The Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA) has published the latest version of ‘Sponsor a Worker: Guidance Part 2’, dated 19 October 2026, reflecting Immigration Rule changes that take effect on 8 and 29 October. Key alterations include stricter salary-verification steps, new reporting duties when hybrid-working patterns change, and alignment with Right-to-Work digital share codes introduced on 1 October. Employers must now retain evidence that the sponsored worker’s gross pay meets the occupation-specific ‘Immigration Salary List’ thresholds after any salary-sacrifice scheme deductions. For hybrid staff, sponsors must report any change that sees an employee working outside the UK for more than 10 consecutive days—a nod to the post-pandemic rise in ‘work-from-anywhere’. The guidance also clarifies that sponsors can issue Certificates of Sponsorship up to three months before the employee’s start date, giving mobility teams greater runway to align global relocations with project timelines. But the Home Office warns it will audit sponsor compliance more aggressively, using new data-analytics tools to flag outliers for unannounced visits. Global employers should review assignment budgets, as the rule changes coincide with an 8 % rise in the Immigration Skills Charge and higher visa fees. Failure to meet the enhanced duties risks licence suspension—a scenario that could ground entire secondment programmes.
Source: ILPA
