Immigration Compliance | Sponsor Licence & Management

Immigration Compliance is an essential part of the sponsor management licence. It allows the Home Office to make checks with your business or your educational institution, to ensure the integrity of the point based system. 

Our business team has a wealth of experience in all areas of business immigration law including the points-based system (PBS) and keep abreast of the latest developments so that they can guide clients through both the immigration compliance as well as the immigration applications for migrants you wish to employ or to extend their leave in the UK. 

Whilst immigration supports the enhancement of a business competitive edge, its compliance is a key importance as non-compliance, in reality, can be catastrophic not only for monetary penalties but on your brand. Those involved in global mobility which includes both employers and their foreign national employees are subject to immigration compliance and must contend with an intensive and aggressive immigration enforcement environment. 

ICS Legal can complete an audit on your current system, contact us today on 0207 237 3388 or e-mail us on info@icslegal.com.

ICS Legal makes certain that our clients apply for the appropriate immigration visa and work permit, and that the requisite government-issued entry documents are accurate and correct. Applications that are completed from the UK are carefully managed by our client support team. Importantly all cases are then closely monitored by our client support team through the use of our sophisticated case management system, with advanced reminders issued for all critical expiration dates in order to ensure proper maintenance of status. All clients are able to access our online tracker to see the progression of all cases managed by us. 

ICS Legal partners with our clients’ in-house counsel and human resources departments to provide strategic guidance, training and support through comprehensive and centralised compliance initiatives. Should a government enquiry arise, we provide our clients with confidential internal investigations and audits to assist in responding. We also provide representation in connection with immigration-related matters to law enforcement agencies including the UK Home Office and the First Tier Tribunal & Upper Tribunal.

What is Immigration Compliance

As an employer in the UK, it is vital that you are aware of your responsibilities towards the prevention of illegal migrant working. Section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 (the Act) contains legislation regarding the employment of overseas workers. According to Section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, there are three key factors that you should take into account when recruiting foreign workers from outside the UK. It is a criminal offence for you to employ someone who has no right to work in the United Kingdom, or no right to do the work you are offering.

By checking and copying certain original documents belonging to your employer, you can establish a statutory defence against conviction for employing an illegal worker. You are obliged to ensure that your recruitment practices do not discriminate against individuals on racial grounds.

Immigration Compliance Audit Service

For employers, immigration compliance is an essential component of recruiting overseas nationals. Failure to carry out the necessary checks and to follow the stringent processes designed to prevent illegal working can result in civil or criminal penalties and restrictions on being able to sponsor overseas nationals to work in the UK in the future. 

If you are a UK based employer and you recruit overseas nationals, you must remain immigration compliant at all times. ICS Legal compliance audit service is designed specifically for UK based employers and will help ensure that your organisation avoids costly penalties and damage your professional reputation. 

How we deliver our service to you

We have expertise in relation to applying and managing sponsor licence and manage a number of our client's immigration programs. A list of the client's, we manage can be found by clicking here. 

This is to give you 100% confidence that ICS Legal will protect you and your brand from non-compliance. On top of that, we have a wealth of experience in advising clients on applying for sponsor licences and issuing certificates of sponsorship (under Tier 2 of PBS, which includes the general skilled category and the intra-company transfer category). We have a 100% success rate for our clients’ sponsor licence applications and know how to expedite matters when required.

As part of our audit, the following processes will be followed to ensure we deliver the correct service you require:

1. An on-site meeting with key personnel on your processes and procedures designed to satisfy UK Home Office requirements.

2. A thorough review of your HR systems, processes, document checking and record keeping in order to identify immigration-related practices that put your compliance status at risk.

3. Examination and audit reports for a sample of migrant files to confirm that processes and policies are being implemented.

4. Identification of missing migrant documentation and recommendations for rectifying.

5. A detailed audit report containing tailored guidance and specific recommendations and action points for improving your compliance processes.

When should you consider getting an immigration compliance audit?

A compliance audit is particularly relevant if any of the following circumstances apply to you or your organisation:

1. You are applying for a sponsor licence for the first time.

2. You are applying to renew your sponsor licence.

3. The Home Office has contacted you to arrange a visit to your premises.

4. Your sponsor licence has been downgraded to a level B licence.

5. You do not currently have immigration compliance systems or processes in place.

6. You have not reviewed your immigration compliance systems or processes in the past two years. 

7. You have concerns that some of your employees might not have the right to work in the UK, and you are not sure what to do about it.

How much does immigration compliance audit cost?

Like all of our services, the audit is conducted on a fixed fee basis which we will agree with you in advance. We tailor our audit service to meet your needs and budget and we are happy to provide a quote following an initial no-obligation discussion of your objectives.

To learn more or take the first steps to ensuring your organisation is immigration compliant, contact us today on 0207 237 3388.

Getting advice on your compliance visits

Our Business Lawyers are here to help. Our commitment to you is:

1. Provide clear, straightforward legal advice in a language you understand.

2. A highly professional personal service.

3. A friendly, caring and approachable team of UK Immigration Lawyers. 

4. Transparent costs with no hidden surprises.

It’s not that we think differently. It’s that we are different given our time in this industry. Reassuringly so. You can speak to one of our UK Immigration Lawyers on 0207 237 3388 or you can email us at info@icslegal.com.