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Written question asked by Blake Stephenson (Conservative) on Wednesday, 9 September 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 11 September 2026. It was answered by Jo White (Labour) on Thursday, 17 September 2026 on behalf of the Home Office.

Migrant Workers: Visas

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the risk that visa holders may remain in the United Kingdom in breach of the conditions attached to their leave without being detected.

Answer

UKVI uses HMRC data as part of a broader intelligence driven compliance approach to help identify potential concerns about sponsor compliance. HMRC information provides an initial indicator of whether sponsored workers appear to be receiving the salary recorded on their Certificate of Sponsorship and helps target compliance resources towards cases that may require further examination.

Where concerns are identified, UKVI undertakes further investigation, which may include consideration of additional intelligence, engagement with partner agencies, requests for documentary evidence and, where appropriate, compliance visits or audits. We recognise that HMRC data has limitations and therefore potential discrepancies identified through HMRC checks are subject to manual assessment and further investigation before compliance action is considered.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
28520
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Visas Migrant workers
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk