Birketts reports routine Home Office and HMRC payroll checks for sponsored workers
27 Oct 2026
If you are on a sponsored work visa such as Skilled Worker, your payroll records may now be checked against your visa conditions. Law firm Birketts reports that, after a successful pilot, "routine data sharing between the Home Office and HMRC will be standard practice going forward." This is Birketts' account. We have not seen a separate Home Office announcement.
Birketts says payroll review is "a simple way for the Home Office to establish non-compliance for sponsored workers." It lists problems that payroll data can show. These include pay below the correct rate for the visa or job, unlawful deductions from wages, prohibited periods of unpaid leave, and second jobs over the 20-hour weekly limit. It also lists a worker not being kept on by their main sponsor.
Birketts also says the data can show employer breaches. Examples are unreported changes to shift patterns or contracted hours, unreported absences, and unreported end of employment. It says the Home Office is taking a "zero-tolerance approach to the above breaches." It gives 10 working days as the deadline for reporting a change in a sponsored worker's circumstances.
What to do: check that your pay, hours and any second job match your visa conditions. If something looks wrong, raise it with your employer's HR or sponsor contact. Employers should make sure their payroll, HR and sponsorship records agree and that changes are reported on time. If you are worried about your own position, speak to a regulated immigration adviser.
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