Care Worker sponsor licence revocation is an important issue for sponsored care workers whose employer has lost its sponsor licence. On 14 September 2026, the Home Office updated its guidance to introduce a temporary arrangement for certain adult social care workers.
Care Worker Sponsor Licence Revocation: What Has Changed?
The updated Home Office guidance instructs caseworkers not to cancel a person’s permission where all of the following apply:
- the person has permission under the Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker route;
- they are sponsored as a care worker, under SOC 6135 or 6145, or a senior care worker, under SOC 6136 or 6146; and
- the sole reason for cancelling their permission would be the revocation of their sponsor’s licence.
This is a significant change for affected care workers.
Previously, where a Skilled Worker sponsor lost its sponsor licence, the worker’s permission could be considered for cancellation. Where cancellation was appropriate and the circumstances were outside the worker’s control, the Home Office guidance generally provided for the worker to be left with 60 days’ permission, where sufficient permission remained.
Under the new temporary arrangement, an eligible care worker’s permission must not be cancelled solely because their sponsor’s licence has been revoked.
Does this mean care workers will no longer receive a 60-day cancellation letter?
Where an eligible care worker falls within this temporary arrangement and the only proposed ground for cancellation is the revocation of their sponsor’s licence, the updated guidance says their permission must not be cancelled on that basis.
This means that affected workers should not automatically face the usual position of having their permission curtailed or cancelled to 60 days merely because their employer has lost its sponsor licence.
However, it is important to understand the limits of the new policy.
Can the Home Office still cancel a care worker’s visa?
Yes, in some circumstances.
The Home Office expressly states that the arrangement is temporary and subject to regular review. It also confirms that where another reason for cancellation applies, the Home Office must consider cancellation in the usual way.
For example, the new arrangement should not be interpreted as preventing cancellation where there is a separate valid cancellation ground.
The protection is specifically aimed at circumstances where revocation of the employer’s sponsor licence is the sole reason for cancellation.
Is this a permanent change to the Immigration Rules?
No. At present, this is described by the Home Office as a temporary arrangement, rather than a permanent protection.
The Home Office states that it will be subject to regular review.
Care workers affected by sponsor licence revocation should therefore continue to monitor their immigration position and obtain advice based on their individual circumstances.
Which care workers are covered?
The guidance specifically identifies:
Care workers
- SOC 6135
- SOC 6145
Senior care workers
- SOC 6136
- SOC 6146
The individual must hold permission under the Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker route and the sponsor licence revocation must be the sole proposed reason for cancellation.
What should you do if your sponsor’s licence has been revoked?
Although this temporary arrangement provides additional protection against cancellation, the revocation of a sponsor licence can still have significant consequences for a sponsored worker.
Your individual circumstances should be reviewed carefully, particularly if your employment has ended, you are considering changing employer, you have received correspondence from the Home Office, or there may be another reason why your permission could be cancelled.
If you have already received a cancellation decision, it is particularly important to obtain advice on whether the decision is consistent with the updated Home Office guidance.
The same Home Office guidance provides a process for requesting error correction where permission has been cancelled incorrectly. Generally, an error correction request should be made within 14 calendar days of the deemed date of receipt of the cancellation decision, although the guidance also provides for discretion in certain circumstances.
How Stay UK can help
If you are a Care Worker or Senior Care Worker affected by the revocation of your employer’s sponsor licence, we can review your immigration status, any correspondence received from the Home Office and the options available to you.
The new guidance is welcome news for eligible care workers, but it is important to remember that the protection is temporary and applies specifically where sponsor licence revocation is the sole reason for cancellation.
Read the Home Office Cancellation and Curtailment of Permission guidance
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