Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 31
31
Accepted
Home Office compliance scrutiny remains insufficient, only reacting to systemic problems.
Conclusion
We asked the Home Office whether there was sufficient scrutiny to tackle the level of non-compliance with visa rules. In particular, we noted the decrease in the number of full-time equivalent compliance officers in the Home Office, which fell from 65.5 in 2021 to 46 in 2024, and asked whether referring just 1% of sponsors for enhanced compliance checks was enough.83 The Home Office said it had introduced new practices, such as digital audits, and that it seeks to target resources to the highest risk cases, including potential trafficking or sponsors exploiting migrant workers.84 It told us it had reacted to fix problems that it identified and was seeking to be more productive and agile.85 Despite this, we were concerned that the Home Office is still reacting to problems rather than fixing the system.86 For example, we asked the Home Office about progress made in removing sponsors who may have already taken advantage of the system. It told us that it was tightening up the sponsor register and had increased the number of sponsor licence revocations, from 337 in 2023 to 1,494 in 2024.87
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and will implement several measures by March 2027, including continuously updating risk assessments, using digital tools for risk alerts, forming a dedicated unit for salary and employment checks, and introducing a new tool in Autumn 2025 to improve checks on sponsor personnel.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: March 2027 5.2 The department continuously updates sector-specific risk assessments using emerging data to guide caseworkers. A digital tool alerts users to risks linked to occupations which are assessed to be below degree level on the Temporary Shortage List. The Home Office routinely use the Salary and Employment Checker for sponsorship cases and are forming a dedicated unit to scale this work, leveraging HMRC data. Planned improvements will enable bulk processing. Additional tools are being tested to surface organisational data, map sponsor structures, and enhance compliance. A new tool in Autumn 2025 will improve checks on key sponsor personnel using data from Companies House and HMRC.