AORA for Compliance
AORA automatically generates compliance reports for all work visa assessments. These reports include a comprehensive rules-based analysis that accurately justifies the assessment outcome in accordance with the Immigration Rules.
Responsibilities for Employers with a Sponsor Licence
An employer with a sponsor licence has an account on the Sponsorship Management System (SMS). It is the sponsor's responsibility to ensure that a job and job applicant meet the requirements under the relevant Rules (e.g. Appendix SW) before assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). There should be a record of that assessment, together with a record of the recruitment process. The grant of a visa or further leave to remain does not mean UKVI caseworkers assessed the CoS.
In practice, many sponsors outsource immigration work to an immigration practitioner and give their adviser access to the SMS. Often, practitioners do not follow a consistent assessment process before assigning a CoS, and in many cases there is no meaningful record of the exercise — for example, a checklist and salary calculation notes.
Home Office Audits
Home Office audits of sponsors have become increasingly frequent and demanding over the last 12 months, with 3,000 suspensions in 2025. If an audit finds that CoS were assigned where the job/employee did not meet the requirements, the sponsor licence could be suspended or revoked. Suspension means that no more people can be sponsored under the licence until reinstatement, which can take months. Revocation means that all sponsored employees have their permission to work with the sponsor curtailed to 60 days and must find a new sponsor, make another valid immigration application, or leave the UK before their permission expires. Such disruption would be incredibly damaging to the sponsor’s business activities and to the reputation of the immigration adviser supporting them.
AORA for peace of mind
After gathering the data, AORA assesses whether it would be lawful to assign a CoS for the job and applicant under consideration, and produces a detailed report in a format suitable for sending to the client. This takes into account all the relevant data and serves to evidence that a proper assessment took place and that the employee is being paid in accordance with the rules. It can be kept on file and shown at an audit.
Examples of Assessment Reports
AORA can Review Previously Granted CoS
AORA can use its software to review CoS assigned by a sponsor, for all employees or just those still under sponsorship. As long as a copy of the relevant CoS or consent to obtain the data from the UKVI is provided, AORA can audit previously assigned CoS to verify compliance with Home Office requirements and the immigration practitioner's performance.
To learn more about how AORA assists Sponsors to be compliant, arrange a consultation today.
