Sponsor Licence Revoked

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  - –Sponsor Licence Revoked
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–Personal Immigration

When A Sponsor Licence Is Revoked

Revocation is the most serious action the Home Office can take against a licensed sponsor. Once a licence is revoked, the organisation immediately loses the ability to sponsor workers, and all existing sponsored workers will have their permission curtailed. Revocation usually follows a compliance investigation where the Home Office concludes that the organisation is no longer meeting its sponsorship duties.

Why A Sponsor Licence May Be Revoked

A licence may be revoked for a number of reasons. Some are mandatory grounds for revocation, whilst others are discretionary.

Circumstances where the Home Office may revoke a licence include:

An organisation has provided false information.
An organisation has been issued with a civil penalty.
A role undertaken by a worker does not match the occupation code stated on the CoS or the job description on the CoS.
The eligible role requirement is not met.

Revocation is not taken lightly. It usually follows a suspension period or a detailed review of the organisation’s response to compliance concerns. However, in some instances, the Home Office can revoke a licence with immediate effect, without first suspending the licence.

Immediate Consequences Of Revocation

Once a licence is revoked:

Any CoS the organisation has assigned automatically become invalid.
All existing sponsored workers will normally have their permission curtailed.
Workers must find a new sponsor or leave the UK.
The organisation may face a cooling-off period before applying for a new licence.

These consequences can have a significant operational impact, particularly for organisations with multiple sponsored workers.

There is no right of appeal against a sponsor licence revocation. In most cases, the organisation must wait until the cooling-off period has ended before submitting a new sponsor licence application. This is usually 12 months from the date the sponsor licence was revoked. It could be longer in some circumstances.

How Our Immigration Partners Can Help

Although there is no formal right of appeal against a decision to revoke a sponsor licence, an organisation may be able to challenge the decision through Judicial Review. This route is only available in limited circumstances and requires careful assessment of the grounds on which the revocation was made.

We can advise on whether Judicial Review is appropriate and, where relevant, support the organisation through the process. We also assist sponsors in preparing a new licence application once any cooling-off period has passed and the organisation is ready to demonstrate full compliance with Home Office requirements.

If you would like to discuss your situation or require assistance following a revocation, please contact us or complete our enquiry form below.