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Preparing Your Team for an Inspection
In 2027, the IND will enforce compliance more strictly regarding the rights and obligations of recognised sponsors.
We notice that many employers are asking themselves: does our policy and onboarding process for non-EU hires align with these obligations? And would we, as a recognised sponsor, pass an IND or Labour Inspectorate audit?
What every recognised sponsor should know
The IND can check recognised sponsors at any time, by asking for information or by visiting on site. When it does, you need to show that you meet your duty of care, your record-keeping duty and your duty to provide information. Since 1 January 2026, your records must also include proof that salary actually reached the employee's own bank account, such as business bank statements, not only payslips. Further changes are proposed, including a higher salary requirement for highly skilled migrants and stricter conditions for keeping recognition.
In our experience, most organisations know the rules. The gaps tend to sit in what they can show. A strong hire may have no written record of why this candidate was suitable for the role. Payslips may be on file while the bank evidence is missing. Offboarding steps are often done but not documented, and changes may be reported to the IND without the confirmation being kept.
The IND's response depends on how serious the breach is. A first or minor breach can lead to a warning or a fine. If the IND has serious doubts about whether you still meet the requirements, it can suspend your recognition for up to three months, extendable while it investigates. During that time you can't submit applications as a recognised sponsor. In more serious or repeated cases, the IND can withdraw recognition altogether and refuse a new application for up to five years.
IND compliance rarely sits with one team. HR handles the hire and the file, Payroll pays the salary that must stay above the threshold, Global Mobility manages the permit and its conditions, and Recruitment shapes the selection process that the IND may ask about. Line managers often notice changes first. When each team owns its own piece, the gaps tend to appear in between. That's why the workshop brings these teams together, so everyone knows their part before an inspection, not during one.
What the workshop covers
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A practical readiness exercise reviewing your own HR policy and processes including:
Hiring and onboarding: your current steps checked against inspection requirements, including documenting why a candidate is suitable
Salary and payment evidence: threshold monitoring and proof of payment
Notifications and records: what to report to the IND, when, and how to keep proof
Offboarding: what needs to happen and be recorded when an employee leaves
The inspection itself: what happens before, during and after an IND inspection, and who in your team does what
Not sure yet whether you need a full workshop? You can start with our Visa Quick Scan: a 30-minute session that looks at your current processes and shows whether a workshop would help.
Some of our trusted clients
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