Sponsor Licence Revoked: Can I Keep My Second Job? (Supplementary Work Rules Explained)

Key Takeaways

• Supplementary work on a Skilled Worker visa is legally dependent on your main sponsored job.
• You can usually continue supplementary work only if your main employer is still operating and you are still working for them until your permission is cancelled or expires.
• If your main job ends or the business closes, all supplementary work must stop immediately, even if time remains on your visa.
• Supplementary work must be practical and realistic, not just technically permitted on paper.
• Unrealistic arrangements, such as long-distance supplementary work that conflicts with full-time duties, can trigger serious Home Office scrutiny.
• Getting this wrong can result in illegal working allegations, visa cancellation, and can jeopardize future applications.

Introduction

When a UK sponsor licence is revoked, panic often sets in. Most Skilled Workers immediately worry about their main income and their visa status. However, a less discussed but equally dangerous trap involves supplementary work.

For the full picture on what revocation means for a sponsor and its workers, including when the Home Office cancels permission and who is not affected, see our guidance on Sponsor Licence: Suspension and Revocation.

Many sponsored workers hold a second job (supplementary employment) to boost their income. But what happens to that second job when your main sponsor loses their licence? One of the questions we hear most is:

“Can I still do my supplementary work or second job?”

The answer is not a simple "yes" or "no." In reality, the answer depends on whether your main sponsored job still exists and whether your supplementary work is lawful and practical. Getting this wrong could mean breaching your visa conditions and illegal working, which can lead to your permission being cancelled.

This guide explains the rules clearly, so you do not risk breaching your visa conditions.

The Golden Rule: Dependency

The most important rule to remember is that supplementary work is not a standalone right. It is a conditional privilege attached to your main Skilled Worker visa.

Under the Immigration Rules, you are only permitted to do supplementary work if you are still working for your sponsor in the job on your Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). The second job must be no more than 20 hours a week, outside your contracted hours for the sponsored job, and one of the following: on the Immigration Salary List, in the same profession and at the same professional level as your sponsored job, or in a higher skilled occupation listed in Tables 1, 2 or 3 of Appendix Skilled Occupations. Medium skilled occupations (Tables 1a, 2aa and 3a) count only if you were granted Skilled Worker permission under the rules in place before 22 July 2025 and have held it continuously since.

If the foundation (your main job) collapses, the structure (your second job) falls with it.

Scenario 1: The Business Is Still Operational

Can I keep my second job? Yes, for as long as you are still working in your sponsored job.

Sometimes, the Home Office revokes a licence due to administrative errors or compliance breaches, but the business itself remains open and trading.

If you have received a 60-day cancellation letter but are still employed and working for your main sponsor during this period, you are meeting the condition that supplementary work depends on. Whether you can keep working for a sponsor whose licence has been revoked is itself not settled in Home Office guidance, so take advice on that first.

Care workers and senior care workers are, under a temporary arrangement, not having their permission cancelled where the revocation is the only reason, but the rule on second jobs is the same: supplementary work depends on still working in the sponsored job.

• Result: Your employer’s sponsor licence is revoked but the business is still operating, and you are still working for your main sponsor, then your permitted supplementary work can continue for as long as the sponsored job does, until your permission is cancelled or expires.

Scenario 2: The Business Has Closed or You Stopped Working

Can I keep my second job? NO.

This is where many workers make a fatal mistake. If your main employer shuts down, or if they let you go immediately after the revocation, you must stop your supplementary work immediately.

Even if you have 50 days of permission left, you cannot work your second job if the first job doesn't exist.

• Why? The moment you cease working for your sponsor, you no longer meet the criteria for supplementary employment. Continuing to work at your second job is classified as illegal working.

Supplementary Work Must Be Practical — Not Just “On Paper”

A growing issue we see involves "unrealistic" supplementary work arrangements.

When a licence is revoked, some desperate workers (or dodgy agents) try to set up supplementary work arrangements to keep some income flowing. A common promise is: "Do supplementary work in Birmingham for two months, and then we will give you a CoS."

Why is this dangerous? If your main sponsor (even if revoked) is based in London, but your supplementary work is in Birmingham (over 100 miles away), the Home Office will view this as suspicious.

• The Logic: You are supposed to be working full-time (e.g., 37.5 hours) for your main sponsor first. How can you practically commute to a different city for a second job without it interfering with your main duties?
• The Risk: If the Home Office determines that your supplementary work is your only work, or that the arrangement is physically impossible, they may conclude you are not a genuine Skilled Worker. This can lead to questions about whether you are really working in your sponsored job.

Conclusion

A sponsor licence revocation does not automatically mean all work must stop — but supplementary work is tightly linked to your main sponsored job.

If your main role continues, supplementary work may continue. If it ends, all additional work must stop immediately. Just as importantly, supplementary work must be genuinely practical, not based on unrealistic promises.

When your status is at stake, guessing is dangerous. Get clear advice early — before time, and options, run out.

How Can WorkPermitCloud Help?

Navigating a sponsor licence revocation is complex, especially when you have multiple jobs. At WorkPermitCloud, we specialize in untangling these difficult situations. We can assess whether your current work arrangements are lawful, help you challenge unfair revocations, or guide you swiftly to a new, compliant sponsor before your permission ends.

Get in touch with us today: 

📞 Call us: +44 020 8087 2343 
📧 Email: info@workpermitcloud.co.uk 
📅 Book a free consultation: workpermitcloud.co.uk/contact

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