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Checking someone's immigration status covers more than right to work — the same “view and prove” system also underpins right-to-rent checks and other entitlement checks tied to a person's visa or settlement status. For employers, the version that matters day to day is the right to work check, but understanding the wider system helps when a candidate's situation doesn't fit the standard case.
From physical cards to digital status
Biometric residence permits (BRPs) — the plastic cards many visa holders used to carry — stopped being valid as proof of status once the Home Office completed the move to digital, eVisa-based records. Anyone whose status was previously on a BRP should now hold an eVisa linked to their UKVI account, accessed through a share code the same way any other digital status is checked. If a candidate turns up with an old BRP and no share code, that's not evidence of a problem with their status — it usually means they haven't yet realised the card itself is no longer the thing that matters, and you should ask them to generate a share code from their UKVI account rather than accepting the card as proof.
Why a status check can come back different from what the candidate expects
UK immigration status is recorded against a Home Office account, not a physical card in most cases. If someone changed their name, updated a passport, or had their visa varied or extended, the record behind their share code should reflect the update automatically — but only if they've kept their UKVI account details current. A mismatch between what a candidate tells you and what the check shows is more often an out-of-date account than a genuine status problem.
What to do with an unusual result
- Status shows as expired, but the candidate says it's valid: ask them to log into their own UKVI account and confirm what it shows before you escalate.
- Result includes work restrictions you weren't told about: the restriction (for example, hours capped for a Student visa) is binding regardless of what the candidate said at interview — don't override it.
- No photo appears on the result: this can happen with older digital records; ask for a second form of ID to confirm identity against the name on the result.
- The result shows permission tied to a specific employer or job: this is normal for sponsored workers, whose status is linked to the sponsor who holds their Certificate of Sponsorship — it isn't an error, but it does mean the permission doesn't automatically transfer if they move to a different role or employer.
Right to work vs right to rent vs benefit checks
The same underlying status record is checked differently depending on the purpose: employers use the employer checking service, landlords use a separate right-to-rent service. A share code generated for one purpose generally can't be reused for another.
Status checks for sponsored workers go further than a simple pass or fail
For a sponsored employee, the right to work result is only one half of what an employer needs to confirm. The other half is whether the actual job the person is doing matches the occupation, salary and working pattern recorded against their Certificate of Sponsorship — a status check that comes back clean can still sit alongside a sponsorship breach if the role has drifted from what was assigned. This is why status checking and sponsor licence compliance tend to live in the same process rather than separate ones; our guides on current Skilled Worker visa requirements and temporary worker sponsor licences cover what that assigned role needs to match in practice.
Data protection: what to keep, and what not to
A right to work or status check involves handling personal data about someone's immigration history, which brings UK GDPR obligations alongside the Home Office ones. Keep only what the check requires — the dated result and a record of when it was carried out — rather than additional notes speculating about someone's immigration history or nationality. Limit who in the business can see stored results, and make sure whatever system holds them has the same access controls as the rest of your HR records, not a looser standard because the documents feel like a one-off compliance task rather than ongoing personal data.
How Annaizu handles this
Where a status check comes back with a restriction, an unusual result, or a mismatch, Annaizu's onboarding flow flags it for manual review rather than silently passing or failing the candidate, and keeps the flagged record alongside the sponsorship and role data it needs to be checked against — so a restriction on hours or employer isn't just noted once and forgotten.
FAQ
Can I check someone's immigration status without their share code?
No. Employers cannot look up an individual's status directly — the applicant must generate and provide the code themselves. This is a deliberate data-protection safeguard, not a gap in the system.
Does a settled status holder go through the same check as a visa holder?
Yes — settled and pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme is checked through the same online service and share code process.
What if a candidate can't log into their UKVI account to generate a code?
Account recovery for an individual's UKVI account is self-service in most cases, through the same GOV.UK sign-in journey they used originally — but if they've lost access to the email or phone number tied to the account, resolving it can take time. Build a buffer into your start date rather than assuming a code will be available the same day it's requested.
Should I be suspicious of a status check that takes several attempts to return a result?
Not necessarily. A code entered with a typo, a date of birth in the wrong format, or a system delay on the GOV.UK side can all cause a failed first attempt. Treat repeated failures as a prompt to double-check the details entered, not as a sign of a genuine status problem, unless the same correct details keep returning no result.
Related: Onboarding
GOV.UK references: View and prove your immigration status · View a job applicant's right to work details
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