The Employer Checking Service (ECS) is a Home Office tool that allows employers to confirm an individual's right to work in the UK when standard right-to-work checks cannot be completed (e.g. no valid documents or share code available).
📌 What is the ECS?
The ECS enables employers to verify directly with the Home Office whether someone has the legal right to work. If the check is successful, the Home Office will issue a Positive Verification Notice (PVN).
A PVN gives the employer a six-month statutory excuse against a civil penalty for employing someone without the right to work.
After six months, a follow-up check is required if the individual's status is still pending.
📅 When Should You Use the ECS?
Use the ECS if:
The individual has a pending application or appeal
For example, they have applied to extend or vary their visa, or they are awaiting an administrative review or appeal outcome.
They have been instructed to do so
The individual has a Home Office letter advising an ECS check is required.
They cannot provide an online share code
Due to technical issues or Home Office system errors.
Their visa or BRP has expired
But they submitted a renewal or variation application before expiry.
📝 How to Complete an ECS Check
Gather the required information:
Full name
Date of birth
Nationality
Job title and average hours per week
Home address
Any relevant Home Office reference numbers
Submit your request online:
Visit the official Employer Checking Service page.
Complete the online ECS request form.
Wait for the response:
The Home Office aims to respond within 5 working days.
📄 Understanding the Outcome
Notice Type | Meaning | Employer Action |
Positive Verification Notice (PVN) | Confirms the person has the right to work. | Keep a copy of the PVN in your right-to-work records. Conduct a follow-up check before the PVN expires (6 months). |
Negative Verification Notice (NVN) | Confirms the person does not have the right to work. | Take immediate compliance action, which may include ending the employment. |
✅ Employer Best Practice
Act early: Submit ECS requests before the current visa or BRP expires.
Keep records: Store ECS request forms and results as part of right-to-work compliance.
Follow up: If a PVN is issued, ensure you re-check before the 6-month validity ends.
Recording ECS Results in Borderless
From 8 April 2026, Borderless integrates the ECS pathway directly into the sponsorship offer form. Where a share code check cannot confirm the worker's right to work, the platform will automatically surface the ECS option rather than requiring you to exit the workflow and manage this separately.
Once you have submitted the ECS request through the Home Office portal and received your outcome, you record the result in Borderless using a manual form — ECS notices are not auto-extracted by the platform, so you enter the key details directly. The form captures whether a PVN or NVN was issued and the relevant dates.
For workers submitting a visa application with an undefined Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) — typically workers already in the UK who are switching immigration category — Borderless will send you an automated notification when the visa is submitted, prompting you to complete the ECS check. This ensures the check is not missed during the transition period when the worker may not yet be able to generate a share code reflecting their new permission.
Once you have a PVN in hand, you can upload it directly to the employment record on the individual's profile. Use the document sub-type selector to mark it as an ECS Positive Verification Notice so it is correctly classified for compliance purposes.