r/SkilledWorkerVisaUK

Got my approval yesterday, finally!!!

Timeline:
- Entered the UK: 9 Sep 2021
- Applied: 12th August 2026
- Biometrics: 15th August 2026
- Approval: 20th August 2026
- Service: Priority

The appointment for biometrics costed me an extra 65£, otherwise it would have taken weeks for a free one and the process was very smooth and fast. Probably less than 15min inside.

I only had 1 employer change during the 5 years and I’ve been working for my current one for only a month, but it didn’t impact anything.

I had a simple letter from my previous employer confirming my employment time there and vouching for my times of absence. As far as I know it’s not necessary but because I didn’t know if my passport stamps would have been enough to prove as it was too many little travels, I decided to play on the safe side. But I’ve heard it’s not entirely necessary.

The only letter I needed to send with my sponsorship details was the one from my current employer.

Other than this, I only sent the documents listed on the checking list - including my BRP that was still “valid” until September.
On the section “other documents you used to travel from and to the UK” you should include your BRP if it’s still less than 24 months since the expiration date - which was my case. Otherwise, there’s no need.

Hope this helps. :)

Hi everyone, long-time lurker here. This sub was genuinely a huge help throughout my journey, so sharing my full timeline to help others.

Background: Skilled Worker route, same employer throughout, sole applicant, no dependants. Several absences over the years, all well within the 180-day limit.

Full Timeline:

• 15 Sep 2019 — First entered UK (Tier 4 Student visa)
• 13 Sep 2021 — First Skilled Worker visa approved
• 18 Aug 2024 — Second Skilled Worker visa approved
• 17 Aug 2026, 10:00am — ILR application submitted (Super Priority Service)
• 18 Aug 2026, 9:15am — Biometrics appointment
• 18 Aug 2026, 12:03pm — ✅ DECISION EMAIL: APPROVED

Total wait after biometrics: under 3 hours!

What I actually submitted (mandatory documents from my checklist):

• Passport (all visa pages and stamps)
• Employer confirmation letter — confirmed my role, salary, AND explicitly confirmed all my absences/annual leave in wordings and were approved
• Signed Home Office verification consent form
• Most recent payslip
• Most recent bank statement

Note on absences: I didn't submit separate standalone evidence for each individual absence (no dedicated passport-stamp breakdown or flight booking printouts) — my absences were only covered through my employer's letter, which explicitly confirmed all leave/holidays were pre-approved and no unauthorised absence occurred. This seemed to be enough — the caseworker didn't come back asking for more.

Lessons learned:

• Applied exactly 27 days before my 5-year mark (within the 28-day early window)
• A strong, clear employer letter confirming approved absences can carry a lot of weight — I didn't need to submit separate proof for every single trip
• Keep it simple: passport + payslip + bank statement + signed consent + employer letter = enough for a clean case
• Super Priority genuinely delivered on its promise — mine came back same day, under 3 hours after biometrics

Good luck to everyone still waiting

Hey everyone! Finally got my approval today after a nerve-wracking wait, so I wanted to share my timeline in case it helps anyone currently stressing in the queue.

Application Details:

Route: Skilled Worker Visa (In-Country Switch / Change of Employer)
Service: Standard
Biometrics: ID Check App

Timeline:

Application Submitted: July 7, 2026
Asked for BRP resubmission: July 14, 2026
Photo Query Cleared: July 21, 2026 (Processing was paused briefly while this was sorted)
"Application Received" Email: July 29, 2026
Portal Date Refresh: August 18, 2026 (The "Application submitted on" date on my GOV.UK portal automatically refreshed to 18 Aug- a huge sign a caseworker was actively in my file!)
Official Approval Email: August 20, 2026 (6 weeks 2 days)

Currently on the HPI visa and started talks with my employer on switching to SWV. All full time contracts at my company are 36 hours. My salary is only some 900 under the 41.7k now and I’ve offered to work more hours to bring it above the 41.7k. I see that the GovUK site explicitly states the going rates are calculated based on 37.5 hours, but I can’t find anything reputable saying how many hours the standard rate of 41.7k is based on.

If it’s also calculated that way, could I argue that I‘m paid an equivalent rate without increasing my work hours?

Applied inside the UK with priority on 3 August. UKVI later requested the ISC payment, which the employer paid immediately on 12 August. Still no decision as of 20 August.
Has anyone had a similar case? How long after the ISC payment did you receive a decision? Did the priority timeline restart after payment?

Hi Everyone, our baby was born in July 2026. We are planning to travel to India in November 2026, and I'll be applying for the baby's passport before we travel.

My question is: is it recommended to apply for the baby's dependent visa from India before we return to the UK in March 2027, as I can save some NHS surcharge cost during the visa application?

My current visa is until April 2029. I will be paying for NHS for the period from March 2027 to April 2029 if I apply from India, or I will need to pay from October 2026 to April 2029 if I apply while I'm in the UK.

Also, will this impact my dependent visa application decision or ILR in the future?

Hi everyone,

I’m here with an extremely low self esteem & absolutely shattered mindset. Yet somehow I’ve convinced myself to write this post. I’ve been in the UK since September 2023, since then I’ve haven’t gone back to home country but just been focused on completing my masters with high grades and then upskilling myself to a level where I don’t struggle to get a good job.

This was until the reality hit me and my optimism started plummeting. Now I’ve been working in the UK for 2 years, found some freelance contract jobs within digital marketing space, then I focused on my niche which was performance marketing as that showed actual market and skilled labour shortage.

I’ve been upskilling myself, worked with more than 70+ clients, worked across freelance, agency, in house roles. Built advanced depth across paid search + social, brand building and everything else that would help me get a sponsored job.

I’ve applied for 800+ jobs, spoken to 100 of recruitment agencies, spent just over £300 to various career advisors and instagrams uk career coach.

Result ?? I’m still looking for a sponsored role.

I was recently working with a marketing agency in Folkestone as their paid media manager. The town & company both were so orthodox and the work culture was extremely toxic and racist. Moreover the role wasn’t paying me well and was not going to sponsor. I was made redundant due to office politics on 28th May.

Since then I’ve been interviewing with various agencies and companies who hold the license to sponsor but won’t sponsor for all roles.

Now I’ve tried and tested every rule in the book, thought out of the box, upskilled myself, applied every where, tried building real and LinkedIn connections.

Anything that you would ideally imagine or expect from a hardworking candidate, I have done it. Unfortunately I’m still looking for a good job from the past 3 months. My savings are almost over and I only have 5 months left on my PSW visa.

I can’t see my dreams get shattered of getting a proper well paying job and eventually settling down here. I’ve reached a point where I just don’t know what to do. How exactly can I find a sponsored role ?

A lot of people have given me bullshit advice, maybe it’s 50% hard work 50% luck, no disrespect but for someone who’s trying to build a life here and has a huge student loan and dealing with extreme family stress and self doubt this shit doesn’t make sense. This along with market is tough for “marketing jobs”.

I see dickheads getting sponsored jobs on LinkedIn who can’t even string 2 sentences together in English, let alone be capable to be working here.

At the moment I’ve applying for all sorts of role where I bring my transferable advanced technical & soft skills to industries like finance etc where chances of sponsorship might be better.

But just 5 months timeline is making me really question everything.

What can be done to find a good job in performance marketing or broader digital marketing space ?? I’m also open to exploring AI & marketing levels roles. GTM, AI Market Engineer etc.

I’m really in need of genuine advice. I can’t go back as a failure back to my country.

My husband applied for a Skilled Worker visa inside the UK on 3 July 2026 with Priority Service. A few days later, he received the email saying his application is complex and may not be processed within the priority timeframe.

We’re still waiting for a decision. Has anyone with a similar timeline received their visa yet?

Also, should we contact the Home Office now for an update, or just keep waiting?

Hi everyone. I am preparing to apply for my Skilled Worker --> ILR soon (using 5-day priority). However, my employer has strict HR policies and is refusing to include the exact phrase "required for the foreseeable future" in my employment verification letter.

Instead, they are only willing to provide a strictly factual letter confirming my start date, current job title, current salary, SOC code, and stating that I remain actively employed on a permanent contract.

Has anyone here recently applied for and successfully received their ILR using a factual employer letter that was missing the "foreseeable future" phrase? Any recent experiences would be highly appreciated! 

Proposed Template:

Dear Sir/Madam,
We write to confirm the factual employment details for XX
Job Title: XX
Dates of Employment: DD MM YY - Current
Employment Status: Full time permanent
Weekly hours: 35 per week
SOC Code: 1234
Gross annual Salary: £XX. The salary rate exceeds the general salary requirement and the going
rate requirement for the SOC code and meets the requirements of the
Immigration Rules.
All annual leaves taken by the applicant during their period of employment has been in line with the
Company's internal leave policies. The applicant has not taken any periods of unpaid leave.

Has anyone experienced something similar in the UK?

I made it clear before and during the interview process that I required Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. The recruiter also confirmed that the company had previously hired candidates requiring sponsorship and told me who would be dealing with my visa.

I passed a few rounds of interviews, received an offer and signed the employment agreement.

However, after waiting for a few weeks, it became clear that the people involved did not really understand the sponsorship process. I provided the relevant information, forms and guidance and followed up several times, explaining that my current visa deadline is approaching.

Now I still don’t have any response from them.

I am not even asking for everything to be completed immediately. I just need some clarity on whether they are still proceeding with the sponsorship so that I can make arrangements for what happens next.

Has anyone been ghosted at this stage, after receiving an offer and signing the contract? What happened in the end?

Sharing my timeline for anyone waiting for an in-country Skilled Worker visa decision.

Timeline:
Application submitted: 31 July 2026
Biometrics: 7 August 2026
Decision received: 18 August 2026
Decision: APPROVED ✅
Processing after biometrics: 11 calendar days
Service used: Standard (non-priority)
Visa granted until: 20 August 2029

I was expecting the standard application to take considerably longer, so receiving the decision just 11 days after biometrics was a great surprise.
Sharing this for anyone currently waiting for an in-country Skilled Worker decision.
Good luck to everyone waiting! 🤞

I applied for my SWV in the UK last Wednesday 12 August with priority application. I have still not heard from Home office and today is the 5th working day? I am applying for a visa extension with the same employer from inside the UK. My previous visa expired on 15th August and while I know that i haven’t overstayed because I applied before the visa expired, I am worried about why a priority application will take longer than 5 working days to give a decision. Is this normal?

Hi everyone, I’m hoping someone can help me understand something I noticed on my UKVI/eVisa account.

I submitted my Skilled Worker visa extension application on 29 June 2026 and received an email from UKVI confirming that they had received my application on 30th June. However, when I just checked my UKVI account, I noticed that under my application it now shows as application date 10 August 2026. This has confused me because I definitely submitted the application on 29 June, and I have the confirmation/email from around that time.
Does anyone know what this “Application date” on the UKVI/eVisa account actually represents?
Could it mean that my application was only entered into the system or started being processed on 10 August, or is this simply an account/system date that can be different from the actual application submission date?

### Visa Timeline & Experience

Sharing my visa timeline to help anyone going through a similar situation.

* **PSW visa expired:** 15 January 2026

* **FLR application:** 14 January 2026

* **Biometrics completed:** 8 February 2026

* **COS (6131) received:** 23 April 2026

* **Skilled Worker visa application:** 23 April 2026

* **Additional information requested from sponsor:** 28 April 2026

* Employer confirmed they had responded, but after 8 weeks there was still no decision.

* I emailed my sponsor, NHS UKVI team and other relevant contacts, but only received generic responses.

* **Official UKVI complaint:** 6 July 2026

* **Complaint response:** 21 July 2026 — UKVI asked me to wait.

* I also contacted my MP.

* **Visa approved:** 17 August 2026 🎉

**One important lesson from my experience:** If you apply for FLR, make sure you complete your biometrics, as this is important for your application to be valid.

I hope this helps someone going through a similar situation. 🙏

Hi all,

I recently submitted my Skilled Worker visa application (Switching from graduate). In the section asking whether I've ever received medical treatment in the UK, I answered "no."

After submitting, I remembered that around 4 to 5 months ago I had a single walk-in visit to a GP/clinic for a throat infection. It wasn't a booked appointment, I didn't pay anything, and I wasn't given a prescription. It genuinely slipped my mind when filling out the form.

I was wondering get advice on the matter.

Thanks in advance.

I'm preparing an application for ILR in September/October. My current Skilled Worker Visa lasts until September 2027 but I have decided to apply as soon as I hit 5 years (next month). My question:

- Can people who have experience of submitting an ILR application without paying extra for Priority Processing give me an idea of how long it took to get a decision?

Thanks!

Hi there,

I’m applying for ILR under the 10-year Long Residence route and stuck on one field.

My dates:
• First entered the UK: 17 September 2016
• 10 years completes: 17 September 2026
• Earliest valid application date: 20 August 2026
• Planned submission: 21 August 2026
So on the day I submit I’ll have 9 years, 11 months and 4 days. The form has a “How long have you lived in the UK?” field with separate years and months boxes.

Do I enter 9 years / 11 months (literally true on the date of application), or 10 years / 0 months (the qualifying period I’m relying on)?

Would appreciate input from anyone who’s been through the 10-year ILR application process.

Thanks! Truly appreciate your help.

Hey everyone!
I applied for my Skilled Worker Visa renewal (in-country) on July 7th using the standard service. My job falls under SOC 3120 (Draughtspersons / CAD technicians).
I know the official Home Office service standard is 8 weeks (which puts my 8-week target around September 1st), but I wanted to poll the community to see what current turnaround times are looking like for standard applications submitted in late June / early July. 

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to understand whether my previous Skilled Worker residence can still count towards the 5-year ILR qualifying period.

My timeline:

• 19 August 2021: Skilled Worker/Tier 2 qualifying period started
• Mid-April 2024: My employment was terminated around 1–1.5 weeks before my visa was due to expire
• 24 April 2024: Left the UK while my visa was still valid
• 27 April 2024: Previous Skilled Worker visa expired
• 31 August 2024: Applied from abroad for a new Skilled Worker visa after finding another sponsored job
• 25 September 2024: New Skilled Worker permission started
• 3 October 2024: Returned to the UK

I was therefore outside the UK for approximately 162 days, which is below the normal 180-day absence limit. I also left before my previous visa expired and did not overstay.

However, there was approximately a 126-day gap between my old permission expiring (27 April) and submitting my new application (31 August).

My concern is Appendix Continuous Residence CR 4.1(d)(ii), which appears to require a successful new entry-clearance application to have been made before the previous permission expired or within 14 days after expiry in order to preserve continuous residence.

What makes my situation difficult is that my employment was terminated only around 1–1.5 weeks before my visa expired, leaving very little time to secure another sponsored position before expiry. I eventually found another sponsor and returned within 180 days.

Has anyone had a similar situation where they left the UK with valid Skilled Worker permission, their visa expired while abroad, and they obtained another Skilled Worker visa several months later?

Did your previous Skilled Worker residence still count towards ILR, or did your 5-year qualifying period restart?

I had already completed approximately 2 years and 8 months on the Skilled Worker route, so having the clock restart would make a significant difference.

I would particularly appreciate hearing from anyone who has had a similar case assessed by UKVI or received specialist legal advice regarding CR 4.1(d)(ii).

Hello everyone, hope you are good. I have a bit of an issue. My husband and I are both in graduate visa. Mine ends next year February and his ends next year September. He currently works with a really good company that is only going to sponsor him when his graduate visa runs out. I, on the other hand had to quit my job (not sponsored btw) move from the north to south after we got married a few months ago and I got pregnant shortly after. The problem is, since I’m pregnant now and can’t really job hunt or seek my own sponsorship , my sponsorship is now dependent on his. I’m due to have the baby in December but my visa expires in February. This means I may have to go back home with the baby and come back around September when he gets sponsored.

The issue here is going back means he would now have to sponsor me and the baby when coming back which means 2x of the money which we would like to avoid if possible. I also wouldn’t want to fly back home with a baby. Is there a way to stay till he gets sponsored? Is this something a lawyer can help with. (Yes his sponsorship is guaranteed ). His managers have tried. To get him his sponsorship earlier but the HR team did not agree unfortunately .

Any advice will very much be appreciated. Thank you

P.S : if you also know of any companies that are hiring and sponsoring at the moment, please feel free to dm. He is a really intelligent guy (got hired full time 6 months into his 1 year graduate program and was moved to the company’s head office down south). He’s experienced in software and data engineering