Immigration Compliance & Audits
Immigration audits are one of the most effective ways to manage immigration compliance risk and avoid Home Office enforcement action.
They play a key role in ensuring that employers who sponsor overseas workers do not breach the law on illegal working, as this can result in UK immigration civil penalties and being charged with a criminal offence.
Immigration compliance is non-negotiable. Whether or not you employ foreign nationals, all UK employers are under a mandatory legal obligation to meet certain immigration compliance duties.
Under the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, it is against the law to employ a person without the necessary permission to work in the UK. Employers who illegally hire an overseas worker risk a civil penalty of up to £20,000 for each illegal worker and up to 5 years imprisonment in some cases.
Sponsor licence breaches can result in a licence downgrade, suspension or revocation, impacting the organisation’s ability to recruit and continue sponsoring overseas workers. These are clearly unwanted repercussions for care providers already struggling to maintain staffing levels.
Immigration audits are an important tool in managing an organisation’s compliance risk.
Our UK immigration compliance audit team offer a number of services to ensure your organisation remains compliant with the immigration rules at all times, including:
• Free initial consultation and assessment.
• A face-to-face meeting with the sponsorship compliance officers within your organisation.
• A thorough assessment of your existing HR systems, processes and procedures.
• Regular mock immigration audits to ensure your ongoing compliance.
• Preparation of a detailed audit report to highlight any potential gaps in your compliance and areas for improvement.
MKSuri & Co will design an immigration audit around your organisation. For example the approach may differ between a small employer with one business location and a multinational employer with a UK head office and multiple branches nationwide.
We apply our insight and wealth of experience in supporting employers with Home Office inspections to ensure we are assessing all relevant and possible areas of compliance, and providing practical recommendations and improvements to achieve full compliance.
In addition to our audit service, we also offer UK immigration compliance training for HR employees and key personnel with sponsor licence duties.
Where necessary, we can provide bespoke training based on your specific needs.
It is important to understand that from your first day as a sponsor licence holder, your organisation is legally required to adhere to immigration law and is liable for any breach. For this reason, we recommend putting in place a plan for regular ongoing immigration compliance audits and training during the sponsor licence application stage. This means that you will have the necessary auditing and training in place from the outset.
For assistance with any UK immigration compliance matter, including auditing and training, please speak to MKSuri on 020 8 227 0791 or by email at info@mksuri.co.uk.