Sponsorship responsibilities

The sponsored individual must visit HR before they start work for the University. This can be no later than their first action on the day they start work, before they report to their department.

Managers must ensure that the sponsored individual has already taken their documents to HR prior to their arrival in the department.

Each sponsored individual's contact details must be kept up to date (UK residential address, telephone number and mobile telephone number).

Individuals should maintain their contact details using MyView.

If departments receive changes to this information directly from an individual, this must be forwarded to HR.

We have to maintain detailed absence records for sponsored individuals.

Fortnightly return

Line managers of sponsored staff are asked each fortnight to complete a return with details of any:

• annual leave
• overseas travel for work-related activities
• leave in special circumstances
• unexplained or unauthorised absence.

Other reportable events

Sponsored individuals and/or their managers must immediately inform HR if any of these circumstances arise:

• a sponsored individual does not turn up for their first day of work, plus the reason given for their non-attendance
• a sponsored individual is absent from work for more than ten consecutive working days without permission
• a sponsored individual's contract of employment finishes earlier than anticipated, eg as a result of resignation, dismissal, TUPE transfer etc.
• the sponsored individual has moved into an immigration route that does not need a sponsor, eg indefinite leave to remain, spouse/partner visa, Tier 1 etc.

The University must report these circumstances to the Home Office within ten working days of them occurring.

You must immediately inform HR of any significant changes in the sponsored individual's circumstances, such as:

• a promotion or change in job title, or core duties
• a change of salary from the level stated at the start of the individual's sponsorship, such as additional allowances (not including annual increments or bonuses)
• a change of salary from that stated at the start of the individual's sponsorship due to maternity, paternity, shared parental or adoption leave, or a period of long term sick leave lasting one month or longer
• the location they are employed at changes.

HR would normally expect to learn about these changes through usual procedures, so no special reporting should be necessary. However, the timely reporting of these changes is particularly important for sponsored employees.

The University must report these circumstances to the Home Office within ten working days of them occurring.

You must inform HR if you receive any information which suggests that a sponsored individual is breaching the conditions of their leave, for example:

• working additional hours
• working in another type of work than they are being sponsored for, such as a Research Associate carrying out teaching or marking duties
• working for another employer in a different type of work.