UPDATE – UK Virtual or Remote Working Reporting Responsibility

May 4, 2023


UPDATE 5 MAY – The Home Office is indicating the reporting requirements may now only apply to new sponsored international staff.

Previously, visa sponsors in the UK were not required to update the Home Office on the hybrid/remote working arrangements of their sponsored international staff. The Home Office has now changed the reporting requirements and is mandating companies sponsoring international employees with remote or hybrid working arrangements log the physical location of these workers.

A report must be made on the Sponsor Management System if a sponsored employee is:

  • working remotely from home on a permanent or full-time basis (with little or no requirement to physically attend a workplace) or;
  • working in a hybrid working pattern (defined by the Home Office as ‘where the worker will work remotely on a regular and planned basis from their home or another address, such as a work hub space, that is not a client site or at an address listed on your licence’).

The Home Office guidance also confirms that sponsors do not need to report day-to-day changes in work location (e.g., if a worker occasionally works at a different branch or site, or from home). Only changes to a worker’s regular working patterns in this context need to be reported.

The Home Office have confirmed sponsors must report on all of their staff who are working under the remote/hybrid model regardless of their start date.

Newland Chase recognises this represents a potentially a long process to get all of these employees updated, especially for organisations with large populations of sponsored workers. As such, the Discovery Team will be launching a new service to help out our clients, so watch this space for further information and guidance. If you require assistance in the meantime, please feel free to contact us at: [email protected].

Immigration Insights

This immigration update is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal or scenario-specific advice. Furthermore, it is important to note that immigration announcements are subject to sudden and unexpected changes. Readers are encouraged to reach out to Newland Chase for any case- or company-specific assessments.