UK Visas and Immigration updated its compliance officer guidance on Worker and Temporary Worker sponsor visits on 25 March 2026, reflecting Immigration Rules changes and removing references to visits of Student sponsors.
Key facts
- Who: Sponsors and potential sponsors on the Worker and Temporary Worker routes, which Home Office compliance officers assess on visits
- From: Page updated 25 March 2026 (version 17.0 published for Home Office staff on 19 March 2026); the source gives no separate in-force date
- Source: PBS Worker and Temporary Worker: sponsor compliance visits (accessible)
UK Visas and Immigration has published version 17.0 of its guidance "PBS Worker and Temporary Worker: sponsor compliance visits (accessible)". The page is dated 25 March 2026. The guidance says version 17.0 was published for Home Office staff on 19 March 2026.
The change note says the main changes "reflect Immigration Rules changes and removal of references to visits of Student sponsors". It adds that other minor housekeeping changes were made. The source text available does not say which Immigration Rules changes were reflected.
The guidance is written for compliance officers. It covers pre-licence assessment visits, post-licence compliance visits, and visits to Secure English language testing (SELT) and Life in the UK testing centres. It sets out the processes officers follow before, during and after a visit.
The guidance says visits should normally be unannounced. A sponsor must allow Home Office staff access to any premises or sites under its control, on demand. Diplomatic or consular premises are exceptions. If access is refused, the visit report should record the sponsor as non-compliant, which may result in the licence being refused or revoked.
For an announced visit, officers must tell the sponsor in advance which documents they need to see.
The routes covered include Skilled Worker, Global Business Mobility (Senior or Specialist Worker, Graduate Trainee, Secondment Worker, Service Supplier and UK Expansion Worker), International Sportsperson, T2 Minister of Religion, Scale-up and the Temporary Worker routes.
During a post-licence visit, officers assess:
- the sponsor's human resources systems
- whether the original number of Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) requested is still justified
- whether the sponsor still has an operating or trading presence
- whether sponsored workers were recruited to fill genuine vacancies that meet the route's skill level and pay requirements
Outcomes for an existing sponsor can include a reduced or removed CoS allocation, a B-rating with a time-limited action plan, suspension or revocation of the licence.
What this means for applicants
This guidance is written for Home Office compliance officers and does not address individual visa applicants. For sponsors and potential sponsors on the Worker and Temporary Worker routes, it shows what officers are instructed to do. A visit should normally be unannounced, and access to premises under the sponsor's control must be given on demand. If key personnel are not available, officers must speak to a relevant person, such as an owner or director, and must seek proof of identity from the people they interview. Refusing access can lead to the licence being refused or revoked.
The update removes references to visits of Student sponsors.
Related guide: Sponsorship requirements for Skilled Worker
Sources
- PBS Worker and Temporary Worker: sponsor compliance visits (accessible), UK Visas and Immigration, updated 25 March 2026