Sponsor software buyer guide · Sources checked 24 September 2026
Best sponsor compliance software for care homes (2026)
Since 22 July 2025, a care provider can sponsor a care worker or senior care worker (SOC 6135 or 6136) only if the person is already in the UK. There are two routes. Someone switching into the role must have worked for you legally in it for at least three months before you assign the certificate, and must apply before 22 July 2028. Someone already sponsored in a care role can extend or change sponsor (Appendix Skilled Worker, SW 6.1B). In England you must also hold active CQC registration for a regulated activity, or the licence is revoked (Sponsor a Skilled Worker, SK4.40–SK4.47). Care sponsor software therefore has to hold evidence of those three months, your registration and locations, and pay against £12.82 for every hour worked. Sources checked 24 September 2026.
Last updated .
The care-specific record
What each care rule asks you to be able to show
On smaller screens, scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Rule | Source | Record to keep |
|---|---|---|
| In-country switch into a care role | At least three months’ lawful work for you in 6135/6136 up to the CoS date; application before 22 July 2028 (SW 6.1B(a); SK4.34). | Payslips or the contract covering the three months (Appendix D, 2.2(d)). |
| Care worker changing sponsor to you | Continuous Skilled Worker permission in a care role (SW 6.1B(b)); you “should ask to see evidence” of the previous role (SK4.36–4.37). | Evidence of the previous care employment on the worker’s file. |
| CQC registration (England) | Active registration and a regulated activity; registration number, locations and activities go on each CoS (SK4.40–4.47). Losing it means revocation (SK4.45). | Registration status, each registered location, and which sponsored workers work where. |
| Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland | Registration with the Care Inspectorate, Care Inspectorate Wales or RQIA (SK2.10, SK4.48). | The same registration record for the relevant regulator. |
| Pay on the Health and Care visa | At least £25,000 a year and £12.82 for each hour worked (SK4.38); guaranteed basic pay only, first 48 hours a week (SW 14.1–14.3A). | Payslips, payment into the worker’s own account and contracted hours (Appendix D, 3(a)–(c)). |
| CoS assigned 9 April – 21 July 2025 | The displaced-worker pool rule has ended, but for certificates in that window you still need its evidence (SK4.52–4.53). | How you tried the regional pool, or how you found the person instead (Appendix D, 2.2(c)). |
Rules from Appendix Skilled Worker (updated 3 August 2026) and Sponsor a Skilled Worker (version 04/26, 8 April 2026); records from Appendix D (version 08/26). Where the two guidance documents differ in date, the Rules are the authority. Route history is on our care-worker route page.
Why care buyers are cautious
In a written answer on 19 January 2026, the Home Office minister said UKVI had revoked the licences of more than 1,000 social care sponsors since care workers joined the Health and Care visa. Higher figures circulate in trade press; we could not trace them to a primary source, so we do not repeat them. Revocation also leaves the sponsor’s care workers needing a new sponsor, which is why the changing sponsor row above is the route most providers now recruit through.
Shortlist by job
Which tool fits which care provider?
On smaller screens, scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Product | Why a care provider might evaluate it | Published price (checked 24 Sep) | Check in the demo |
|---|---|---|---|
| LuwaSuite | A care-home product that combines sponsor compliance with HR, care management and eMAR: multi-site dashboard, shift rotas, a 10-day absence flag and DBS expiry. A CQC policy pack is an optional add-on. | From £49/month for 5 employees to £379 for 100; custom above | Whether you want care management in the same system, and whether all staff or only sponsored staff set the band. |
| Borderless | A care-sector page covering Health and Care salary checks and the CQC requirement, with regulated immigration advice and visa processing alongside the software. | Quote only (Starter, Pro, Expert: 10, 50 or unlimited workers) | Separate the software price from advice and casework in the quote. |
| Annaizu | A health-sector page combining rota, absence, attendance and DBS checks with sponsor compliance, and references CQC readiness. | £10.20 per employee/month up to 20 on monthly billing; 10-employee minimum | Priced on all employees. Check the total for your whole workforce, not just sponsored carers. |
| Sponsor Complians Hub | Built for care providers: service-user records, care plans and a CQC compliance framework next to sponsor records, from a compliance consultancy. | £39, £59 or £99 per worker/month with minimums of £195, £590 or £1,980; setup £750, £1,000 or waived; 24-month contract; excl. VAT | The contract term and setup fee. Ask what the consultancy audit services cost separately. |
| Soteriaa | Sponsor records only: worker file, work location, dated evidence such as payslips and contracts, hours against expected hours, and a reviewed change log for location, salary and hours changes. | No rota, care plans, eMAR or CQC module, and no CQC registration field. It does not calculate the £12.82 hourly check. |
Vendor sources are linked in each row. Inclusion is not endorsement. No software replaces active regulator registration or makes an overseas care hire possible.
Acceptance test
Bring one real carer’s file to every demo
The care rules are specific enough to test directly.
Reporting windows for location, hours and absence changes are on our SMS reporting deadlines page. For an all-in-one product, also check how your data comes out if you later change care-management system, because the sponsor records go with it.
- Record a carer switching in: attach three months of payslips and show the tool holds the date the three months end.
- Record a carer joining from another sponsor and attach evidence of the previous care role.
- Move a carer to a second registered location and show the reporting task it creates.
- Enter a month with extra shifts and show how the tool separates guaranteed pay from overtime.
- Export one worker’s complete file and check a compliance officer could read it without the software.
Where Soteriaa fits, and where it does not
Soteriaa is a focused sponsor-record workspace that sits alongside your care-management, rota and payroll systems rather than replacing them. It suits a provider that already has those systems and needs the sponsor file, evidence and change history in one place. If you want one system for care and compliance, the all-in-one products above are a better fit. Sponsor tracking is £25/month for up to 5 employees, £79 for up to 20 or £149 for unlimited employees, excluding VAT where applicable. Our care-home product page describes the workspace, and the market map compares the full vendor set.
Publisher and comparison scope
Soteriaa publishes this commercial guide and sells sponsor record-tracking software. Vendor prices and descriptions are a 24 September 2026 snapshot of each vendor’s own website, not a hands-on trial, an independent ranking or a binding quote; the shortlist is ordered by the job each tool fits, not by score. Rules are summarised from the official sources linked on the page and change without notice. Confirm VAT, allowances, service scope and renewal terms with each supplier, and take individual immigration questions to a solicitor or a regulated immigration adviser. Soteriaa provides document and workflow tools, not legal assistance or compliance advice. It helps organise records, evidence and deadlines; it does not determine compliance, certify records or submit official reports on your behalf. You review the information and remain responsible for required checks and submissions.
Test the three-month and pay evidence first
Those two records decide most care-sector sponsorships now.