Immtell Ltd.

15/07/2025

The window to assign a CoS is closing, and the system will be offline when it matters most.

The Home Office has confirmed that the Sponsor Management System (SMS) will be down from 18:00 on Monday 21 July until 09:00 on Tuesday 22 July, right before the new immigration rules take effect.

If you're planning to sponsor someone in a role that won’t qualify after 22 July, or want to avoid the new, higher salary thresholds, you need to act before the outage.

Technically, you can assign CoS until 18:00 on the 21st…

But we strongly recommend acting well before then. The system is likely to be overloaded and SMS has a track record breaking at the worst possible time.

We’ve summarised what sponsors need to know and do in this article:

🔗 https://rb.gy/ug8m16

Need help getting everything in before the deadline?

We’re already supporting clients to stay ahead, and we’re here if you need us.

03/07/2025

Major UK immigration changes take effect from 22 July 2025, is your business prepared?

The UK government has now confirmed the first set of immigration reforms from the White Paper, and the impact on hiring and workforce planning is already being felt:

- Most new Skilled Worker roles must now be RQF Level 6 (degree level)

- Overseas sponsorship of care workers and senior care workers will end

- Salary thresholds and going rates are rising again

- A new Temporary Shortage List allows limited sponsorship of some key roles below RQF 6, but with no dependants and no salary or visa fee discounts

The window to assign CoS under current rules is closing fast. For many roles, especially those at lower skill levels, sponsorship will either end or become far more restricted after 22 July.

Even where roles remain eligible, assigning a CoS before the deadline could mean avoiding the significantly higher salary thresholds now coming into force. If you’re close to the salary cut-off, acting now could make the difference. Remember, you can post the work start date by up to 3 months.

Our latest blog breaks down the key changes, what they mean in practice, and the actions HR and mobility teams should be taking now:

Read the blog: https://rb.gy/xj65ha

Need help navigating the changes? Feel free to get in touch.

Major UK immigration changes take effect from 22 July 2025, raising skill and salary thresholds, restricting care worker sponsorship, and limiting dependants.

12/05/2025

The UK immigration White Paper is out: Here are the immediate “highlights”

None of this is in the rules yet, but it shows the direction of travel, and it’s clear the Skilled Worker route is about to become more restrictive and expensive.

Skilled Worker / Work Routes
- Minimum skill level raised back to RQF Level 6+ (most roles at graduate level)
- Salary thresholds will rise (no new figures yet)
- Care worker visas: closed to new overseas applicants (In-country extensions allowed until 2028, subject to review)
- New Temporary Shortage List to replace the current Immigration Salary List (will initially be based on the current list)
- Immigration Skills Charge to rise by 32%:
From £1,000 ➝ £1,320 per year (large sponsors)
From £364 ➝ £480 per year (small/charitable sponsors)

Graduate Route
- Post-study work period to be cut from 2 years to 18 months

Settlement (ILR) and Citizenship
- Standard qualifying period to increase to 10 years for most routes (No confirmation yet on whether transitional arrangements will apply to those already on the route to settlement)
- 5-year ILR route to remain for non-UK partners of British citizens, and no change to Naturalisation requirements.
- Immediate settlement proposed for bereaved parents
- Review of the Life in the UK test

English Language
- Skilled Workers (and other roles with language requirements): B1 ➝ B2
- Adult dependants of workers/students: new A1 requirement
- Visa extensions: must show progression to A2
-ILR: raised from B1 ➝ B2

Full details: https://shorturl.at/H2fA2

25/04/2025

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁

A lot of companies ask us: “What’s involved in a mock audit?”

Here’s a quick look:

- We request 3–5 right to work files
- We test your SMS access and processes
- We speak with key staff
- We issue a RAG-rated risk report and walk you through it

No pressure. Just preparation.

DM me to discuss how we can help you.

25/04/2025

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 '𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆'

There’s no official checklist, but here’s what we look for:

- Someone owns immigration reporting
- Absence tracking is in place
- Right to work processes are centralised and document dates tracked
- Employee's duties are regularly reviewed to ensure they still fall within the same SOC code, or take action if not

If that’s not happening, we don’t panic. We help get it there. DM or email [email protected] to discover how.

24/04/2025

𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲? 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘆

Graduate route applicants aren’t always eligible for a UK Skilled Worker switch.

We’ve seen refusals caused by:

- Salary too low for the new threshold
- Job not matching the right SOC code
- They have already spent 2 years on their Graduate visa, so they can not qualify for a 3 year CoS with the 'new entrant' salary discount.

It’s easy to assume, and costly if you get it wrong
We help clients check eligibility properly before they issue a CoS. DM or email [email protected] to learn how.

24/04/2025

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸

The biggest compliance risks aren’t always in the paperwork.

They’re in what hasn’t been communicated internally.

We’ve run audits where:

- Line managers didn’t know staff were sponsored
- HR didn’t realise changes to duties could affect SOC codes
- Key Personnel had never logged into the Sponsor Management System

For example: if duties change enough to fall under a new SOC code, that’s not just a report, it’s a new CoS and a change of employment visa application.

These are the kinds of things we help employers get on top of quietly, before an audit puts them under pressure.

What are your biggest immigration compliance challenges?

23/04/2025

If your CoS request has been returned with questions, it’s not the end.

But how you respond matters.

We review the submission, identify what’s missing, and develop a response or new submission that is approved.

Sometimes it’s about clarity. Sometimes it’s about tone.

It’s always about showing the Home Office what they need to see.

What additional information have you been asked to provide recently?

23/04/2025

𝗕𝗥𝗣 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗥𝗖 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗞 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀

The Home Office has extended the use of expired BRP and BRC cards until 𝟭 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱. If you or your employees haven’t switched to an eVisa yet, now is the time.

From 2 June 2025, expired cards will no longer be valid for travel or as proof of status.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲: https://shorturl.at/dZMUa

23/04/2025

𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗦 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿

Undefined CoS requests used to be straightforward to obtain. 9 out of 10 times, a generic business justification for the increase in allocation would be accepted.

Not anymore.

The Home Office is now:

- Asking for specific business case justification
- Requesting evidence on how the role fits the business
- Details of who the CoS' will be assigned to and when
- Delaying or rejecting if the request is too generic

Are you experiencing this? DM email [email protected] to discuss how we can help you.

21/04/2025

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝗥 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀

It’s easy to build your sponsor compliance process around one person.

But what happens when they leave?

We’ve seen clients:

- Lose access to the Sponsor Management System
- Miss critical CoS deadlines
- Discover no one else knew what sponsor duties actually were

Compliance needs to be a team function, not a dependency.

Need help? DM or email gaivn@immtell and let's have a chat.

21/04/2025

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 ‘S𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁’ 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲

A lot of businesses think their sponsor licence is a one-off project.

Get approved, then move on.

In reality, sponsorship is a living system, and if it’s not maintained, it becomes a liability.

No issue, until an audit arrived.

Your licence is a privilege. It needs looking after.

Drop a comment or DM if you'd like a copy of our 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲.