The Home Office plans to deactivate Level 1 user accounts for sponsors who have not logged into the Sponsor Management System (SMS) for 12 months or more. According to the department, around 19,000 sponsors are affected. The licence itself is not being revoked, but a user could lose access and would need to contact the business help desk to restore it.

What is known about the 19,000 sponsors

The figure came from Home Office representatives at the Home Office Immigration Law Association conference held last week. The department is concerned that many sponsors are not using the sponsor management system. According to officials, email notifications are already being sent even to users who are formally active.

According to a lawyer who works with licences, he himself, as a Level 1 user, had received such letters despite logging into the system regularly.

Why the Home Office is concerned

According to the guidance, at least once a month every Level 1 user, whether an authorising officer or someone else, must log into the system. Sponsors who have not logged in for more than 12 months may be deactivated by the Home Office.

The main reason is the risk of abuse. Logins can fall into the hands of outsiders, and CoS certificates can be sold. The department reports cases where someone obtained a CoS from an employer, a different user assigned it and passed it to another person, who then received a Skilled Worker visa and arrived in the UK only to find there was no job for them.

What will happen to accounts

So far, according to available information, the Home Office is not deactivating accounts en masse, but this is being planned gradually. The licence will not be revoked, but a Level 1 user may be deactivated. To restore access, a request to the business help desk will be required, and possibly additional steps.

Sponsors are receiving automated emails stating that there has been no login to SMS for 12 months, asking them to log in or, if necessary, give up the licence. Such letters should not be ignored.

Entrance to an immigration office building in central London, with a queue at the door

What sponsors should do

The recommendation is simple: log into the Sponsor Management System at least once a month. Logging in takes about two minutes. You can set a calendar reminder, log in, review the system’s sections including the License Summary page, and check the data.

Interestingly, the Home Office directly points to the risks related to selling CoS, which is why regular logins and account monitoring are part of a sponsor’s responsibilities.