You came to the UK legally. You did everything right. You got a job, you worked hard, you followed the rules. Then one day you get a letter from the Home Office telling you your visa has been “curtailed” because your sponsor’s licence has been revoked.

You have 60 days. Sometimes less.

This guide explains what’s actually happening, what your realistic options are, and what mistakes to avoid. If you’re reading this and your 60 days haven’t started yet—or you’re still in that window—contact us now. The earlier you act, the more options you have.

Why This Keeps Happening

The Home Office has dramatically increased enforcement against sponsors. Between July 2024 and June 2025, they revoked 1,948 sponsor licences—more than double the 937 revoked in the previous year.

Four sectors account for the vast majority of these revocations:

• Adult social care (care homes and domiciliary care)—consistently the most heavily targeted sector
• Hospitality (restaurants, takeaways, hotels, catering)
• Retail (particularly smaller high-street businesses)
• Construction

If you work in one of these sectors, your sponsor is statistically more likely to lose their licence than sponsors in other industries. That’s not a reflection on you—it’s a reflection on systemic compliance problems in these sectors and aggressive Home Office enforcement.

What Actually Happens When Your Sponsor Loses Their Licence

When the Home Office revokes your sponsor’s licence, they will curtail (shorten) your visa. You’ll receive a letter telling you how long you have left—usually 60 days from the date the sponsor’s licence was revoked.

During this period:

• You cannot work for your former sponsor (they no longer have a licence to employ you)
• You can work for a different licensed sponsor if you find one and apply to switch before your curtailed visa expires
• The clock is running whether you received the letter or not

The curtailment date is calculated from when the licence was revoked, not from when you found out about it. If your sponsor didn’t tell you, or you didn’t check your post, you may have already lost weeks.

Your Realistic Options

Option 1: Find a New Sponsor (The Best Outcome)

If you can find another employer with a valid sponsor licence who will hire you and apply for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), you can apply to switch to a new Skilled Worker visa before your current visa expires.

This is the best outcome because:

• You stay legally in the UK
• You continue working
• Your time on a Skilled Worker visa continues to count toward settlement

But it requires:

• Finding an employer willing to sponsor you
• That employer having a valid licence (check the public register)
• The employer obtaining a CoS
• You submitting a complete application before your curtailed visa expires

60 days is not long. If you’re going to pursue this route, start immediately.

Option 2: Switch to a Different Visa Category

If you qualify for another visa category—for example, a family visa because you have a British partner, or a Graduate visa if you recently completed a UK degree—you may be able to switch before your visa expires.

This requires meeting all the requirements of the new category and submitting a valid application in time.

Option 3: Leave the UK

If you cannot find a new sponsor or switch to another visa, you should leave the UK before your curtailed visa expires. Overstaying has serious consequences:

• You become an “overstayer” on Home Office records
• Future visa applications will ask whether you’ve ever overstayed
• You may face a re-entry ban
• You lose the ability to make most in-country applications

Leaving voluntarily before your visa expires preserves your immigration history and keeps future options open.

What Usually Goes Wrong

We regularly see people contact us months after their visa was curtailed—often after they’ve already overstayed and made decisions that have damaged their case. Here’s what typically goes wrong:

Waiting Too Long to Act

The 60-day window feels longer than it is. By the time you’ve processed what’s happened, contacted your employer, started looking for new jobs, and realised you need legal advice, three or four weeks may have passed.

Not Knowing the Letter Arrived

If you’ve moved address and didn’t update your details with the Home Office, you may not receive the curtailment letter. The Home Office sends it to the address on your visa records. You are responsible for keeping that address current.

Believing Your Employer Will Fix It

Your employer might be appealing the licence revocation, or telling you everything will be fine, or promising to sort it out. That may or may not be true—but your 60-day clock keeps running regardless. Don’t wait for your employer to solve this. Act as if you’re on your own.

Claiming Asylum When You Don’t Have a Genuine Claim

We need to be direct about this. When people run out of options and face returning to a country they left years ago, some make an asylum claim—even when they don’t have a genuine fear of persecution.

If your asylum claim is based on your general circumstances rather than a well-founded fear of persecution, it will almost certainly fail. A failed asylum claim doesn’t just leave you where you started—it creates additional problems:

• You’ll have been living in the UK without permission to work
• Your case history now includes a refused asylum claim
• Any future applications will need to explain why you claimed asylum and why it was refused
• If you were referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) as a potential victim of modern slavery, that process can take months or years—during which you cannot work and your options continue to narrow

We understand why people make these decisions when they’re desperate. But if you’ve gone down this route and it hasn’t worked out, the best thing you can do now is get proper legal advice about where you actually stand.

If Your Employer Did Something Wrong

You might be wondering whether your sponsor’s behaviour gives you any legal recourse. After all, you’re losing your visa because of something they did—not anything you did wrong.

The honest answer is: it depends what they did, but either way it probably doesn’t change your 60-day deadline.

If your sponsor lost their licence for compliance failures—poor record-keeping, not reporting staff changes, HR breaches—that’s their administrative problem. It doesn’t give you any special status, extra time, or grounds to stay. You’re still in the same position: find a new sponsor, switch visa category, or leave.

If your sponsor lost their licence for exploiting workers—not paying the salary they reported to the Home Office, making illegal deductions from your wages, confiscating documents, or other conduct that suggests modern slavery—the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) exists for genuine victims of exploitation. But as we’ve already said, this is a long process with uncertain outcomes. Being referred to the NRM doesn’t give you the right to work, doesn’t guarantee you can stay, and can leave you in limbo for months or years.

Employment claims are separate from immigration. If your employer owes you unpaid wages or breached your contract, you may have an employment tribunal claim. But that claim won’t extend your visa or give you permission to stay in the UK while you pursue it. You can sometimes pursue employment claims from outside the UK, but that’s a question for an employment lawyer, not an immigration one.

The difficult truth is this: even when your employer was clearly in the wrong, the immigration system treats you as someone whose visa conditions are no longer being met. Your moral position may be strong. Your legal position is still governed by the 60-day clock.

If You’ve Already Made Mistakes

If you’re reading this and your 60 days have already passed—or you’ve claimed asylum and it’s been refused, or you’ve been in the NRM process for months—your situation is more complicated, but it’s not necessarily hopeless.

What matters now is understanding exactly where you stand legally and what options, if any, remain open to you. That requires someone to look at your specific circumstances, your immigration history, and the timeline of what’s happened.

We can’t promise good news. But we can give you an honest assessment of your position and realistic advice about what comes next.

The 60-Day Rule: What You Need to Do Now

If your sponsor has just lost their licence—or you think they might be about to—here’s what to do:

This week:

1. Confirm the date your visa was curtailed (check your Home Office correspondence or your UKVI online account)
2. Calculate exactly how many days you have left
3. Start looking for new sponsored employment immediately
4. Get legal advice

Don’t:

• Wait to see what your employer does
• Assume you have more time than you do
• Make an asylum claim unless you genuinely have grounds for one
• Ignore correspondence from the Home Office

How We Can Help

If your sponsor has lost their licence and you’re still within your 60-day window, we can:

• Assess whether you have other visa options
• Advise on the practicalities of finding new sponsored employment
• Help you make a new visa application before time runs out

If you’ve already overstayed or made decisions that have complicated your case, we can:

• Give you an honest assessment of where you stand
• Advise on what options, if any, remain available
• Help you understand the realistic consequences of your situation

The earlier you contact us, the more we can do. If you’re still within your 60 days, don’t wait.

Contact Migrant Law Partnership:

• Phone: 020 7112 8163
• WhatsApp: 07849 608399
• Email: hello@migrantlawpartnership.com

The post What to do when your sponsor loses their licence appeared first on Migrant Law Partnership.

The Home Office announced in January 2026 that illegal working enforcement has reached the highest level in British history. The numbers are stark: over 17,400 raids since July 2024, more than 12,300 arrests, and £130 million in civil penalties issued to employers during 2025 alone.

For the businesses raided — and increasingly, those businesses include restaurants, hotels, care homes and construction sites, not just the car washes and nail bars of the headlines — the experience is disruptive, frightening and potentially devastating. Fines of £45,000 per illegal worker for a first offence are now routine. For sponsor licence holders, the consequences extend far beyond a penalty notice: a single enforcement visit can trigger licence suspension, putting every sponsored worker’s visa at risk.

Three things stand out from the latest figures.

The scope is expanding. The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 will extend right-to-work obligations to gig workers, subcontractors and agency staff for the first time. Operational guidance is expected in 2026–27, but employers who rely on flexible labour should be preparing now.

The methods are changing. The Home Office is cross-referencing HMRC PAYE data against its Sponsor Management System and conducting remote desk audits. You no longer need a tip-off to attract attention — a data discrepancy is enough.

The gap between raids and outcomes is significant. Of nearly 9,000 arrests in 2025, only around a quarter resulted in detention and roughly 12% in the person actually leaving the UK. That means a large number of businesses — including many where no wrongdoing was found — experienced the full disruption of an enforcement visit with no immigration consequences at all.

None of this is an argument against compliance. It is an argument for taking it seriously before enforcement arrives rather than after.

What employers need to know

We’ve published a detailed guide covering the full picture: the penalty framework, the expanding legal obligations, what actually happens during a raid, your rights when Immigration Enforcement arrives, and what to do if you receive a civil penalty notice. Read the full guide: Illegal Working and Employer Compliance →

If you hold a sponsor licence, or if your business operates in a sector that is being actively targeted — hospitality, care, construction, retail — the guide is worth reading now, not after you receive a visit.

How we can help

At Migrant Law Partnership, we conduct sponsor licence compliance audits, advise on right-to-work procedures, and represent employers facing civil penalties or licence action. If you’re not sure whether your systems would survive an enforcement visit, we can tell you.

The post Illegal Working Raids Hit Record Levels — What It Means for Employers appeared first on Migrant Law Partnership.

Can I Switch From a Graduate Visa to a Skilled Worker Visa Under the New Rules?

Switching from a Graduate visa to a Skilled Worker visa is now far more tightly controlled than it was before July 2025. Having a job offer or a sponsoring employer is no longer enough — the Home Office will scrutinise whether the role, salary, and sponsorship genuinely meet the rules in practice.

A well-timed and well-structured application can succeed. A rushed or poorly analysed one can result in refusal, loss of status, and wasted fees.

This guide covers:

• What changed for Graduate → Skilled Worker applications after July 2025
• What counts as a genuinely graduate-level (RQF 6) role
• Salary thresholds, “new entrant” discounts, and common misunderstandings
• The most common refusal risks we now see in practice
• When timing matters — and when waiting is safer than applying
• How to assess whether your application is realistically viable

Detailed guides for specific issues:

• Graduate to Skilled Worker Visa (2025–2026) – What has changed, who can still switch, refusal risks, and a one-page decision guide
• Skilled Worker Salary Requirements Explained – Going rates, new entrant discounts, and hidden pitfalls
• Is My Job Really Graduate-Level? – RQF Level 6, job duties, and occupation code risks
• Employer Sponsorship Risks – When a sponsor licence is not enough

(Each guide focuses on how applications are assessed in practice, not just what the rules say.)

Need specific advice on your situation?

These guides explain how applications are usually assessed in real cases. They are not a substitute for advice on the facts of your individual situation.

If you are unsure whether your role, salary, or employer will stand up to scrutiny — or if your Graduate visa expiry is approaching — we can provide a realistic viability assessment before you apply.

If you want next:

• tighter link anchor text for SEO and CTR
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Can you turn this into a blog post please 

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Graduate to Skilled Worker Visa (2025–2026): What You Need to Know Before You Apply

For many international graduates, switching from a Graduate visa to a Skilled Worker visa is the only realistic long-term route to staying in the UK.

Until recently, that switch was relatively achievable. Since July 2025, it has become significantly more difficult — and far less forgiving of mistakes.

We are now seeing refusals in cases where applicants assumed that a job offer, a sponsor licence, or a headline salary figure was enough. It often isn’t.

This post explains what has changed, why refusals are increasing, and how to assess whether your own application is genuinely viable before you apply.

What Changed After July 2025?

The Skilled Worker route was tightened in several important ways, particularly for people switching from a Graduate visa.

In practice, the Home Office now looks much more closely at:

• whether the role is genuinely graduate-level (RQF Level 6)
• whether the job duties match the occupation code used
• whether the salary complies in substance, not just on paper
• whether the employer and role make sense within the business

Many “mid-skill” or junior roles that could previously be sponsored no longer withstand scrutiny, even if the employer is willing to sponsor.

The Biggest Misconception We See

A common assumption is:

“If my employer has a sponsor licence and pays me enough, I should be fine.”

That assumption is now risky.

The Home Office does not just check:

• the job title
• the salary figure
• the existence of a sponsor licence

Instead, it asks:

• Does this role genuinely require graduate-level skills in the UK labour market?
• Do the day-to-day duties match the occupation code, or has the code been chosen to make sponsorship possible?
• Is the salary guaranteed, contractual, and compliant with the rules — not padded with allowances or assumptions?
• Does this role make commercial sense for this employer?

If the answer to any of these is unclear, refusal risk rises sharply.

Who Can Still Switch Successfully?

Graduate → Skilled Worker applications are more likely to succeed where all of the following are true:

• You are currently on a valid Graduate visa and have complied with its conditions
• The role is clearly graduate-level, involving analysis, judgment, or professional responsibility
• The occupation code genuinely reflects what you do day to day
• The salary meets the higher of the general threshold or the occupation-specific going rate
• The employer is organised, compliant, and understands sponsorship duties
• You apply with enough time left on your Graduate visa to correct problems if they arise

Where one or more of these is weak, careful planning — or delay — is often safer than rushing an application.

The Most Common Refusal Risks We See

Since mid-2025, refusals are most often linked to:

1. The Role Is Not Accepted as Graduate-Level

This is the single most common problem. Titles are irrelevant; the Home Office looks at real duties, seniority, and autonomy.

2. Occupation Code Mismatch

If the code appears “engineered” to fit sponsorship rather than genuinely matching the role, credibility issues arise quickly.

3. Salary Problems

Typical issues include misunderstanding going rates, relying on non-guaranteed pay, or using allowances to paper over a shortfall.

4. Sponsor or Role Credibility

The Home Office considers whether the role makes sense in the organisation and whether the sponsor is likely to meet compliance duties.

5. Applying Too Late

Late applications leave no room to fix problems. A refusal close to expiry can have serious immigration consequences.

Timing Matters More Than Many People Realise

A technically eligible application can still fail if it is made at the wrong time.

Applying several months before your Graduate visa expires allows time to:

• confirm the correct occupation code
• tighten job descriptions so they reflect reality
• align salary structures properly
• address sponsor readiness and compliance

Applications made in the final weeks of a Graduate visa are significantly higher risk.

A Practical Question to Ask Yourself

Before applying, ask:

“If this application were refused, would I be surprised?”

If the honest answer is yes, the application probably needs further work.
If the answer is no, you may be ready to proceed — ideally with professional input.

Final Thought: This Is a Risk Decision, Not a Form-Filling Exercise

Graduate → Skilled Worker applications fail far more often because of role credibility and planning errors than because of missing documents.

Checklists do not fix those problems.

If you want a realistic assessment of whether your case will withstand scrutiny, rather than reassurance or box-ticking exercise , a short viability assessment can help you decide whether it is safe to apply — or whether changes should be made first.

This blog post is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration outcomes depend on individual circumstances and Home Office discretion

Businesses & Workers

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