Sponsoring a Skilled Worker involves more than retaining a visa result. Your organisation needs to meet the requirements for the role, maintain sponsor records, make relevant reports and complete the appropriate right-to-work checks.
Each process should have a named owner and a record of what was checked or reported.
Check the role and salary requirements for the case
The Skilled Worker job guidance describes the usual salary requirement as at least £41,700 or the applicable going rate, whichever is higher. Different options or transitional provisions can apply to eligible cases.
Do not use the former £38,700 figure as a universal current threshold. Equally, do not assume the headline £41,700 figure settles every case. Check the occupation, hours, going rate and any applicable exception before assigning sponsorship or changing employment terms.
Keep the records required of a sponsor
Use the current sponsor guidance collection. Appendix D concerns documents sponsors must retain; Part 3 explains sponsor duties and compliance.
Keep evidence of the recruitment and sponsored role, relevant contact and employment information, and the check or report required by the applicable guidance. A document uploaded by the worker and the sponsor’s own decision record serve different purposes.
Review changes before applying a deadline
Sponsor reporting rules distinguish worker changes from organisational changes. They do not impose one universal ten-day deadline on every event. Identify the event, the applicable rule and the date from which its reporting period runs.
A change of role, salary, work location or circumstances may need more than an SMS report. Check whether a new Certificate of Sponsorship or immigration application is required, whether an exception applies and when the change can take effect.
Keep the report reference, submission date, responsible user and supporting evidence. Give the next reviewer enough context to understand why the action was taken.
Maintain the right-to-work process separately
Sponsorship records do not replace the employer’s prescribed right-to-work check. Use the current employer guide for the initial check, restrictions, required follow-ups and pending applications.
Plan ahead where permission or another credential has a genuine expiry date. Record a company review date separately when it reflects your own policy rather than an immigration deadline.
Prepare evidence for a compliance review
An authorised reviewer should be able to retrieve the relevant worker file, sponsor report and role evidence without relying on one colleague’s memory. Test a sample of changed records, including the documents supporting the decision.
Certifyd can help organise worker evidence and review dates. It does not replace the Sponsor Management System, a regulator check or your organisation’s sponsorship decision. Discuss the workflow and integrations you actually need in a workforce-records demo.