What is the Employer Checking Service?
The Employer Checking Service (ECS) is a free service provided by the Home Office that allows employers to verify the right to work of individuals whose immigration status cannot be confirmed through a standard share code check. It is particularly important in situations where a worker has a pending application or where their leave is protected but not yet visible on the UKVI online system.
When should you use the ECS?
You should use the ECS in the following situations:
A worker has submitted a visa application that is pending with the Home Office and their previous visa has now expired
A worker's previous sponsor has had their licence revoked and they are within the 60-day curtailment period
A worker has an Application Registration Card (ARC) or other document that cannot be verified through the standard online check
A worker has made an in-country claim for asylum and has permission to work
The standard share code check returns an inconclusive or unclear result
How does it work?
The employer submits a request through the Home Office ECS portal. The Home Office typically responds within one to two working days with either a Positive Verification Notice (PVN) or a Negative Verification Notice (NVN).
A PVN confirms the worker has the right to work and provides the employer with a statutory excuse for six months
A NVN means the worker does not currently have the right to work and employment must not commence or continue
Important: You must wait for the PVN before allowing the worker to begin or continue working. Acting on the assumption that a PVN will be issued, without actually receiving it, does not provide a statutory excuse.
ECS and the share code check
The ECS is not a replacement for the standard online right to work check. Where a worker has a valid visa, you should use the share code system. The ECS is specifically for the situations listed above where the standard check is not sufficient.
Government guidance: https://www.gov.uk/employee-immigration-employment-status
Using the ECS through Borderless
From 8 April 2026, Borderless automatically surfaces the ECS pathway within the sponsorship offer form when a share code check cannot confirm the worker's right to work. You no longer need to identify separately that an ECS check is required — the platform will prompt you at the right point in the offer flow.
Once you have submitted your ECS request through the Home Office portal and received the outcome, you record it in Borderless using a manual entry form. The form captures whether a PVN or NVN was issued and the relevant dates. The result is then stored against the worker's record and contributes to their compliance profile.
For workers with an undefined Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) — typically those already in the UK switching immigration category — Borderless sends an automated notification when the visa application is submitted, reminding you that an ECS check will be needed. This is because workers in this position may not yet be able to generate a share code reflecting their new permission. Once you have a PVN, you can upload it directly to the employment record using the document sub-type selector to classify it correctly.