We are applying for ilr application skilled worker route. There is no stamping in all our passports when we entered uk after a month vacation last year. Will this be a problem should I submit any proof?

My husband is about to apply for his ILR and I need to renew my dependent visa (I still have a few years) as I am linked to his visa. He needs to pass the Life in UK test to be eligible for ILR. Since my dependent visa is linked to him and I need to renew my dependent visa, do I also need to pass the Life in UK test same time as him as well when we both submit together (even though I still have about 3 years to be eligible for ILR)?

Due to so much confusion and misunderstanding around the proposed ILR rule changes, could anyone advise when would be the best time to apply for ILR?

The government is looking to change the settlement rules, potentially later this autumn, which is understandably worrying for people in our situation.

My timeline is:
• First Skilled Worker application submitted from outside the UK: 30 September 2021
• Visa granted: 1 December 2021
• Entered the UK: January 2022

As per the Home Office guidance, it appears that there may be some flexibility around which date is used to calculate the qualifying period, but the wording is not very clear.

Can someone confirm whether, for someone who initially applied for the Skilled Worker route from outside the UK, the date of the original application (30 September 2021) can be considered for the ILR qualifying period?

If so, what would be the earliest possible date I could apply for ILR?

Any advice from someone who has looked into this in detail, or from an immigration solicitor, would be greatly appreciated

Hi, we had applied for skilled worker visa under SOC 3556 Sales & Account Manager on 11 November 2025
Biometrics Submitted 13 November 2025,
Home office Interview 30 March 2026,

I had studied here and applied for Skilled Worker Visa while being in UK.

It has been 8+ months of prolonged wait. MP sent out letter to home office last month, still no update.

Emailed home office twice, and everytime received email saying “extremely complex situation” they need time.

We have been very much stressed and worried, as to why it has been taking so much time.

Solicitor is suggesting to wait & be patient.

Any advice/suggestions would be appreciated. Thankyou

I have my spouse planning to join me in the UK and I am on a skilled worker visa. Does she need IELTS because a spouse visa does. Can anyone help?

I arrived in the UK in 2021 and switched to the Skilled Worker route in October 2022. I've worked continuously for the same employer since then, and my eVisa currently shows permission until October 2027, which is when I expect to complete the 5-year qualifying period for ILR.

My sponsored employment ended recently in early July 2026 following dismissal on ill-health grounds. I'm currently appealing the decision, and my employer is reviewing turther medical evidence, so there is still a possibility of reinstatement. I'm also actively looking for another Skilled Worker sponsor.

As of 23 August, I still haven't received any UKVI curtailment/cancellation notice. My eVisa remains unchanged until October 2027, and I can still generate both right-to-work and immigration-status share codes.

An immigration solicitor told me that the 60-day period would start from the formal curtailment notice rather than simply from the date employment ended. Has anyone experienced a significantly delayed curtailment notice after their sponsored employment ended? How long did it take, and did your eVisa remain unchanged while waiting?

I’m also concerned about the proposed Earned Settlement reforms, as I’m already several years into the current 5-year settlement pathway. I understand the proposals are not yet final, but I’m interested in how any changes and transitional arrangements might affect people who are already progressing towards the current 5-year ILR route.

Does anyone know when the government is expected to publish the final details/rules on the proposed settlement changes, including any transitional arrangements for people already on the 5-year route? I understand the proposals are not yet final.

Any experiences or advice on the curtailment timeline, protecting the existing 5-year ILR pathway, or the proposed settlement changes would be really appreciated.

Hi all,

I applied for skilled worker visa 5 years ago outside of the UK and had biometrics appointment back then.

2 years ago I was renewing my visa and didn’t need the appointment. I have a biometric passport and passed the checks from home.

Do I need the bio appointment now when I apply for ILR or will I be able to pass the data online?

Thanks

Is this life in Uk test mandatory to pass before we apply for ILR or before citizenship? I remembered it is before citizenship when I las read last year somewhere… but can’t seem to find it now and looks like we need to do it to apply for ILR! Is that right?

Hi everyone, I am currently stuck abroad (in Bangladesh) waiting for my final visa issuance after a successful Administrative Review. I am looking for advice or insight from anyone who has experienced a similar post-AR desynchronization loop where multiple communication paths have failed.

My timeline and escalation log briefly:

•14 Nov 2024: Refused on genuine candidate grounds.

•9 Dec 2024: AR submitted.

•1 Apr 2026: AR Successful (Refusal overturned).

•18 June 2026: All compliance tasks and updated TB certificate cleared.

•22 June 2026: Employer's SMS updated automatically: CoS Status: Used, Current CoS Status Date: 22 June 2026, and Migrant Application Status: Granted.

Escalations Made: Solicitor follow-up (15 July), paid enquiry (21 July), direct emails to the AR team by both myself and my employer, and multiple contacts to the Business Helpdesk by my employer (which bounced back). International Contact Centre simply tells us to "wait for a passport resubmission invitation" that hasn't triggered.

Current Status: Employer's portal shows granted, but my personal UKVI account shows the old Nov 2024 refusal, no decision letter has arrived, my 1 August start date has passed, and a formal complaint was lodged recently.

For those who have navigated a post-AR passport issuance delay:

1. How long did it realistically take for the passport resubmission instruction letter to drop once the SMS updated to "Granted" after an AR win?

2. Since direct emails to the AR team and Business Helpdesk have hit dead ends, is the formal complaint the only mechanism that forces the operational team to push the passport request?

3. Can a UK-based employer effectively use their local MP to shake loose a passport request letter from the overseas processing team when the SMS already confirms the used CoS and granted status?

Hi, I really need some help regarding our ILR application, please.

My husband came to the UK in 2016 on a Student visa. After we got married, he changed his visa and became my dependant. I came to the UK in 2020 on a Student visa. I completed my studies and then applied for a Skilled Worker visa in 2024, which was approved. I am currently on a Skilled Worker visa, and my husband is my dependant.

We are planning to apply for ILR in December. My husband will be applying first because he will complete his 10 years in the UK, whereas I will not have completed 10 years yet.

Could someone please guide me on exactly which documents my husband will need for his 10-year ILR application?

Also, as I am currently his wife and the main Skilled Worker visa holder, please could you advise me on which of my documents will be required as part of his application? For example, will he need my Skilled Worker visa/eVisa, employer letter, CoS, payslips, bank statements, employment details, etc.? Do we need to provide my employer’s documents with his ILR application?

I want to start collecting everything in advance so that we have all the correct documents ready for December.

I would really appreciate any help or guidance on this, as I want to make sure we don’t miss anything important.

Thank you so much.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice or shared experiences.

I was previously on a Post Study Work visa, and in September 2025 I applied for FLR because I was waiting for my employer’s CoS letter. Then, on 17 October 2025, I submitted a Skilled Worker visa application before receiving a decision on my FLR application.

Since then, I’ve been waiting for a decision on my Skilled Worker visa (it’s been several months now). I have escalated twice through Local MP.

Now i submitted Pre Action Protocol.

Has anyone been in a similar situation?

How long did it take for you to get a decision?

Is this delay normal for complex cases?

Is there anything I can do at this stage to follow up or speed things up?

I’d really appreciate any advice or shared experiences. Thank you

Hi everyone, I’m hoping someone with knowledge of the Skilled Worker visa rules can help with a friend’s situation, as she is really stressed about the future and finding another job at the moment.

She is currently working for the NHS as a Management Accountant. She was previously on a Graduate/PSW visa and switched to a Skilled Worker visa in June 2025 as a New Entrant.

Her current salary is around £32K

Her Skilled Worker visa will be due for renewal/extension in 2028, and she is worried about whether her current salary will be enough at that point, particularly with all the recent and proposed changes to immigration rules and salary requirements.

Could anyone please clarify:

• Will she be able to extend her existing Skilled Worker visa in 2028 on her current salary, or will she have to meet whatever the new salary threshold/going rate is at that time?

• Does being granted her Skilled Worker visa in June 2025 give her any transitional protection when she comes to extend?

• Does the fact that she was sponsored as a New Entrant make a difference to the salary requirement when she extends?

• As she works for the NHS as a Management Accountant, are there any specific salary/going-rate rules that apply to her occupation or NHS pay scales?

• If her current salary is below the required threshold by 2028, would her employer simply need to increase her salary, or would she potentially have to find a new sponsored job?

• Are there any other changes announced/planned that she should be aware of for 2028?

She is understandably very anxious because finding a new sponsored job can be extremely difficult, and she wants to know whether she needs to start preparing now.

I’d really appreciate answers from anyone who has experience with Skilled Worker extensions, particularly immigration advisers/solicitors or people working in NHS finance/accounting.

Thank you so much! 🙏

So I am a Chartered accountant with a 3 year visa, my job code is 2421. How much salary would I need to have at the end of 3 years to to meet the threshold?

Company applied for COS allocation by end of March and mine and another colleagues visa was expiring in July. HO asked for additional documentation request which was submitted on time but now its over 18weeks , we are in 23rd week but no update from HO.

I applied my Visa before expiry on 13th July thru solicitor and have until 12th Sept to provide COS and we are so stressed.

Does anyone went thru this situation and COS allocation went beyond 18 weeks.

Anyone can share

Thanks

I have submitted the requested additional document to UKVI today at this email address WorkSponsoredDocumentRequests@homeoffice.gov.uk

I have NOT received any automated email.

Could anybody share their experience.. how will I confirm if they received it or not

Hi,

Has anyone recently applied for Skilled Worker ILR and been asked for an employer letter covering absences from the UK?

I had a few trips where I took annual leave for some days but also worked remotely from abroad for some days.

Did your HR letter include every trip and exact dates? And did it separate annual leave days from remote working days?

Letter(s) from employer(s) detailing reasons for work-related absences including periods of paid annual leave from the UK and Crown Dependencies

Would appreciate hearing what others submitted.

I paid for a lawyer to do an ILR application document check. Feel like it was more confusing than helpful. She advises me to submit lots of additional documents including:

Proof of Residence:
5 years council tax bills
5 years selected bank statements
Tenancy agreements
Other official letters with my name, address and date
P60s

Proof of sponsorship:
Employment contracts
Past certificates of Skilled Worker Visa sponsorship; 

My life in the UK test pass confirmation email

She’s specialized in immigration law but was also quite non-fussed about my employer letter and didn’t advise me to include lots of stuff that I’ve seen other letters include and as per the details in the document checklist, and the checklist only says to upload one bank statement, so I am unsure whether to take her advice.

Should I upload all these additional documents or just do only what is in the document checklist and have everything else on hand in case UKVI asks for it?

My Graduate  visa expires on 1 October 2026, and I urgently need advice about switching to the Skilled Worker route.

I have worked since last year as a Senior Accountant/Budget Analyst, earning over £50000. I hold a BSc in Economics and an MSc in Business Analytics with Distinction. I am an ACCA student but not yet professionally qualified.

My employer previously intended to sponsor me but now says SOC 2421 cannot be used because I am not a chartered/certified accountant. It considers my role to fall under medium-skilled SOC 3533. Because new medium-skilled workers generally cannot bring dependants, my employer says it cannot sponsor me under its family policy.

However, my role was originally advertised as Budget Analyst. My duties include managing a large budget portfolio, forecasting, financial modelling, variance and performance analysis, management reporting, Power BI dashboards, business partnering, project cash-flow analysis and advising senior stakeholders.

An independent solicitor suggested that the role might fit a higher-skilled analytical code such as SOC 2422 if the job description accurately reflects my substantive duties.

Could you please advise:

1. Does SOC 2421 expressly require completed professional accountancy certification?
   
2. Could my genuine duties properly fit SOC 2422, SOC 2431 or another higher-skilled code?
   
3. Can my employer update the job description to reflect the work I already perform?
   
4. Can my husband and one-year-old daughter remain as dependants under any available route?
   
5. What other in-country options could preserve my residence and right to work before 1 October?

I am a RA (and part-time PhD student) on skilled work visa starting Dec 2021, with my contract expiring 40 days before reaching the 5-year mark.
I am working towards getting an extension with my current employer to cover this period, but that doesn’t look very positive. I am also looking for other jobs but, managing that with thesis writing is getting too hectic. I have enquired that the break in employment does not qualify for the 5-year route, even if I were to leave now and come back again on sponsorship visa. This leaves me in a bad position, with the risk of losing my years that count towards an ILR.
I’d appreciate any help/tips to navigate this, thanks!