If you sponsor workers, absences aren’t “just HR”. They’re one of the fastest ways the Home Office decides whether you’re running your sponsor licence properly. You don’t need to panic every time someone calls in sick, but you do need a system: clear rules, consistent records, and timely reporting when a threshold is triggered. That’s exactly what sits at the heart of proper Sponsor Licence Compliance.
This article walks you through what typically must be reported, what doesn’t usually need reporting (but still needs recording), and a simple way to document everything so you’re not scrambling if you’re audited.
The 2 absence scenarios that most often trigger reporting
In sponsor work, 2 types of absence cause the most trouble:
1) Unauthorised absence of more than 10 consecutive working days
If your sponsored worker is absent without permission for more than 10 consecutive working days, you’re expected to report it on the Sponsorship Management System (SMS) within the relevant reporting timeframe.
This can happen in obvious situations (they disappear), but it also happens in messy, real-world situations like:
- they stop responding after a sick note expires
- they keep saying “I’ll be back next week” but never confirm dates
- a manager agrees time off informally and nothing is logged
- the worker doesn’t follow your absence process and there’s no paper trail
From a Home Office point of view, the question is simple: Did you know where your sponsored worker was, and did you act when you didn’t?
If your internal roles and responsibilities are unclear, this is where things fall apart. It’s worth making sure your key personnel on a sponsor licence understand exactly who monitors absences, who escalates them, and who has the authority (and access) to report.
2) Unpaid leave (or reduced pay) beyond the permitted limit
The next big trigger is when a sponsored worker is absent without pay or on reduced pay for more than 4 weeks in total, based on their normal working pattern, within the relevant period (commonly the calendar year).
The important bit here is “in total”. It’s not just one long block of unpaid leave. Multiple shorter periods can add up, and if you’re not tracking them properly you can cross the line without noticing until it’s too late.
Also, this isn’t just about “unpaid leave” in the usual HR sense. It can include periods where salary is reduced because they’re not working their normal hours, depending on the circumstances and how it’s recorded.
If you’re sponsoring people under routes like Skilled Worker Visa UK or Global Business Mobility (for example, the UK Expansion Worker Visa), this is a compliance area you want to control tightly.
What doesn’t normally need reporting (but still needs documenting)
Not every absence needs to be reported. Normal, authorised absences often won’t trigger a report on their own, such as:
- annual leave taken through your usual process
- short sickness absence handled correctly
- a few days of unpaid leave that stays well below the overall limit
But here’s the trap: “not reportable” does not mean “don’t bother recording it”.
In a compliance visit, you’re not judged only on what you reported. You’re also judged on whether you had control and visibility. If you can’t show that absences were authorised, recorded, and monitored against thresholds, it can look like you’re not managing your sponsorship responsibilities.
This is the same principle that applies to wider reporting duties too — not just worker absences. If you want a useful reference point, read business changes that trigger sponsor reporting so you can see how the Home Office thinks about “systems”, not one-off events.
The difference between authorised and unauthorised (and how it gets blurred)
A lot of sponsors assume unauthorised absence only means “they didn’t show up”.
In reality, it often starts as authorised and then drifts into unauthorised because:
- the worker doesn’t provide the required evidence (for example, a fit note)
- they don’t keep in contact as agreed
- your business doesn’t confirm extensions in writing
- managers approve things verbally and HR never sees it
The fix isn’t complicated. You just need 1 rule that everyone follows:
If it isn’t documented, it isn’t authorised.
That’s not about being harsh. It’s about protecting your licence.
How to document absences so your records stand up in an audit
You don’t need an over-engineered compliance folder. What you need is a clean, consistent audit trail that answers 4 questions:
- What happened?
- Was it authorised?
- Was pay affected?
- Did it trigger reporting — and if so, was it reported on time?
Here’s a practical way to do it.
1) Keep a sponsored worker absence log (1 spreadsheet is enough)
Maintain a simple log specifically for sponsored workers. Include:
- worker name + job title
- visa route and CoS reference (or internal reference)
- absence type (sick / annual leave / unpaid leave / other)
- authorised or unauthorised
- start date, expected return date, actual return date
- pay status during absence (full pay / reduced pay / unpaid)
- running total of unpaid or reduced-pay days for the year (or relevant period)
- whether a report was made on SMS
- date of report and who submitted it
This one document is often the difference between “we’ve got this under control” and “we’re trying to piece it together from old emails”.
2) Save written requests and approvals (email is fine)
For any non-standard absence (especially unpaid leave), keep:
- the worker’s request (email or form)
- your approval (email or letter)
- the reason (short, factual)
- confirmation of dates and what happens to pay
If you need to justify why sponsorship continued, these documents matter. If you’re dealing with a compliance issue already, this can sit alongside your wider strategy under Sponsor Licence Applications support and remediation.
3) Document contact attempts if the worker goes quiet
If you think an absence may be unauthorised, record your steps. For example:
- dates/times of phone calls
- copies of emails and messages
- any letters sent to their last known address
- notes of manager conversations and outcomes
Keep it factual. Don’t write emotional commentary. In an audit, the Home Office is looking for reasonable action and clear timelines.
4) Make payroll and HR match
This is an underrated one. If your records say “authorised unpaid leave”, but payroll shows full salary, or vice versa, it creates questions you don’t want.
For sponsored workers, align:
- absence records
- payroll deductions or changes
- working hours and rotas (if relevant)
- any contract variations
If your worker is on Self Sponsor Skilled Worker Visa arrangements (or you sponsor a founder/director), it’s even more important that your business records look coherent and credible.
Reporting in practice: avoid “single point of failure” access issues
A common problem isn’t knowledge — it’s admin reality. Only 1 person has SMS access, they go on holiday, and suddenly you miss a reporting deadline.
You’ll protect yourself by:
- having more than 1 trained user with appropriate access
- having a written internal escalation process
- doing a monthly “sponsored worker check-in” (absences, pay changes, contact details, work location updates)
If you want to sense-check your overall sponsor readiness and control framework, revisit your Sponsor Licence Application approach — the best applications are the ones built on processes you can actually run day-to-day.
What happens if you get it wrong?
When sponsors get absence reporting wrong, the Home Office usually treats it as part of a bigger picture: poor monitoring, poor record keeping, and weak control over sponsored staff.
That can lead to serious consequences, including action against your sponsor licence. If you want a plain-English explanation of what that looks like in the real world, read Sponsor Licence Suspension and Revocation.
A simple monthly routine that keeps you safe
If you want something realistic that works, set a recurring monthly check (it genuinely can be quick):
- review the sponsored worker absence log
- total up unpaid/reduced pay time for each sponsored worker
- check any ongoing sickness or “open-ended” absence has updates and evidence
- confirm anything that needed reporting has been reported
- file evidence in a consistent place (per worker)
If you’re unsure whether a particular absence should be reported, or you’re dealing with a grey area (unpaid leave, reduced hours, long sickness, or a worker who’s gone quiet), it’s worth getting advice early. You can reach the team via Contact Us or review the firm’s approach and pricing on Services & Fees so you know what support looks like before it becomes urgent.
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