As your current Skilled Worker visa approaches its expiry, it is crucial to apply for an extension to maintain your legal right to live and work in the UK. This is not an automatic renewal; it is a full visa application that requires you to demonstrate that you continue to meet the eligibility requirements. The rules can be particularly complex, with different salary thresholds and concessions depending on when you were first sponsored.
Our team of specialist immigration advisors provides an expert, end-to-end service for Skilled Worker visa extensions. We navigate the complex transitional rules for you, ensuring your application is accurate, timely, and successful, allowing you to seamlessly continue your career and your journey towards permanent settlement in the UK.
Core Requirements for a Skilled Worker Visa Extension
You can usually apply to extend your visa if you are in what is known as ‘continuity of employment’. This means:
- You still have the same job you were sponsored for on your previous visa.
- Your job remains in the same occupation code.
- You are still employed by the same sponsoring employer who issued your last Certificate of Sponsorship.
Important: If you have changed your job role (even with the same employer) or have moved to a new employer, you must apply to update your visa, not extend it. This is a different application.
Navigating the Complex Salary Rules for Extensions
This is the most critical and often confusing part of an extension application. The salary you need to be paid depends on when you were first sponsored.
If Your First CoS was Assigned Before 4 April 2024
You benefit from significant transitional arrangements. You do not need to meet the new, high salary thresholds that apply to new applicants. Instead, you will be assessed against the salary rules that were in place before the recent changes. This often means you can qualify with a much lower salary, providing crucial protection for existing visa holders.
For Holders of the Old Tier 2 (General) Visa
If you still hold a Tier 2 (General) visa or first entered the UK on one, the rules are even more nuanced. Specific, lower ‘going rates’ may apply to your occupation code, and certain allowances (like London weighting) might be included in your salary calculation. Our experts specialise in these legacy rules to ensure you benefit from every available concession.
Our specialist advisors will conduct a detailed assessment of your sponsorship history to determine the exact salary requirements that apply to your specific case, ensuring your application is 100% compliant.
The Application Process: How and When to Apply
- When to Apply: You must apply before your current visa expires. It is advisable to start the process at least 1-2 months in advance to allow your employer time to assign a new Certificate of Sponsorship and for you to prepare your application.
- How to Apply: You must apply online from within the UK. You will either verify your identity digitally using the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app or in person at a UKVCAS service point for a biometric appointment.
- Decision Timeline: A standard decision on an extension application usually takes 8 weeks. In most cases, you can pay for a faster Priority or Super Priority service to get a decision more quickly.
Crucial Warning: You must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man while your extension application is being processed. If you do, your application will be automatically withdrawn.
Don’t Forget Your Family: Extending Dependant Visas
A common and critical mistake is forgetting that your family’s visas are not automatically extended when you extend yours.
- Separate Applications: Your partner and children must submit their own separate dependant visa extension applications.
- Timing: They can apply at the same time as you, or at any point before their own visas expire. It is usually most efficient to apply as a family unit.
- Eligibility: You must ensure your family members still meet the dependant eligibility rules, especially in light of recent restrictions for certain job sectors.
Why Specialist Guidance for Your Extension is Essential
While an extension may seem more straightforward than a first-time application, the complex, layered nature of the salary rules means there is still significant room for error. A refusal can jeopardise your job and your life in the UK. Our expert service ensures this doesn’t happen.
- We conduct a precise salary calculation based on your specific visa history, ensuring you are assessed against the correct, often more favourable, rules.
- We liaise with your employer to ensure the new Certificate of Sponsorship is assigned correctly for an extension application.
- We manage the entire family’s applications in parallel, ensuring no one’s status is overlooked.
- We provide a seamless, stress-free process, allowing you to continue your work with complete peace of mind.
Secure your continued future in the UK. Contact our expert Skilled Worker visa team today for a comprehensive consultation on your extension application.
About the Author:
Farzad Ghods is an international lawyer specialising in UK immigration law. He is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and the Immigration Advisors Authority (IAA) in the United Kingdom, and is also a member of the Iran Bar Association. He brings over fourteen years of professional legal experience to his practice.