Sponsors must upgrade SMS Level 2 users by 8 March 2027 as MFA rolls out
17 Sep 2026
If you're on a Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, or another sponsored visa, your case depends on your employer being able to manage your sponsorship correctly through the Sponsorship Management System (SMS). GOV.UK updated its SMS user manual on 11 September 2026 to reflect two changes: new multi-factor authentication (MFA) requirements and the phasing out of "Level 2" SMS user accounts.
From 9 September 2026, sponsors can no longer appoint new Level 2 users on the SMS. The guidance is explicit about what happens to existing Level 2 users: "From 9 September 2026, you can no longer appoint Level 2 users. You must take action to upgrade any existing Level 2 users to Level 1 users (if eligible) by 8 March 2027 or deactivate their accounts."
Separately, MFA is being made compulsory across the board. The Home Office's MFA guidance states: "MFA will be rolled out to all sponsors in the coming months and will be a mandatory security feature for all SMS users." If your sponsor's SMS access is disrupted while this rolls out, it could delay actions like assigning or updating your Certificate of Sponsorship.
This is primarily a change for your employer's HR or immigration team, not something you action yourself. But if you're expecting a new CoS, a visa switch, or any other SMS-dependent step between now and 8 March 2027, it's worth asking your sponsor to confirm their SMS user access and MFA setup are sorted, so nothing gets held up.
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