Mock Audit with an Ex-Home Office Officer

A sponsor licence mock audit led by a former Home Office compliance manager, carried out before a real Home Office compliance visit.

Published: 23 September 2026

A sponsor licence mock audit is a full rehearsal of a Home Office compliance visit, carried out before the real one. We review your records, your reporting and your systems the way a compliance officer would, then show you where you fall short and how to fix it. Immtell runs this mock audit through Ewen McKenzie, our Head of Sponsor Compliance, who spent his Home Office career leading sponsor-licence compliance work. If you hold a sponsor licence, a clean right to work file is only part of your obligations: You also carry record-keeping, reporting and monitoring duties, and a compliance officer can arrive on site or check you remotely, with little notice.

Key takeaways

• A sponsor licence mock audit is a full rehearsal of a Home Office compliance visit, carried out before the real one so you can close gaps while there is still time.
• It is led by Ewen McKenzie, a former Home Office Regional Compliance Manager, so your records are judged against how compliance is assessed in practice, not only the written guidance.
• The audit covers the areas an officer examines: Record keeping under Appendix D, reporting duties, HR and monitoring systems, genuine vacancy, and right to work.
• Reporting duties are tested against the deadlines: Changes to a sponsored worker within 10 working days and changes to your organisation within 20 working days, through the Sponsorship Management System.
• You receive a written report that names the gaps, ranks them by risk, and sets out what to fix first, in priority order.
• A mock audit cannot guarantee the outcome of a Home Office decision, but it removes the guesswork so you prepare against real expectations.

What a Sponsor Licence Mock Audit Is

A mock audit tests your sponsor compliance against the same expectations the Home Office applies during a real compliance visit. We work through the documents you are required to keep, the changes you are required to report, and the systems you rely on to stay on top of both. The point is not to catch you out: It is to find the gaps while you still have time to close them, rather than during an unannounced visit when a compliance officer is already reviewing your files. You get an honest picture of where you stand and a clear list of what to put right.

Why an Ex-Home Office Officer Matters

Your mock audit is led by Ewen McKenzie, our Head of Sponsor Compliance. Ewen is a former Home Office Regional Compliance Manager who led teams of Home Office compliance officers carrying out sponsor-licence audits, so he knows how a visit is scoped, what officers ask for, and where they look first. Founder Gavin Webster, a former UK diplomat and Home Office officer who went on to lead compliance work at EY and PwC (which was spun off to create Vialto Partners), oversees each engagement. That combination means your audit is judged against how compliance is assessed in practice, not only against what the written guidance says. Immtell is on the IAA register (IAA, formerly OISC), Registration No. F202200109.

What the Mock Audit Covers

The mock audit works through the areas a Home Office compliance officer examines:

• Record keeping: We check the documents you are required to hold under Appendix D of the sponsor guidance, and how you store and retrieve them.
• Reporting duties: We test whether you report changes to a sponsored worker within 10 working days and changes to your organisation within 20 working days through the Sponsor Management System.
• HR and monitoring systems: We look at how you track attendance, absence and contact details, and whether your processes would stand up under scrutiny.
• Genuine vacancy: We check that each sponsored role is a real job that meets the route requirements.
• Right to work: We confirm your right to work checks are being carried out and recorded correctly, so you hold a statutory excuse against an illegal working penalty.

How the Mock Audit Works

We start with a short scoping conversation to understand your licence, your sponsored workers and your systems. Ewen then carries out the mock audit, reviewing your records and reporting against Home Office expectations, either on site or as a remote review. You receive a written report that sets out what is working, what is at risk, and what to fix first, in priority order. Where you want ongoing support, the mock audit can lead into our Protect Your Sponsor Licence service, so the gaps are not just identified but closed and kept closed.

What You Get

You come away with three things: A clear view of where your sponsor compliance stands today, a written report that names the gaps and ranks them by risk, and a practical plan for putting them right before a compliance officer arrives. A mock audit cannot guarantee the outcome of any Home Office decision. What it does is remove the guesswork, so you are preparing against real expectations rather than hoping your systems hold.

Book a Call

If you hold a sponsor licence and want to know how you would fare in a Home Office compliance visit, start with a call. We will talk through your licence and your systems, and set out how a mock audit with Ewen would work for your organisation.

Book a Call | Read about Protect Your Sponsor Licence

For current pricing, contact us.

We check this page against the official GOV.UK sponsor guidance. Last reviewed 23 September 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a sponsor licence mock audit?

A sponsor licence mock audit is a rehearsal of a Home Office compliance visit, carried out before the real one. A reviewer checks your records, your reporting and your systems the way a compliance officer would, then gives you a written report of the gaps and how to fix them.

Why does an ex-Home Office officer matter for a mock audit?

An officer who has led sponsor-licence compliance work knows how a visit is scoped, what a compliance officer asks for, and where they look first. That is why Immtell's mock audit is led by Ewen McKenzie, a former Home Office Regional Compliance Manager, so you are judged against how compliance is assessed in practice.

What does a mock audit cover?

It covers the areas a compliance officer examines: Record keeping under Appendix D, reporting changes to a worker within 10 working days and changes to your organisation within 20 working days, your HR and monitoring systems, whether each role is a genuine vacancy, and whether your right to work checks are recorded correctly.

Can a mock audit stop my sponsor licence being suspended or revoked?

A mock audit cannot guarantee the outcome of a Home Office decision. It shows you where your records and reporting fall short so you can fix them before a compliance officer visits, which is how sponsors reduce the risk of suspension or revocation of their licence.