Home Office permits sponsors to scan documents during coronavirus

The Home Office has updated its guidance webpage ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice for Tier 2, 4 and 5 sponsors’ on 3 June 2020 with a new heading, ‘Scanned documents’, which confirms that both prospective and current sponsors may submit scanned copies of supporting documents due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Home Office has ​discretion to request the originals or certified copies. Non-compliance with this request or failing to agree an extension within the agreed time limit may result in the application/request being refused. The same heading also states that on-site compliance visits have been suspended. Where this is required, the Home Office will wait until it is in receipt of a compliance visit report before considering a pending application. These arrangements will apply until 30 June 2020, where they will be subject to further review.

Source Gov.UK