How to Prepare for a UKVI Sponsor Licence Audit

A UKVI compliance visit can happen at any time — pre-licence, post-licence, or unannounced after a triggering event. Preparing in advance turns a high-stakes inspection into a routine evidence review. The single biggest predictor of a good outcome is whether your Appendix D records are complete and retrievable on the day.

What auditors actually check

• HR systems — can you produce a current sponsored-worker list, with visa expiry, CoS reference, salary, and SOC code, on demand?
• Right-to-work — original or share-code verification for every sponsored worker, with the check dated before the start date
• Recruitment files — job advert, shortlist, interview notes, reference checks
• Salary evidence — last 3 months of payslips matched to bank statements showing payment received
• Reporting log — evidence of every SMS report made, with the trigger date and the report date
• Contact details — current home address, phone, and emergency contact for every sponsored worker

A 30-day pre-audit checklist

1. Run a mock audit against your top 5 sponsored workers — pull every document an auditor could ask for
2. Reconcile your sponsored-worker list against the SMS portal — flag any worker the portal shows but your HR system doesn't, or vice versa
3. Check every CoS has been used or marked withdrawn — unused expired CoS are a red flag
4. Re-run right-to-work checks where the share code or document is over 12 months old
5. Verify the Authorising Officer, Key Contact, and Level 1 User details are correct in SMS
6. Confirm the registered office, trading addresses, and work sites match what's on the licence

Common audit failures (and how to avoid them)

• Missing reporting — salary changes, role changes, or extended absences not reported within 10 working days
• Stale recruitment files — particularly for workers hired before the licence was granted
• Payslip/bank reconciliation gaps — payslip says one figure, bank statement shows another
• SOC mismatch — the role the worker is actually doing no longer matches the CoS
• Wrong work location — workers operating from sites not declared on the licence