New: Right to Work and Employer Checking Service (ECS) checks in Borderless
From 8 April 2026, UK law requires employers to evidence a compliant Right to Work check before employment commences for every sponsored worker. Borderless now guides you through this requirement at two points in the platform.
Right to Work check in the sponsorship offer
When creating a sponsorship offer for a UK-based worker, a Right to Work section now appears in the form. Upload your share code check result (downloaded from gov.uk/view-right-to-work) or a manual document such as a BRP or passport with visa stamp. Borderless validates it immediately and shows you one of the following outcomes:
Valid, continuous excuse — right to work confirmed with no expiry. The offer can proceed.
Valid, time-limited excuse — right to work confirmed but with an expiry date. The offer can proceed, and you will need to carry out a follow-up check before the permission expires.
ECS check required — the document uploaded does not confirm current right to work (for example, because the worker is on a Student or Graduate visa switching to a Skilled Worker route and their share code has not yet updated). You will be guided to submit an Employer Checking Service check with the Home Office and upload the resulting Positive Verification Notice before proceeding.
Hard block — a Negative Verification Notice has been uploaded. This confirms the worker does not have the right to work. Employment must not commence.
What is the Employer Checking Service?
The Employer Checking Service (ECS) is a Home Office service that allows employers to verify a worker's right to work when the worker cannot provide a share code. This typically applies when a worker has a pending in-time visa application and is protected by Section 3C leave — for example, when switching from a Graduate or Student visa to a Skilled Worker visa.
To submit an ECS check, visit gov.uk/employee-immigration-employment-status. The Home Office will issue either a Positive Verification Notice (confirming right to work for 6 months) or a Negative Verification Notice (confirming no right to work). Once you receive a Positive Verification Notice, upload it directly into Borderless.
ECS results are entered via a short manual form in Borderless — you will be asked for the worker's name, CoS number, date of check, verification result, and the Home Office reference number.
Right to Work prompt on employment records
If a worker's sponsorship used an undefined Certificate of Sponsorship and no Right to Work or ECS check has yet been uploaded, a warning prompt will appear on their employment record page. You can upload a share code check result or an ECS Positive Verification Notice directly from that page.
When uploading from the employment record, you will now be asked whether you are uploading a standard Right to Work document or an ECS result — select the appropriate option to ensure it is stored correctly.
Automated notification for undefined CoS sponsorships
When a visa application is submitted for a worker whose sponsorship used an undefined Certificate of Sponsorship, you will now receive an automated email notification reminding you to carry out a Right to Work check before employment commences. The notification explains what to do if the worker cannot yet provide a share code.
What you need to do
For new sponsorship offers for UK-based workers, you will be prompted to complete the Right to Work section before the offer can proceed. For existing employment records where a check is missing, a prompt will appear on the employment record page.
If you have questions about what document to upload, or need guidance on submitting an ECS check, contact your CSM or reach out via the support chat.