Version 16.0 of the Home Office guidance on sponsor changes of circumstances, updated on 20 October 2026, tells caseworkers how to process change requests from Worker and Temporary Worker sponsors.
Key facts
- Who: Worker and Temporary Worker sponsors, including their level 1 (L1) users, authorising officers (AO) and key contacts (KC)
- From: Updated 20 October 2026; version 16.0 published for Home Office staff on 14 October 2026
- Source: Worker and Temporary Worker points-based system sponsor licensing: maintenance (accessible)
The guidance page is dated 20 October 2026. It records version 16.0 as published for Home Office staff on 14 October 2026.
UK Visas and Immigration has updated its staff guidance on post-licence changes for Worker and Temporary Worker sponsors. The change note says this version provides "further guidance to caseworkers on sponsor changes of circumstances". The extract we reviewed does not say which passages are new.
The guidance states that the sponsor's L1 user must report any change online, using the "change of circumstances" function in the sponsor management system (SMS). The deadline is 10 working days from the change for worker changes, and 20 working days from the change for organisational changes.
For certain requests, the sponsor must also send a submission sheet and any required supporting evidence to Sponsor Operations within 5 working days of submitting the online request. A submission sheet with a signed declaration is mandatory only to replace the AO, change the sponsor name, change the sponsor address, or surrender a licence.
Caseworkers wait up to 5 days after the online request for a missing submission sheet. What happens next depends on the request type. A request to replace the AO is rejected, and the rejection letter tells the sponsor to re-send it. A request to appoint a new representative is also rejected by letter. For a surrender, the sponsor is sent a declaration to return within 5 days. If it is not received after 5 working days, caseworkers request it again and wait 5 working days. If there is still no response, the non-cooperative sponsor process applies.
Documents should be sent digitally as PDF, JPEG or PNG files. Hard copies must be originals or certified copies, and a document stamped only with a company name is not accepted.
If a sponsor does not respond to a request for further information, the caseworker writes a second time and then telephones. If there is still no response, the request is rejected and a referral form goes to the Work Casework Risk team.
What this means for applicants
Sponsors must report worker changes through the SMS within 10 working days and organisational changes within 20 working days. Where a submission sheet is required, it must reach Sponsor Operations within 5 working days of the online request.
If a required submission sheet does not arrive, a request to replace the AO is rejected and the sponsor is told to re-send it, and a request to appoint a new representative is rejected. A sponsor that does not respond to requests for further evidence faces rejection of the request and a referral to the Work Casework Risk team.
A sponsor with no L1 user able to access the SMS is emailed, through its AO and KC, and told to appoint a new L1 user by sending in a change of circumstances form.
Related guide: Related ukvisa.blog guide on sponsorship requirements
Sources
- Worker and Temporary Worker points-based system sponsor licensing: maintenance (accessible), UK Visas and Immigration, updated 20 October 2026