Compliance with sponsorship involves the entire range of duties that must be followed by a licensed sponsor. These involve performing and recording right-to-work checks, having proper records of sponsored employees, reporting any alterations in employment to UKVI, and following all Home Office policies. Collectively, these ensure that the organisation handles its sponsor licence in a responsible and legal manner.
At A Y & J Solicitors in London, we’ve helped thousands of clients sail through their Sponsor Licence visits stress-free. We do this by conducting bi-annual ‘mock’ audits of your HR systems. In fact, we know there's a lot at stake. If the Home Office makes an unannounced visit to your business, we want to ensure you're fully prepared. As a result, we’ll equip you with the relevant information and training to satisfy their requirements. Moreover, 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.
Applying for a UK Sponsor Licence can be complex without robust HRMS, but we make it simple. Maximize compliance and efficiency with our cutting-edge HRMS. In fact, you get yours absolutely free when you hire us for your sponsor licence application. Here’s what our powerful HRMS offers:
There are dozens of rules and regulations to be followed for Sponsor Licence compliance. One of the most daunting? Home Office visits. If your business fails to be prepared, you could risk immediate suspension of your Sponsor Licence. Additionally, this would put both your employees and your business reputation 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. As a result, 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 knocks, you won’t be caught off guard.
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.
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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:
As a multi-award-winning law firm recommended by The Legal 500 with over a decade of specialised immigration experience, we create the gold standard and benchmark in expertise, authority, and credibility to get the desired results. Moreover, this result driven approach has created an overall record of 5,000+ successful immigration and visa applications, enabling the companies and individuals to be confident that their visa process is in experienced hands committed to their success.
Our commitment to excellence is backed by the best.
We take pride in being featured and officially accredited by top business, immigration, and legal platforms. Our work continuously meets the highest criteria of trust, credibility, and results, earning us major accolades and high-level media attention. These accolades are more than just badges; they serve as evidence that clients are in capable, safe hands when they choose us.
"When I started the processes with Ikra, I remembered the tortoise and hare story by Aesop, so slowly they are progressing my application. Despite my request to speed up the processes, my application still does not accelerate. After two weeks of documentation and drafting the application, they submitted it to HMRC for decision. Ikra's much appreciated work has resulted in a decision from HMRC being made in less than 24 hours. Though the hare ran fast, the winner was the tortoise. Ikra is the winner on my application, just like the tortoise. I am grateful for your excellent and helpful assistance."
"Many thanks for your excellent work on my behalf. You were so thorough, persistent, and transparent. God Bless you"
"I would recommend and work with A Y & J again, my team, Ashu, Surabhi and Diana was very professional, informative and kind. They are always available and approachable. Thank you for the assistance on my complicated visa matter, which were dealt with again; professionalism and kindness. And all the challenges were dealt swiftly as well. Highly recommend and thank you so much!"
"I am very happy with the service of AY & J solicitors, thank you especially to Nagina Hanif for being patient with us and for for being fast responsive, I felt the visa I applied was quiet complicated but Nagina guided me through every step, and this has made it possible and finally the visa is granted.Thank you to the entire team of Ay & J solicitors."
"Ikra Ahmed helped me with Skilled worker visa. She is faster than light!! Much Appreciated!!! Thanks Ikra!!!!"
"AY&J offered such a professional, personalized, and adequate service from the consultation service till receiving my son’s naturalization certificate. Ikra “an Immigration Consultant at AY&J” was precise, attentive, knowledgeable, professional and delivered everything in a timely manner. She did not hesitate to address any question during the process and got back to our emails or phone calls immediately."
Since 2020, A Y & J Solicitors has handled over hundreds of successful Sponsor Licence applications, making it a renowned leader in UK immigration law. Each case that we take is handled with meticulous professionalism by our experienced team, meeting every requirement and providing the highest possible likelihood of approval.
An audit is a senior executive who sponsors and oversees the audit process within an organisation. They obtain the required resources and executive support, and facilitate that the audit team has unrestricted access to appropriate information, and monitor the implementation of any recommendations. Their sponsorship is critical to the credibility and effectiveness of the audit process.
Think of an adequacy audit as a blueprint review: it checks whether your policies and procedures are well-constructed on paper to meet all the regulatory “must-haves.” The audit team will pore over your documented framework, spotting gaps, overlaps or weak spots in how you say you’ll operate.
After a UKVI visit, you’ll generally see one of four results. If everything checks out, the audit closes with no action, and you carry on as usual. If they find a few minor slip-ups, you’ll receive an action plan and a deadline to fix those issues. For more serious or repeat breaches, UKVI can downgrade or suspend your licence, limiting your ability to sponsor new workers. In the most severe cases—when non-compliance is significant or persistent—they may move to revocation, pulling your licence altogether and preventing any future sponsorship.
To maintain full compliance, your organisation must:
Carry out robust right-to-work checks and retain evidence before any migrant worker starts employment
Keep accurate HR records for each sponsored worker (passports, contact details, attendance and leave logs)
Monitor absences and report any unauthorised absence via the SMS within 10 working days
Notify UKVI of material changes (premises, ownership, job titles, salary) promptly via the SMS
Assign CoS only to genuine skilled vacancies meeting the required skill level and salary (the RLMT was abolished with the Skilled Worker route)
Do not pass licence or application fees onto workers (cost-recoup prohibition applies from 9 April 2025)
Typical failures arise from:
Inadequate right-to-work checks or missing evidence
Poor record-keeping—outdated contact lists, incomplete attendance/leave logs
Failure to report absences via the SMS within 10 working days
Not notifying UKVI of material changes (e.g. new premises, changes in ownership, job roles, salary)
Assigning Certificates of Sponsorship to non-genuine vacancies or roles below the required skill/salary thresholds (RLMT no longer applies)
Passing licence or visa-application fees onto workers, breaching the cost-recoup rules (effective 9 April 2025)
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
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.
With more than 5,000+ successful immigration cases behind us, A Y & J Solicitors is known for its reliable service and real results. For over ten years, we’ve supported individuals and companies through sponsor licence applications, visas, and settlement routes with care and attention to detail. While recognition from The Legal 500 matters, our real achievement is the trust our clients place in us. When you use us, you receive clear guidance, practical advice, and a team of lawyers who actually have your back.
Managing Director
The driving force behind the company, Yash has years of legal experience and an uncompromising focus on client success. His leadership is the catalyst for integrity, innovation, and results.
Head of Operations
With a keen eye for process excellence and attention to detail, Diana makes every client experience seamless, efficient, and treated with care—from initial contact to final resolution.
Chief Operating Officer
Anik combines strategic mind with operational acumen to drive scale of impact and efficiency in service delivery. His systems philosophy runs the engine smoothly.
Sales Manager
Amin heads the frontlines of client interaction. He is driven by a consultative mind and profound knowledge of immigration options, matching clients with solutions that best meet their objectives.
