Suspension and revocation are the two most serious actions the Home Office can take against a UK sponsor licence. Suspension freezes the licence while the Home Office investigates. Revocation ends it. A revoked sponsor cannot sponsor workers, has no right of appeal and must wait before applying again.
Key points
- A suspended sponsor cannot assign certificates of sponsorship, and its entry is removed from the public register while the suspension lasts.
- The sponsor usually has 20 working days to respond in writing to a suspension. There is no oral hearing.
- Revocation has no right of appeal. The sponsor must wait at least 12 months before applying again, or 24 months if it has been revoked more than once.
- When a licence is revoked, the Home Office will normally shorten each sponsored worker's permission to 60 calendar days, unless the worker was complicit.
- Some grounds for revocation are mandatory. The Home Office can act on them straight away and without warning.
How suspension and revocation work
The Home Office may suspend a licence if it believes a sponsor is breaching its sponsor duties, poses a threat to immigration control or is acting in a way that is not conducive to the public good. The suspension lets it make further enquiries.[1]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance (accessible version) Revocation is the end of the licence. The guidance lists examples of when it can happen, including:
- the sponsor has stopped trading or never had a trading presence
- it no longer meets the requirements of its route
- there is a serious or systematic breach of its duties
- it has been convicted of a relevant criminal offence or issued with a specified civil penalty
These examples are not a full list.[1]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance (accessible version) The Home Office can also downgrade a licence to a B-rating instead, which is its usual first step for relatively minor breaches.[1]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance (accessible version)
Suspension
A suspended licence is suspended in every route the sponsor holds. The sponsor cannot assign certificates of sponsorship, but it must keep meeting all its duties. Its entry is removed from the public register of sponsors for the period of the suspension.[1]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance (accessible version)
The Home Office writes with its reasons. The sponsor has 20 working days from the date of the notification to respond in writing, with any evidence. There is no oral hearing. If new reasons emerge, the sponsor gets another 20 working days.[1]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance (accessible version) The Home Office aims to give its final decision within 20 working days of the response, unless the matter is exceptionally complex.[1]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance (accessible version)
Workers with valid permission are not affected by the suspension unless or until the licence is revoked. The Home Office will not decide an application supported by a certificate the sponsor assigned before suspension until the reason for suspension is resolved, unless the application falls for refusal on other grounds.[1]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance (accessible version)
After suspension the Home Office may reinstate the licence with an A-rating, reinstate it with a B-rating and an action plan, stop the sponsor assigning new certificates or revoke it.[1]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance (accessible version)
Revocation
| Level of ground | What the guidance says |
|---|---|
| Mandatory grounds (Annex C1) | The Home Office will revoke. It can do so immediately and without warning, or suspend first |
| Normally revoke (Annex C2) | It will normally revoke unless there are exceptional circumstances |
| May revoke (Annex C3) | It will not usually revoke for one circumstance alone, but can, depending on gravity |
The guidance says grounds do not necessarily require breaches to be deliberate or made knowingly.[1]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance (accessible version)
If a licence is revoked it is revoked in all routes. Certificates the sponsor has assigned become invalid, and any entry clearance application based on one is automatically refused. The Home Office will normally cancel the permission of workers the sponsor was sponsoring.[1]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance (accessible version) Its entry is removed from the register.[1]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance (accessible version)
A worker who was not actively or knowingly involved in the reasons will normally have their permission shortened to 60 calendar days. They must leave the UK or make an application for permission to stay on a route they qualify for within that time. A worker who was complicit will normally lose all remaining permission.[1]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance (accessible version)
There is no right of appeal. The sponsor can apply for a new licence, but only after at least 12 months from the date of the notice, or 24 months if it has been revoked more than once. See cooling-off period. An application made too early is refused.[1]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance (accessible version)[2]Home Office, UK visa sponsorship for employers: Your licence rating
Example
A sponsor’s licence is suspended after an investigation. It has 20 working days from the date of the letter to respond. It sends a written reply with evidence. The Home Office considers the reply. If it decides to revoke the licence, its workers receive a notice, and a worker who knew nothing about the problem will normally have 60 calendar days of permission left. The sponsor cannot apply for a new licence until at least 12 months after the date of the revocation notice.[1]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance (accessible version)
What people get wrong
There is no oral hearing during suspension. The sponsor puts its case in writing within 20 working days. If the Home Office does not receive a response in that time, the guidance says it will go ahead with whatever action it thinks appropriate.
Revocation also affects workers directly. The Home Office tells sponsored workers about the revocation but does not tell them the reasons.[1]Home Office, Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance (accessible version)
The bottom line
Suspension pauses a sponsor licence while the Home Office investigates, and revocation ends it. Neither has an appeal. The sponsor’s written response during suspension is its opportunity to give evidence, and revocation brings a wait of at least 12 months before it can apply again. Workers need to act quickly if their sponsor loses its licence.
Common questions
Suspension is temporary. The Home Office freezes the licence while it investigates. Revocation ends the licence in all routes. After suspension the licence may be reinstated, downgraded to a B-rating or revoked.
No. The guidance says there is no right of appeal against revocation. The sponsor can apply for a new licence, but not until at least 12 months after the date of the revocation notice, or 24 months if it was revoked more than once.
The Home Office may cancel or shorten their permission. A worker who was not involved in the reasons will normally be left with 60 calendar days. A worker who was complicit will normally lose all remaining permission.
Workers with valid permission are not affected unless or until the licence is revoked. The Home Office will not decide some applications supported by the suspended sponsor until the suspension is resolved.
Sources
We cite the Immigration Rules, legislation and GOV.UK guidance directly. Rules change, so each source shows the date we last checked it.
- Home Office. Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance (accessible version). Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- Home Office. UK visa sponsorship for employers: Your licence rating. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩