What the sponsor guidance actually says, with the paragraph for each point.
Short guides for UK employers that hold a sponsor licence and for the immigration solicitors who advise them. Every statement cites the Immigration Rules or the Home Office sponsor guidance, with the version it was checked against, so you can read the source yourself. Not immigration advice.
What changed and when: Skilled Worker and sponsor rule changes, 2025 to 2027
Every dated change to the Skilled Worker route and sponsor duties from July 2025 to March 2027, with the HC number, S.I. number or guidance version for each, and what is still only announced.
Read the change log →- Sponsors · right to work
Right to work checks from 1 October 2026: what the change adds to a sponsor’s file
Section 48 of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 came into force on 1 October 2026. Who is now in scope, the statutory excuse and the digital-identity requirement, the £45,000 and £60,000 penalty levels, and what it adds to the Appendix D file.
Read what changes → - Sponsors and advisers · deadline
The Temporary Shortage List ends on 31 December 2026: what sponsors with RQF 3 to 5 roles must do
SW 6.1A lists 52 codes for certificates issued before 31 December 2026. The salary options, the dependants rule, the MAC recommendation of 23 July 2026, and a checklist for RQF 3 to 5 roles.
Read the deadline guide → - Sponsors · SMS users
SMS multi-factor authentication and the end of Level 2 users: dates and a checklist
MFA from 3 September 2026, no new Level 2 users from 9 September 2026, and the 8 March 2027 deadline to convert or deactivate. A checklist with paragraph references.
Read the checklist → - Sponsors and advisers · CoS
Before you assign a Certificate of Sponsorship: the checks a sponsor can run (2026)
The eligible occupation code, the salary against £41,700 and the pro-rated going rate (with a worked example), age, English at B2, the TB test, immigration status, and Defined versus Undefined CoS.
Read the checks → - Sponsors · compliance visits
What a Home Office sponsor compliance visit checks: the five HR areas
From the caseworker guidance: announced or not, what the officer may do, the 48 hours to produce documents, and the five areas rated Met or Not Met. With a checklist.
Read the checklist → - Sponsors · record keeping
Appendix D: the records a sponsor must keep for every sponsored worker
The five sections of the file (right to work, recruitment, salary, skill level, additional evidence), what each item must show, and the retention rule.
Read the list →
The sources behind these pages
Each guide names its sources and the version it was checked against. The product itself cites the same documents on every finding: see the rules we follow.
- Immigration Rules, Appendix Skilled WorkerGOV.UK, page updated 3 August 2026; retrieved 1 October 2026 · GOV.UK
- Immigration Rules, Appendix English LanguageGOV.UK, page updated 3 August 2026; retrieved 1 October 2026 · GOV.UK
- Workers and Temporary Workers: sponsor a Skilled WorkerVersion 04/26, valid from 8 April 2026 · GOV.UK
- Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors, Part 2: sponsor a workerVersion 08/26, valid from 3 August 2026 · GOV.UK
- Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors, Part 3: sponsor duties and complianceVersion 08/26, valid from 3 August 2026 · GOV.UK
- Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors, Appendix D: keeping records for sponsorshipVersion 08/26, valid from 3 August 2026 · GOV.UK
- Worker and Temporary Worker sponsor compliance visits: caseworker guidanceVersion 17.0, published 19 March 2026 · GOV.UK
- Tuberculosis tests for visa applicants (GOV.UK guide)Country list retrieved 1 October 2026. A GOV.UK guide page, not the Immigration Rules. · GOV.UK
- Right to work checks: an employer's guide (GOV.UK)As published on GOV.UK; retention wording quoted · GOV.UK
For search engines and AI assistants
A plain-text summary of what SponsorGuard is and is not, with dated facts and the pages above, is at /llms.txt. The sponsor-licence register statistics are at /stats.
SponsorGuard provides compliance software and record-keeping tools. It is not a law firm or an immigration adviser and does not give legal or immigration advice, which are regulated activities (Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, section 84). This page describes what the published Home Office guidance and the Immigration Rules say, with the paragraph for each point, so you can read the source yourself. Guidance versions and figures are those in force on the date shown; the Home Office changes them, so check the current version before you rely on any of it.
Sponsors: keep the file as you work.
Staff and checks register, right to work with ID capture, pay-run salary check, the 10 and 20 working-day reporting diary, Key Personnel and SMS users, five sponsor policies. £99 a month + VAT, 30 days free, no card.
Start your 30-day free trialImmigration law firms: check the role, build the pack.
Step 1 checks a role and its candidates against the published rules, with the quote and the paragraph for each finding. Step 2 builds the Appendix D evidence pack. Your solicitor decides and signs. By invitation.
How it works for firms