Tuesday 3 December 2024

On 28 November 2024 the Home Office revealed how many Skilled Worker sponsor licences it has suspended or revoked in the third quarter of 2024. The increase in sponsor licences being suspended or revoked year on year is dramatic. In the third quarter of 2024 the Home Office suspended 509 licences and revoked 513. In the same period last year, the Home Office suspended 91 licences and revoked 65. This continues the trend shown in the data for the previous two quarters of 2024 for year-on-year increases in compliance action against sponsors. With one quarter still to go this year the Home Office has already suspended 1,342 licences and revoked 1,222. This is compared to a total of 569 suspensions and 337 revocations for the entirety of 2023.

The substantial and sustained increase in compliance action against sponsors follows the Home Office’s announcement earlier this year that it would continue to ramp up compliance visits to sponsors and intends to strengthen the rules around sponsorship.

On the same day that the Home Office released the latest suspension and revocation figures, it also proposed to increase sanctions on sponsors who breach immigration rules. The Home Office plans to double the amount of time a sponsor must wait to apply for a new sponsor licence following the revocation of its licence for significant breaches of immigration rules. Significantly, the Home Office also announced its intention to increase existing sanctions against sponsors who have only committed minor breaches of immigration rules.

Considering the increase in compliance action against sponsors and the planned strengthening of sanctions on sponsors who breach immigration rules it is more important than ever that sponsors ensure that they are complying with their sponsor duties. The duties that the Home Office requires sponsors to comply with are numerous and complex and the consequences for non-compliant sponsors can be dire for the business and the sponsored employees.

Laura Devine Immigration offers a range of sponsor compliance services which can assist your business with its ongoing immigration compliance and ensure that your sponsor licence and HR systems are in order. For further information, please contact your dedicated LDI lawyer or enquiries@lauradevine.com.