Reporting Changes to the Home Office: A Sponsor's Cheat Sheet
Every time your circumstances change, you have to tell the Home Office, and the clock starts straight away. This free cheat sheet covers every change you must report, the deadline for each, and where to report it on the SMS.
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The changes you must report, and the deadline for each
As a UK sponsor, you have to report a change of circumstances to the Home Office whenever something changes with a sponsored worker or your organisation, and the clock starts the day it happens. Miss a deadline, or miss that a change even counts, and the Home Office can downgrade your licence to a B-rating or revoke it. This free cheat sheet lays out every reportable change, the deadline for each, and where to report it on the Sponsorship Management System (SMS).
- Changes to a worker: 10 working days. Reported through the "Report migrant activity" function on the SMS.
- Changes to your organisation: 20 working days. Reported through "request changes to licence details".
- Some changes aren't a report at all. Moving a worker to a different occupation code needs a new Certificate of Sponsorship instead.
What's inside
Two pages you can screenshot and keep to hand:
- The deadlines at a glance: every reportable change mapped to its deadline, in one table.
- Worker changes you must report: late starts, unauthorised absence, pay drops, role and location changes, and stopping sponsorship. All within 10 working days.
- Business changes you must report: Key Personnel, address, company size, structure, mergers, and insolvency. All within 20 working days.
- The traps that catch sponsors out: when a change needs a new Certificate of Sponsorship, why salary increases don't count, and how long you have to send supporting documents.
Reporting a change of circumstances: your questions answered
What changes does a sponsor have to report to the Home Office?
Two kinds. Changes to a sponsored worker, such as a late start, unauthorised absence, a pay drop, a change of role or location, or stopping their sponsorship. And changes to your organisation, such as your address, Key Personnel, company size, a merger, or insolvency.
How long do I have to report a change?
Most changes to a worker's circumstances must be reported within 10 working days. Most changes to your organisation must be reported within 20 working days. The clock starts when the change happens, not when you get round to it.
How do I report a change of circumstances on the SMS?
Changes to a worker go through the "Report migrant activity" function on the Sponsorship Management System. Changes to your organisation go through "request changes to licence details". A few changes need the sponsor change of circumstances form instead.
What happens if I miss a reporting deadline?
The Home Office can downgrade your licence to a B-rating or revoke it. If your licence is revoked, the workers you sponsor can have their permission cut short.
Does a change to a worker's job need reporting?
If the new role stays within the same occupation code, you report it within 10 working days. If it moves to a different occupation code, that is a new Certificate of Sponsorship, not a report.
Who this cheat sheet is for
Anyone who carries sponsor licence responsibility: HR and People Operations leads, compliance and finance teams, and the founders or Authorising Officers named on the licence. The rules on reporting changes are the same across every sector that sponsors, from care and hospitality to tech and finance.
About Borderless
Borderless is the UK platform for sponsor licence holders. We run Certificates of Sponsorship, visa applications, right to work checks, and ongoing compliance in one place, for over 500 employers and more than 13,000 sponsored workers across every sector that sponsors.
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