Sponsorship licence revocation

Revocation of a sponsorship licence is the most serious sanction available to the Home Office. It means your business can no longer sponsor migrant workers, and existing sponsored employees may have their visas curtailed within 60 days. The impact is immediate and disruptive, affecting your operations, staffing, and reputation.

Under the new Part Suitability framework introduced in October 2025, the Home Office has consolidated its revocation and refusal criteria, giving compliance teams greater scope to act against sponsors who fail to meet the new standards.

Reasons for revocation

The Home Office may revoke a licence where there are serious or repeated compliance failures, such as:

• Assigning certificates of sponsorship for non-genuine or ineligible roles.
• Failing to report key changes via the sponsor management system (SMS).
• Salary or job discrepancies between the CoS and actual employment.
• Inadequate HR systems and record-keeping.
• Employing workers in breach of visa conditions.
• Ignoring action plans following earlier compliance issues.
• Failure to evidence salary and English language compliance under the new B2 and £41,700 thresholds.
• Failure to meet suitability requirements under Part Suitability, replacing Part 9 of the Immigration Rules.

Consequences of revocation

• Loss of A-rated or B-rated licence status.
• Inability to issue new certificates of sponsorship.
• Sponsored workers given 60 days to find a new sponsor or leave the UK.
• Reputational damage with clients, partners, and regulators.
• Bar on reapplying for a new licence for a minimum period.

The Home Office has also indicated that repeat breaches under the new framework may extend reapplication bans or trigger cross-licence investigations within corporate groups.

How we help

Our solicitors provide urgent, strategic advice to businesses facing revocation, including:

• Responding to Home Office enforcement notices.
• Preparing evidence to challenge or mitigate revocation decisions.
• Advising on business continuity and protecting your workforce.
• Supporting re-application or restoration where permitted.
• Carrying out compliance audits to align HR systems with new 2025–2026 suitability and salary standards.

Why choose us

We have extensive experience supporting businesses across sectors with sponsorship compliance. Our proactive approach focuses on limiting disruption, defending your licence, and ensuring you are prepared for future compliance requirements.

With upcoming changes to English language and salary thresholds, we help sponsors demonstrate proactive compliance before Home Office audits or enforcement action.

Contact our business immigration solicitors today for urgent advice if your sponsorship licence is at risk of revocation.