IMMIGRATION AUDITS
If you are a sponsor licence holder, you will be inspected by the Home Office at some point during the validity period of your licence. This is to make sure that the information you gave as part of your sponsor licence application is accurate and that you are able and continuing to comply with the duties and responsibilities of a licensed sponsor.
UKVI may also visit your business premises to carry out checks before a decision on your sponsor licence application is made. Our immigration barristers can draw on their experience of Home Office compliance requirements to conduct an immigration audit of your business ahead of any Home Office inspection.
What happens during a Home Office compliance visit?
When UKVI compliance officers visit your business premises they will check that:
- Information that has been given to UKVI is accurate and complete
- You are able to offer employment at the Tier 2 skill level
- You are genuine and trading or operating lawfully in the UK
- There are no reasons to believe you represent a threat to immigration control
- You are committed to, and actually are, complying with all the duties of sponsorship
You can expect your record keeping, reporting and immigration status monitoring processes and documentation to be reviewed in order to ensure that you remain compliant.
The compliance officer may not give an indication of their assessment or your ability to comply with sponsor duties during the visit.
What else do I need to know about sponsor compliance visits?
The Home Office may check sponsors at random. These visits can be announced or unannounced.
If your migrant workers perform their employment duties at a third party’s office, it is your responsibility to ensure that the third party is aware of the possibility of unplanned and unannounced visits and checks being conducted at their premises and ensure their full cooperation.
If the compliance officers discover a problem before making a decision on your sponsor licence application then the application may be refused.
If the compliance officers find discrepancies in your application after a decision has already been made to grant or renew your sponsor licence, they will take action against you. This could result in your licence being revoked, suspended, or downgraded, with repercussions for sponsored employees.
The ratings of all licensed sponsors are on the Home Office website. A downgrade could result in negative publicity and reputational damage.
If the Home Office considers that you have attempted deception in your sponsor licence application then this could result in prosecution.
How an immigration audit by our immigration solicitors can help
Our immigration solicitors can draw on their experience of Home Office compliance requirements to conduct a mock immigration audit of your business in advance of any Home Office inspection.
Offering invaluable insights into Home Office practice and procedure, an immigration audit by our barristers will ensure that you, as a sponsor, are operating in compliance with the Government’s immigration compliance regime and are well prepared for a Home Office visit.
During our mock immigration audit, a specialist business immigration barrister will:
- Verify information that you gave on your sponsor licence application
- Check your document management and record-keeping systems to ensure that you are complying with all of your sponsor duties (or will be able to comply if your licence application has not yet been decided)
- Review the personnel files of any sponsored migrants to identify any deficiencies and areas for improvement
- Interview any of your employees involved in the recruitment of migrant workers to prepare them for the type of questions that a Home Office inspector is likely to ask
- Speak to any migrant workers to determine whether they are familiar with the terms and conditions of their UK visas
- Conduct checks on other workers to ensure you are complying with your obligation to prevent illegal working
Following our mock immigration audit, you will receive a comprehensive written report prepared by the immigration barrister who conducted the audit identifying risk areas and providing expert recommendations for improvement.
If required, we can undertake a follow-up immigration audit to further assess any changes that have been implemented.
- Agreed/Fixed Fee
Costs: Average cost from £3,700 (plus VAT at 20% )
Who Will Carry Out the Work?
- Director assisted by a Solicitor
- Associate and Assistant Solicitor assisted by Paralegal and Caseworker
- Casework supervised by Solicitor and Director
- All work supervised by the Director
Estimated Time:
- On average, 15 hours to complete
The exact time required depends on the specifics of your case, such as:
- The amount of supporting evidence needed
- Your language(s)
- Whether you are applying with dependants
- Complexities like past refusals, criminal convictions, or adverse immigration history
Providing sufficient evidence at our first meeting and clearly meeting the applicable Immigration Rules may result in lower costs.
Services Included:
- Initial consultation to consider options and assess the most appropriate application
- Advising on immigration rules/guidance and required evidence
- Advising on submission methods (priority, premium, standard)
- Assessing and advising on supporting evidence
- Assisting with obtaining further evidence, including engaging with third parties (medical experts, banks, employers)
- Preparing the application with supporting evidence
- Preparing detailed representations with an index and finalising the application
- Submitting the application and providing updates on progress
- Advising on the outcome of the application, implications of status, and next steps
Exclusions:
- Home Office fees for making the application, which you will pay directly. Find the updated list of Home Office Fees.
- Other expenses such as VAT and disbursements for medical/expert evidence or barristers.
- Advice and assistance with appeals or reconsiderations if your application is refused.
We will notify you promptly and before incurring any such fees if they are applicable.
Home Office’s application fees
Each application to the Home Office, attracts a specific Home Office’s fee.
For the current fee for your application , please click the following link Uk Home Office’s current application fees
Our timescale to Submit your application:
- Applications typically take six to eight weeks from instruction, depending on the complexity of the applicant’s immigration history. We will inform you as soon as possible if it is likely to take longer.We’ll ensure that your application is submitted on time before your existing leave to remain or leave to enter expires.
The Home Office’s current timescale for Processing your application:
- We cannot guarantee the Home Office’s processing time. However, the currently Home Office’s processing time is between 4 to 6 months in average.
Please note that the estimated hours and fees are based on the provided information. All applications vary, and we can provide a more accurate estimate once we have more details about your specific case.
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