Trust & Transparency
The Verification Process, Step by Step
When you upload a Certificate of Sponsorship to SponsorShield, the document is extracted in memory, run through parallel checks against the UKVI sponsor register, Companies House, salary/SOC thresholds, and PDF forensics, then aggregated into a single risk verdict — all within 60 seconds. No document is ever stored.
Step 1: Upload your PDF and email
Go to getsponsorshield.co.uk/check, upload your CoS PDF, and enter the email address where you want your result sent. No account or sign-up is required.
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Start a free checkStep 2: Document extraction
The PDF is parsed to extract structured fields: employer name, CoS reference, SOC code, salary, and key dates. This happens in server memory — the file itself is never written to disk.
Step 3: Parallel verification checks
Three checks run simultaneously: PDF forensic analysis (metadata, fonts, structural consistency), the UKVI sponsor register lookup, and a Companies House cross-reference on the named employer. See our full methodology for what each check evaluates.
Step 4: Verdict calculation
Results from all checks are aggregated into a single verdict — likely-valid, low-risk, suspicious, high-risk, fake, draft, or inconclusive — with a numeric risk score behind it.
Step 5: Free verdict or full report
The free tier delivers an instant summary verdict. The £9.99 full report includes every individual signal in detail, delivered as a PDF to your email. Your document is permanently deleted from memory immediately after the report is generated.
SponsorShield is an independent verification support service. We are not OISC-regulated and do not provide immigration or legal advice. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to UKVI, GOV.UK, the Home Office, or any UK government body. This guide is general information only — always consult an OISC-registered immigration adviser before making immigration decisions. Never pay anyone for a Certificate of Sponsorship.
Last reviewed: 2026-06-19. Data sources: UKVI Register of Licensed Sponsors (gov.uk), Companies House public register, published Home Office salary thresholds. This page is informational only and does not reflect real-time UKVI data — always cross-check current status on gov.uk before relying on it.
Published by SponsorShield. Reviewed for verification accuracy against current UKVI and Companies House data. Not immigration or legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the verification process take?+
The free risk verdict is delivered within 60 seconds of upload. The full paid report (£9.99), including the per-signal forensic breakdown, is emailed shortly after payment is confirmed.
Do I need to create an account?+
No. The free scan requires no account — only an email address to receive your result.
What happens to my document during the process?+
Your PDF is extracted and analysed entirely in server memory during the checks described below, then permanently deleted. It is never written to disk or retained.
What if the checks cannot reach an official data source?+
If a data source (such as the UKVI register download) is temporarily unavailable, the result is marked inconclusive rather than presenting a false pass or fail, and you are advised to retry or verify manually in the meantime.
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