What Happens When Your UK Sponsor Loses Their Licence: The 60-Day Curtailment Explained

Since 2022, over 470 care home companies in the UK have had their sponsor licences revoked by the Home Office. Each revocation displaced the workers they had sponsored — many of whom arrived in the UK to find the jobs that justified their visa were not what they were promised, or in some cases barely existed. For workers caught in a revocation, the 60-day curtailment period is both the primary protection available and one of the most stressful periods of the entire migration experience.

This post explains exactly what happens when a sponsor loses their licence, what the curtailment letter means for your visa, and what steps to take immediately.

Why Sponsor Licences Are Revoked

The Home Office revokes sponsor licences when it identifies non-compliance with sponsorship obligations. Common reasons for revocation include:

• Failure to maintain accurate employee records or report visa changes as required
• Evidence that the employer has been charging workers illegal recruitment fees
• Operating phantom jobs — sponsoring workers for roles that don't have adequate hours or genuine employment
• Failure to pay workers the salary listed on their Certificate of Sponsorship
• Document fraud or misrepresentation in the sponsorship application
• Evidence of modern slavery or exploitative working conditions

Revocation is typically preceded by a Home Office compliance visit. If issues are found, the Home Office may suspend the licence (preventing new CoS issuance) before proceeding to full revocation. Workers sponsored by a suspended employer are in a precarious but slightly different position — suspension allows existing visas to remain temporarily valid while the investigation continues, whereas revocation triggers the curtailment process immediately.

What the Curtailment Letter Means

When a sponsor's licence is revoked, UK Visas and Immigration sends a curtailment letter to every worker on that sponsor's record. This letter formally shortens ("curtails") your visa, giving you a defined window to find alternative sponsorship.

Under current rules, the curtailment window is 60 days from the date of the curtailment letter. This is the time you have to:

1. Find a new sponsoring employer with a current, valid sponsor licence
2. Have that employer issue a new Certificate of Sponsorship in your name
3. Submit a new visa application (an in-country "update" to your existing visa) to the Home Office

If you do not secure a new sponsor and submit a new application within 60 days, your leave to remain in the UK expires and you must depart.

The First 24-48 Hours: Critical Actions

The moment you receive a curtailment letter or hear that your employer's licence has been revoked, take these steps immediately:

Confirm the revocation. Check the Home Office register of licensed sponsors (publicly available at gov.uk). Search your employer's name. If they are not listed, their licence is no longer active. This confirms the curtailment is real rather than a fraudulent letter.

Do not leave the UK. Leaving the UK while your curtailment is active may complicate your ability to return, particularly if your original visa is being actively curtailed. Stay in the UK and resolve the situation from within the country.

Start your job search immediately. 60 days sounds substantial, but finding a new NHS employer willing to take on a displaced worker, process the onboarding paperwork, and issue a new CoS often takes three to four weeks at minimum. You have very little time to waste.

Contact the Home Office displaced worker scheme. The Home Office operates a job-matching initiative specifically for workers displaced by sponsor licence revocations. This connects affected workers with employers actively looking to recruit. It is not widely advertised, but you can access it through the Home Office immigration helpline or through links provided in some curtailment letters.

Contact your professional union. If you are an NHS worker, the Royal College of Nursing, Unison, or other relevant union may have advisers who can support you through the transition — including helping you identify alternative employers quickly.

Finding a New Sponsor Within 60 Days

The practical challenge is that the health and care sector job market for internationally sponsored workers is competitive. Your advantages:

• You already have a valid (though curtailed) visa and have passed your NMC CBT or OSCE, or hold HCPC registration. You are not starting from scratch.
• You have UK work experience, even if limited, which many employers value.
• You can start work immediately once a new CoS is issued and your new visa application is submitted.

Use NHS Jobs directly. Many NHS Trusts actively monitor the displaced worker channels and are willing to move quickly for qualified, already-registered candidates. Private hospital groups are similarly positioned.

Be transparent with prospective employers. Explain your situation: your previous sponsor's licence was revoked, you have X days remaining on your curtailment, and you need a CoS within Y days to meet the Home Office deadline. Most established employers understand this process and can work to a compressed timeline if motivated.

The New CoS and Visa Application

Once you have a new employer willing to sponsor you:

1. The employer generates a new CoS through the Home Office Sponsor Management System
2. You submit a new visa application online using the "Update your visa" pathway — this is a standard in-country application
3. You pay the reduced Health and Care Worker visa fee (£628 for over three years)
4. The Home Office processes the application — typically within three weeks

During the gap between your curtailment letter and your new visa being granted, you are in a legally complex position. If you have a curtailment letter and have submitted a valid new application, Home Office practice generally allows you to continue working for your new employer while the application is processed, provided you submitted before the 60-day window expired. Confirm this with an immigration adviser given the stakes.

If the Revocation Was Due to Employer Fraud

If your sponsor's licence was revoked because they were operating fraudulently — phantom jobs, illegal fees, document misrepresentation — you may be a victim of modern slavery or labor exploitation, not a participant in it. This matters for how the Home Office treats your case.

Evidence your situation. Keep any records of what was promised to you versus what was provided: job offer documents, communications with the employer, payslips, accommodation contracts, records of any fees paid. These records support your protection as a victim of exploitation.

Report the exploitation to the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA, 0800 432 0804) and the Modern Slavery Helpline (0800 0121 700). Reporting does not automatically trigger enforcement action against you — the Home Office distinguishes between exploited workers and those knowingly circumventing immigration rules.

The UK Health & Care Worker Visa Guide includes a full sponsor revocation action plan — a day-by-day checklist covering the first 60 days, a template letter for approaching new employers, and guidance on documenting exploitation if the revocation involved fraud.