern and provide clear solutions for establishing compliance quickly.
A Y & J Solicitors takes pride in a long-standing reputation for excellent customer service. Through independent reviews and constant client recommendations, we have grown a business of expertise and trust that is widely recognised.
We are experts in providing Sponsor Licence compliance visits support and work with our clients to achieve full compliance. Our immigration law experts provide tailored services to each client and consistently exceed expectations. We are committed to helping our Sponsor Licence holder clients develop and maintain excellent systems, processes, and procedures which achieve full compliance.
Any organisation that holds a UK Sponsor Licence can receive an unannounced Sponsor Licence visit from a Home Office compliance officer at any time. The media often reports on hotels, retail, curry houses and care homes being visited on a regular basis, but regardless of your market sector, you should always be prepared for an unannounced visit. We can assist you with this by running bi-annual mock audits of your HR systems.
Home Office inspection visits will check that your organisation is complying fully with rules and regulations. The Home Office compliance officer will inspect your records relating to migrant workers. Make sure you can present these as quickly as possible, as it can reflect negatively if you do not appear to know the location of relevant documents. It is vital that all key personnel can demonstrate that they are familiar with internal HR procedures.
It is quite possible that a Home Office compliance officer will want to talk to your sponsored workers. This provides them with an opportunity to directly ask sponsored migrants about specific employment details such as their current salary, duties, and responsibilities.
This should not present a problem if you and your Level 1 user have entered all relevant details of the sponsored workers’ employment into the Sponsor Management System (SMS). Our immigration experts can take over Level 1 or Level 2 user roles for you, ensuring the information required is kept up-to-date, on your instruction
