Sponsor software buyer guide · Sources checked 24 September 2026
Best sponsor compliance software for hospitality (2026)
Chef, restaurant manager, hotel manager, publican and catering or bar manager roles now sit below the RQF 6 skill level. None is on the Temporary Shortage List or the Immigration Salary List. A hospitality employer can therefore sponsor these roles only for workers who have held Skilled Worker permission continuously since before 22 July 2025 (Appendix Skilled Worker, SW 6.1(d); Appendix Skilled Occupations, Table 1a). Cooks, kitchen assistants, waiting and bar staff are not eligible at all. The software job is keeping the team you already sponsor compliant: guaranteed pay checked every pay period, branch moves reported, and payslip evidence kept. Sources checked 24 September 2026.
Last updated .
Common hospitality roles
Eligibility and going rate by occupation code
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| Occupation (SOC 2020) | Status for new sponsorship | Going rate: Table 1a / Table 2aa |
|---|---|---|
| 1221 Hotel and accommodation managers | Table 1a only: continuing Skilled Workers | £38,300 / £29,800 |
| 1222 Restaurant and catering managers | Table 1a only: continuing Skilled Workers | £33,400 / £26,100 |
| 1223 Publicans and managers of licensed premises | Table 1a only: continuing Skilled Workers | £36,300 / £30,900 |
| 5434 Chefs | Table 1a only: continuing Skilled Workers | £33,400 / £25,000 |
| 5436 Catering and bar managers | Table 1a only: continuing Skilled Workers | £33,400 / £25,000 |
| 5435 Cooks; 9263–9265 kitchen, waiting and bar staff | Ineligible (Table 6) | Not applicable |
From Appendix Skilled Occupations and Appendix Skilled Worker, both updated 3 August 2026. The Temporary Shortage List in SW 6.1A applies only to certificates issued before 31 December 2026 and contains no hospitality code. Which going rate and which general threshold apply depends on the worker’s grant history; our salary thresholds page sets out the options. Soteriaa does not calculate salary compliance.
The hospitality-specific record
Variable hours and tips meet a per-pay-period test
Most hospitality compliance risk sits in pay, not paperwork.
Tip records are a separate legal duty: an employer that pays tips more than occasionally must keep a record of how each tip was dealt with for three years (Employment Rights Act 1996, s.27J). Keep that record, but do not treat it as sponsor salary evidence.
- Salary means guaranteed basic gross pay. Pay that cannot be guaranteed because hours fluctuate, and shift, overtime, bonus pay, allowances and food, are excluded (SW 14.1–14.2).
- The rules do not mention tips, tronc or service charge. Because they are not guaranteed basic pay, do not rely on them to reach a threshold without advice.
- Each pay period must meet the going rate for every hour worked, checked on a rolling basis (SW 14.3B). Only the first 48 hours a week count toward the general threshold (SW 14.3).
- Keep payslips, evidence of each payment into the worker’s own account, the contract showing hours and the value of any accommodation provided (Appendix D, 3(a)–(d)).
- Report a move to a branch not on the CoS within 10 working days (Part 3, C1.15, C1.21); occasional shifts at another branch are not reportable (C1.25).
Why the sector is inspected often
Home Office illegal-working statistics by sector record 3,559 visits to restaurants, takeaways and cafes in 2025, out of 12,831 visits across all sectors, with 2,523 arrests in that sector out of 9,008. Those are illegal-working visits, not sponsor compliance visits, and the release gives no hospitality-only penalty total. Penalty levels are on our civil penalties page.
Shortlist by job
Which tool fits which hospitality problem?
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| Product | Why a hospitality employer might evaluate it | Published price (checked 24 Sep) | Check in the demo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Borderless | Dedicated hotel and restaurant pages, 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 hospitality page combining rota and shift planning, labour cost, absence and attendance with workforce compliance. | £10.20 per employee/month up to 20 on monthly billing; 10-employee minimum | Priced on all employees, not sponsored ones. Check the total for your whole team. |
| Root HR | A full HR platform with rota, attendance and leave, if you want hours and sponsor records in one system. | £10/month for 15 staff billed yearly, £14 monthly; excl. VAT | Show a per-pay-period going-rate check for a chef on variable hours. |
| UKVICAS | Timesheets, work-hour verification and absence monitoring alongside document expiry alerts. | £25, £50 or £75/month for 5, 10 or 20 “users”, a term it does not define | Ask what a “user” is before comparing the price. |
| Soteriaa | Hours records flagged against expected hours, salary and branch recorded per worker, a change log for location, salary and hours changes, and payslip evidence with dates. | No rota or payroll, and it does not calculate whether pay meets a threshold. |
Vendor sources are linked in each row. Inclusion is not endorsement. No tool here can make an ineligible role sponsorable.
Where Soteriaa fits, and where it does not
Soteriaa keeps the records a hospitality sponsor has to produce: each sponsored worker’s file, dated evidence such as payslips and contracts, recorded hours with a flag when actual hours differ from expected hours by four or more, and a reviewed change log for branch, salary and hours changes. It sits alongside your rota and payroll rather than replacing them, and it makes no salary or eligibility determination. Sponsor tracking is £25/month for up to 5 employees, £79 for up to 20 or £149 for unlimited employees, excluding VAT where applicable. Compare the full vendor set on the market map.
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.
Protect the sponsored team you already have
The roles are closed to new sponsorship, so every continuing worker’s record matters more.