Right-to-work checks and record keeping for sponsors

A right-to-work check protects the employer from a civil penalty (up to £60,000 per illegal worker in the UK since 2024) only if it was done before employment started, in the prescribed way, and the evidence was kept. The three routes are the online share-code check for visa holders, the Home Office IDVT check for British and Irish passports, and the manual check for the few documents still allowed.

Follow-up checks are due before a time-limited permission expires. The employer's defence rests on the record, not the memory of the manager who did the check.

• Share-code check result page with the date and the name of the checker
• Copy of the passport or IDVT output for settled staff
• Expiry date recorded and a follow-up check scheduled
• Records kept for two years after employment ends
• Sponsored workers: contact details, absence records and role changes

• Checking after the start date
• Accepting a photo of a BRP instead of the online check
• No follow-up when a Graduate visa or Skilled Worker visa expires
• Records held on a personal drive that leaves with the HR manager

Each hire in the employer workspace carries the right-to-work record, expiry and an automatic follow-up reminder. Sponsored workers link to their certificate and reporting duties, so a compliance visit is a filter, not a scramble.

Partners running back-office compliance for several employers see all clients in one board.