Opening a new location with sponsored staff requires a review of the actual work arrangements and applicable sponsor reporting. A premises decision may affect worker location records, organisational information or other route-specific matters.
Define how the new premises will be used Describe the proposed location in operational terms. Identify which organisation will occupy it, what work will take place and which sponsored employees will attend. A new registered office, an additional workplace and a customer site are different arrangements. The sponsorship assessment needs to understand the actual use rather than simply the address appearing on a lease.
Prepare a short site brief containing the address, opening date, management contact and expected working pattern. Distinguish permanent transfers from occasional attendance. If a location will be used by several group entities, explain who employs and supervises the relevant staff. A clear brief helps HR, operations and the authorised user assess the same set of facts.
Review worker location and organisation changes separately The sponsor guidance requires reporting of relevant changes to a worker's normal workplace and addresses new branches or client sites. It also contains separate provisions for organisational changes. [1] Consider both aspects rather than assuming that updating the business address automatically updates every affected worker's sponsorship record.
Use Reporting changes involving sponsored staff to establish the reporting assessment for the individual employees. Keep a list showing the current location, proposed location, effective date and required action for each person. If the new premises belong to another legal entity, identify that fact prominently; the question may extend beyond a straightforward change of workplace.
Explain hybrid and remote arrangements accurately A business may open a smaller office while staff work partly from home, or close a site while employees become entirely remote. These are not interchangeable patterns. Current guidance distinguishes hybrid working from contractual home working and retains relevant reporting for changes to main office locations and client sites. [1] Describe the pattern in enough detail to support that distinction.
Record how often staff are expected to attend and who approves departures from the normal arrangement. Avoid using a nominal office address when the actual plan is for someone never to attend it. If the working pattern changes after the opening date, reassess the position rather than assuming the initial location review covers every future arrangement.
Preserve contact and attendance arrangements Before the first working day at the new site, establish how managers will know whether sponsored staff attend as expected. Check who receives absence information and how it reaches the sponsorship team. A new workplace can break a previously reliable process if local managers assume that central HR can see attendance automatically.
Test the contact route with the people who will use it. Confirm that they know the responsible HR person and can report a concern without searching for an old email chain. Where a client manages site access, agree how relevant attendance information will be communicated. Keep the arrangement focused on necessary employment information rather than creating excessive monitoring of employees' private lives.
Check the evidence supporting the location Retain appropriate records explaining the organisation's use of the premises and the working arrangement. The exact evidence needed depends on the circumstances and any Home Office request. Keep legal names and addresses consistent across the site brief, internal records and relevant submissions, explaining differences such as a trading name or separate correspondence address.
Do not manufacture occupancy evidence before the business has access to the site. If the opening is planned but not yet completed, describe it as planned. Update the record when the move happens and preserve any material change in timing. This provides a clear chronology if the actual start date differs from the date originally discussed with staff or advisers.
Include the new site in compliance preparation Give the local manager a practical briefing on the records and responsibilities relevant to sponsored staff. Explain how an official request or visit should be escalated and who can retrieve the necessary information. The guidance allows compliance activity at places where sponsored work occurs, including relevant third-party premises. [1] A remote head office should not be the only place where anyone understands the process.
Review whether authorised staff can access records securely from the location where they will need them. Avoid solving a retrieval problem by creating uncontrolled copies of entire worker files at every site. A secure central record with a reliable access arrangement may be more manageable than several local archives that quickly become inconsistent.
Close the move with a reconciliation Once the site opens, compare the actual staffing and working pattern with the plan. Confirm the actions completed, any outstanding requests and any employees whose arrangements changed at the last moment. Update the relevant internal records and retain evidence of required submissions. Ask local management to confirm that attendance and escalation processes are functioning.
For help through Sponsor management process support, provide the site brief, affected worker details and any connection to another entity or client. Include the proposed opening date and any change already implemented. An assessment based on those facts can identify the relevant reporting and permission questions while the business still has time to coordinate the move properly.
Illustrative example
A business moves part of a sponsored team to a new office. It reviews the proposed arrangements and updates the relevant records and reports through the appropriate process.
Preparation checklist
- Describe the new working arrangement
- Identify affected records
- Check reporting requirements
- Communicate approved changes
Frequently asked questions
Does changing our registered office update worker locations automatically?
Do not assume so. Organisational details and individual work arrangements need separate assessment, and the required actions depend on what actually changes.
Do occasional visits to a new office always require the same action as a permanent move?
Assess the actual working pattern and current guidance. A permanent normal workplace change, a new client site and occasional attendance can raise different questions.
What should the local manager know?
They should understand attendance reporting, employment-change escalation and whom to contact about official enquiries. They also need a reliable way to supply relevant facts to the sponsorship team.
What if the opening date changes?
Update the chronology and reassess any planned or completed submission affected by the change. Keep the distinction between proposed dates and the date staff actually begin working there.
Official sources
Sources checked: 8 September 2026. Check the linked guidance for subsequent changes.
General information only. The appropriate action depends on your circumstances and the applicable jurisdiction.
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