Sponsorship Licence Revocation

Posted onApril 13, 2022

Sponsorship Licence lawyers work really hard to obtain sponsor licences as quickly as possible for business owners because whether you are a small restaurant applying for your first sponsor licence or a well-established tech business, getting your sponsor licence gives your company the freedom to hire workers you need from overseas.

It is inevitable that during the four year life span of a Home Office sponsor licence something will go wrong. Sponsorship Licence lawyers say the trick for HR staff and sponsor licence key personnel is to spot problems early on to avoid what might start out as a minor non-compliance issue that could be easily sorted becoming a major issue resulting in the suspension or revocation of your sponsor licence.

UK Online and London Based Immigration Solicitors and Sponsorship Licence Lawyers

For help with sponsor licence revocation and sponsor licence compliance call the Sponsorship Licence lawyers at OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.

Sponsor licence revocation

The revocation of your sponsor licence is the ultimate sanction by the Home Office. If the Home Office has concerns about how your sponsor licence is being operated, they may:

Conduct an audit – this could be an announced or unannounced visit to your premises or
Suspend your sponsor licence and impose an action plan so you can get your sponsor licence back to an A rating or
Revoke your sponsor licence without first suspending the sponsor licence and offering the option of an action plan.

Although you may think that you have the problem ‘in hand’, Sponsorship Licence lawyers recommend that at the very first sign of the Home Office having concerns about the operation of your sponsor licence you get expert sponsor licence legal advice. If you leave it too late a Sponsorship Licence lawyer may not be able to avoid your sponsor licence being revoked by the Home Office. The sooner you call us on 0203 959 9123 the better able we are to help your business.

Proactive sponsor licence management

In an ideal world, your Sponsorship Licence lawyers will help you avoid the risk of sponsor licence revocation by working proactively with you to manage your sponsor licence. Proactive sponsor licence management can include:

Helping you set up easy to follow sponsor licence procedures so you can comply with your sponsor licence reporting and recording duties.
Conducting internal audits to check systems are being followed.
Helping you with the recruitment process of overseas workers. For example, making sure that you have evidence that you have a genuine job vacancy or that you are complying with the latest rules on right to work checks or allocating the right standard occupational classification code to your certificates of sponsorship.
Advising you on how best to prepare for announced Home Office inspections and audits.
Providing a full sponsor licence management service so sponsor licence problems are avoided
Assisting with in-house training on complying with sponsor licence reporting and recording duties.

It can be a false economy to think that you can ‘go it alone’ and manage your sponsor licence. That’s because if your sponsor licence is revoked it could have huge financial implications for your business. Whilst you may be concerned about sponsor licence legal fees or embarrassed by the situation you are in; it is best to speak to one of our friendly and efficient Sponsorship Licence lawyers to see how we can help your business.

Sponsor licence revocation – the fall out

Sponsorship Licence lawyers know from experience that many sponsoring employers don’t appreciate the significance of the Home Office revoking their sponsor licence. That can mean that they leave it almost too late to get the expert sponsor licence revocation legal advice they need.

Sponsor licence revocation fall out includes:

If your sponsor licence is revoked there is a cooling off period of at least 12 months . During the cooling off period, you won't be able to apply for another sponsor licence.
The Home Office publishes a list of the companies where a sponsor licence has been suspended or revoked. Inclusion on this list could create reputational or brand damage.
If your sponsor licence is revoked because your business failed to carry out right to work checks and your company employed illegal workers, your firm could also face civil and criminal penalties. The maximum civil penalty is £20,000 for each illegal worker employed by your business.
If your sponsor licence is revoked the company can't continue to employ sponsored workers. The sponsored employees will either need to find new jobs with employers with a sponsor licence or switch visa to a non-sponsored route or leave the UK. If you are a relatively small business, such as a restaurant, you may need to close if you don’t have a key member of staff and you can't recruit and replace them because of the recruitment crisis in the restaurant and hospitality sector.
If your sponsor licence is revoked you may find it harder to get a new sponsor licence at the end of the cooling off period and your new sponsor licence may be more closely monitored by Home Office officials.
If key personnel move job, they may not be able to act as key personnel for their new employer because of their association with the revocation of the sponsor licence. Likewise, a company director of a company where the sponsor licence was revoked, will not just be able to fold the company and start up a new business with a new name and apply for a sponsor licence. There are rules to prevent this.

Help with sponsor licence revocation

The Sponsorship Licence lawyers at OTS Solicitors like to think that it is never too late for them to do their utmost to avoid a company losing its sponsor licence because of the impact on the business and its sponsored employees. Workers will lose their livelihoods and potentially have to leave the UK if their visas are curtailed and they can't get employment with another sponsoring employer. That is a big responsibility for any employer to shoulder and it is best shared with Sponsorship Licence lawyers.

UK Online and London Based Immigration Solicitors and Sponsorship Licence Lawyers

For sponsor licence revocation advice call the business immigration lawyers at OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.