In late June 2025, the Administrative Court refused a care provider’s renewed application for judicial review following its skilled worker sponsor licence revocation by the Home Office. The central issue was whether the Secretary of State acted lawfully in revoking the licence based on insufficient evidence to prove that the roles sponsored were genuine.
Background
On 20 March 2024, the Home Office suspended HE Reigns Healthcare Services Ltd’s sponsor licence, citing serious concerns that the organisation posed a threat to immigration control. Specifically, the Secretary of State expressed that the provider had assigned, or intended to assign, Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) at a scale disproportionate to its business profile and that the sponsored roles were not genuine vacancies.
The provider was invited to submit evidence to verify the legitimacy of the sponsored roles, including staff lists, justification for recruitment levels, and evidence that sponsored workers were carrying out the duties listed in their CoS. The response from the provider disputed the allegations and highlighted a newly secured contract to justify its recruitment needs, though the precise scope and sufficiency of the evidence submitted remained unclear.
On 12 June 2024, the licence was formally revoked. The Secretary of State noted, among other issues, that 50 of the 124 sponsored workers could not be identified on payroll records, and that the volume of contracted work did not support the level of recruitment.
Judicial Review Claim
HE Reigns brought a judicial review claim, asserting procedural unfairness and contesting the conclusions drawn by the Home Office. Key arguments included:
- The revocation process lacked transparency and fairness;
- The evidence showed sufficient work to justify the sponsored roles;
- A finding of deliberate dishonesty was required for revocation;
- Inadequate consideration was given to contracts and the workers’ actual status;
- The 20MB limit for uploading evidence was unreasonable;
- There was insufficient engagement with their representations.
The Secretary of State responded that:
- There were reasonable grounds to suspect non-genuine vacancies, which justified revocation;
- The evidence submitted was inadequate;
- There is no requirement to prove dishonesty to revoke a licence;
- Their approach to the evidence and procedural limits complied with public law standards.
The Court’s Decision
The Court ruled against HE Reigns Healthcare. It found:
- The Secretary of State is not required to prove deceit or dishonesty to revoke a licence where non-genuine vacancies are suspected;
- The claim that 50 workers were unaccounted for was supported by the evidence, given the lack of payroll records or explanation;
- There was no obligation on the Secretary of State to conduct interviews or go beyond the representations made by the provider;
- No public law error occurred in the handling of the case or the format in which evidence was accepted.
The Court ultimately refused permission for the claim to proceed.
Conclusion
While this case does not create new law, it serves as a critical reminder of the stringent compliance obligations placed on sponsor licence holders. From a UK immigration perspective, the case reinforces the importance of proactive and detailed record-keeping, particularly in demonstrating the genuineness of sponsored roles and ensuring complete and coherent responses to Home Office enquiries.
Employers should not wait for enforcement action to review their systems. Our team continues to assist sponsors in navigating their duties under the current immigration framework, especially in light of the upcoming rule changes to the Skilled Worker route from 22 July 2025.
If you are concerned about the strength of your compliance framework or have received correspondence from the Home Office, we recommend seeking legal advice at the earliest opportunity. Contact Lisa’s Law today to find out how we can help you.
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