Company Sponsor Licence Status Explained

A company's sponsor licence status determines whether they can legally issue Certificates of Sponsorship right now. The most important distinction is between active licences, which allow the sponsor to operate normally, and suspended licences, which prevent them from issuing new sponsorship certificates until the issue is resolved. Understanding these statuses helps you assess whether a job offer involving sponsorship is viable or likely to encounter delays.

The Home Office assigns and updates sponsor licence statuses based on compliance. A licensed sponsor is expected to meet specific legal duties, including accurate record-keeping, timely reporting, and proper monitoring of sponsored workers. When a sponsor fails to meet these requirements, the Home Office can act quickly, and the consequences directly affect anyone relying on that sponsor for a visa.

Active sponsor licence status

An active sponsor licence means the organisation is currently authorised to issue Certificates of Sponsorship. This is the status you want to see when considering a job offer. Active sponsors can assign Certificates of Sponsorship to candidates, submit visa applications on their behalf through the sponsorship management system, and comply with all ongoing duties without restriction.

Most organisations on the UK sponsor list hold active licences. However, holding an active licence doesn't mean the sponsor is immune from future compliance actions. The Home Office conducts audits, investigates complaints, and monitors sponsors continuously. An active status today does not guarantee the same status tomorrow, particularly if the organisation's circumstances or compliance record changes.

Suspended sponsor licence status

A suspended licence means the Home Office has temporarily blocked the sponsor from issuing new Certificates of Sponsorship. Existing Certificates of Sponsorship issued before the suspension generally remain valid, and sponsored employees already in the UK on visas issued by that sponsor are not immediately affected. However, the sponsor cannot take on new sponsored workers until the suspension is lifted.

Suspensions happen for various reasons. Common triggers include failure to respond to Home Office requests for information, missed reporting deadlines, concerns about the sponsor's HR systems, or evidence that the sponsor is not fulfilling their monitoring duties. In some cases, a suspension is precautionary whilst the Home Office investigates a specific compliance issue.

The duration of a suspension varies. Some are resolved within weeks if the sponsor addresses the problem promptly and provides the necessary evidence or corrections. Others last months, especially if the compliance issue is serious or if the sponsor struggles to demonstrate they have fixed the underlying problem. There is no public information about why a particular sponsor has been suspended or how long the suspension is expected to last.

Revoked sponsor licence status

A revoked licence means the Home Office has permanently withdrawn the sponsor's authorisation. A revoked sponsor is removed from the UK sponsor list entirely and cannot issue any Certificates of Sponsorship. Revocations usually follow serious or repeated compliance failures, fraud, or situations where the sponsor is no longer a genuine trading organisation.

When a licence is revoked, the impact on sponsored workers depends on the timing. If you have already been granted a visa based on a Certificate of Sponsorship from that employer, your visa does not automatically become invalid, but your situation is more vulnerable. If the revocation happens before you apply for the visa, the Certificate of Sponsorship may no longer be usable, and your application is likely to fail.

Revocations are harder to reverse than suspensions. A sponsor whose licence has been revoked must apply for a new licence from scratch, and they face additional scrutiny due to their previous compliance failure. Many organisations in this position never regain their licence.

What happens to workers when a licence is suspended

If you are already working in the UK for a sponsor whose licence is then suspended, your current visa remains valid. The suspension affects the sponsor's ability to issue new Certificates of Sponsorship but does not invalidate visas that have already been granted. You can continue working for that employer under the terms of your existing visa.

Complications arise if you need to extend your visa, switch employers, or rely on the sponsor for any new immigration application. A suspended sponsor cannot issue a new Certificate of Sponsorship for an extension. If your visa is due to expire whilst the sponsor is still suspended, you may need to find another licensed sponsor or consider other immigration routes.

If you have been offered a job and issued a Certificate of Sponsorship, but the sponsor's licence is suspended before you apply for the visa, you should contact the sponsor and the Home Office for guidance. In some cases, the suspension may not affect Certificates of Sponsorship that were issued before the suspension began, but this depends on the specific terms of the suspension action.

What happens to workers when a licence is revoked

A licence revocation is more serious. If your visa has already been granted, it does not automatically end, but you are in a precarious position. The Home Office may contact you to explain your options, which could include finding a new sponsor or leaving the UK if you cannot switch to another visa route.

If your visa application is pending when the sponsor's licence is revoked, the application may be refused. The Home Office generally treats a revoked sponsor as unable to meet the requirements for sponsorship, which undermines the basis of your visa application.

Workers who are still overseas when a sponsor's licence is revoked face the starkest outcome. A Certificate of Sponsorship issued by a sponsor whose licence is subsequently revoked is unlikely to support a successful visa application. Even if the revocation happens after you've submitted your application but before a decision is made, the change in the sponsor's status can lead to refusal.

Why licences are suspended or revoked

Licence suspensions and revocations are compliance actions. The Home Office expects sponsors to follow detailed rules, and failure to do so triggers enforcement. Common reasons include failing to keep accurate records of sponsored workers, not reporting changes such as employees failing to turn up for work or leaving the role early, and failing to conduct right-to-work checks on all employees.

Other triggers include providing misleading information during the licence application process, sponsoring workers for roles that do not meet the skill or salary requirements, or operating in a way that suggests the organisation is not a genuine business. The Home Office also acts when it identifies patterns of abuse, such as sponsors selling Certificates of Sponsorship or colluding with applicants to submit false information.

In some cases, a suspension is a precursor to revocation. The Home Office may suspend a licence whilst investigating, and if the investigation confirms serious non-compliance, revocation follows. Sponsors are given opportunities to respond and provide evidence, but the process can move quickly if the Home Office concludes that continued sponsorship poses a risk to immigration control.

How to check a sponsor's current status

The official UK sponsor list published by the Home Office shows each sponsor's current status. If you search for a company and find them listed as active, their licence is in good standing. If the entry shows suspended, they cannot currently issue new Certificates of Sponsorship. If the company does not appear on the list at all, they either never held a licence or it has been revoked.

Because statuses can change, checking once is not enough if you're in the middle of a recruitment process. If a company's status changes from active to suspended between your job offer and your visa application, the delay could derail your plans. Checking the list again shortly before you apply for your visa, and verifying with the employer that their status has not changed, is a sensible precaution.

Red flags to watch for

Be cautious if an employer is vague about their sponsor licence status or cannot provide their licence number when asked. Licensed sponsors have a unique reference number issued by the Home Office, and legitimate employers can provide this information without hesitation.

If a company offers sponsorship but you find them listed as suspended, ask directly why the suspension is in place and when it is expected to be lifted. Employers should be transparent about compliance issues that affect their ability to sponsor. If the employer is evasive or provides contradictory information, this is a warning sign.

Similarly, if an employer claims they held a licence previously but lost it temporarily and are reapplying, be sceptical. Revocations are not routine administrative events. They indicate serious problems, and organisations that have had their licence revoked face significant hurdles in obtaining a new one.

Common misunderstandings

Some people assume that a suspended licence is a minor administrative issue that will be quickly resolved. Whilst some suspensions are brief, others drag on for months or result in eventual revocation. A suspended status is a red flag, not a temporary inconvenience.

Another misunderstanding is that the sponsor's status doesn't matter once you have a Certificate of Sponsorship. Whilst it's true that a Certificate of Sponsorship issued whilst the licence was active may still be usable, any change in the sponsor's status during the visa application process can complicate or jeopardise your case. The earlier in the process a suspension or revocation happens, the worse the impact.

People also sometimes believe that because they've already started working for a sponsor, they are insulated from licence status changes. This is only partly true. Your existing visa remains valid, but if you need to extend, switch, or take any other immigration action that requires a Certificate of Sponsorship from the same employer, a suspended or revoked licence creates serious problems.

Frequently Asked Questions