As a UK Sponsor Licence holder, strict compliance with Home Office duties is vital to protect your licence and safeguard your sponsored workforce. If your company expands, establishing whether—and when—to register a new branch on your licence is crucial for maintaining your sponsor status.
When Must You Add a Branch to Your Sponsor Licence?
The Home Office defines a “branch” as any additional office location or separate legal entity linked to your main sponsoring organisation by majority ownership or control.
Whether you need to report a new location depends on where your staff are physically based:
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Sponsored Employees Working at the New Location: You must add the branch to your Sponsor Licence before staff begin working there.
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No Sponsored Employees at the Location: Reporting the site is optional, though adding all company branches offers distinct strategic advantages.
Sponsored employees can only work at premises officially listed on your Sponsorship Management System (SMS). Deploying staff to an unreported location violates your sponsor duties and risks immediate enforcement action.
Consequences of Operating from an Unreported Branch
If the Home Office discovers sponsored employees working at an unregistered branch, your business faces severe penalties:
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Licence Downgrade (A-rating to B-rating): Prevents you from issuing new Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS).
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Licence Revocation: Completely cancels your sponsor licence, ending your ability to employ sponsored workers and curtailing existing visas.
The Strategic Advantage of Proactively Registering All Branches
Even if you don’t currently plan to place sponsored staff at a new site, adding every active branch proactively is smart risk management:
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Avoid Future Delays: Home Office processing times for branch additions typically take up to 18 weeks, but severe backlogs can extend this to around 5 months.
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Ensure Business Agility: Registering sites early ensures you can transfer staff or recruit internationally without waiting months for administrative approvals.
What to Do If You’ve Already Deployed Staff to an Unreported Site
If you discover sponsored employees are actively working at an unregistered location, take immediate corrective action:
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Reassign Staff Immediately: Temporarily transfer the employees back to a registered branch listed on your licence.
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Submit an SMS Request: Log into the Sponsorship Management System and submit a formal request to add the new branch.
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Provide Supporting Evidence: Submit all required Appendix A documentation to the Home Office without delay.
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Await Official Approval: Keep staff at approved locations until the Home Office confirms the new branch has been added.
