My Skilled Worker Visa Is Expiring. What Can I Do Next?

Your visa expiry date doesn't have to mean the end of your time in the UK. There are several routes forward, and which one applies depends on how long you've been here, what you're earning, and where you want to be in five years.

Know your options well before that date arrives.

Check Your Actual Expiry Date First

Your visa end date is on your Biometric Residence Permit or in the UKVI online service if you hold digital status. Don't go by memory. People have miscounted and submitted late, which creates serious problems.

You can apply for an extension up to 28 days before your current visa expires. Earlier isn't possible through the standard route.

Your Three Main Options

Extend your Skilled Worker visa if you're staying with the same employer in the same or similar role. Your employer assigns you a new Certificate of Sponsorship before you apply.

Switch employers while staying on the Skilled Worker route. The new employer issues a CoS to cover the switch. Don't leave your current job until the new visa is granted.

Apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) if you've completed five continuous years on the Skilled Worker route (or Tier 2 General, which counts toward this).

The Salary Rules Have Changed

Extensions submitted on or after 22 July 2025 must meet updated thresholds. Which figure applies depends on when your original CoS was issued:

There's also a £17.13 per hour floor regardless of annual salary. Part-time workers need to check both figures. Health and care roles have separate transitional thresholds based on the SOC code.

What If Your Job Has Changed?

People's roles shift over time. More responsibility, a different department, a restructured team. What you're actually doing at work can drift quite far from what your original CoS said.

That matters at the extension stage. The Home Office cross-checks your current role against the SOC code on your existing visa. If there's a meaningful gap between the two, this isn't really an extension situation anymore. Your employer would need to issue a fresh CoS for the new role, and you'd be applying as though you're starting again, salary and skill thresholds included. Worth flagging to your employer early rather than discovering it mid-application.

The ILR Calculation

Five years sounds simple, but absences catch people out. Being outside the UK for more than 180 days in any 12 month period can break your continuous residence. Your five year clock may have reset at some point without you realising.

For ILR, you'll also need to meet the salary threshold at the point of applying, demonstrate B2 English (if not already on record), and pass the Life in the UK test. The application fee is £3,029 with no health surcharge on top.

What Happens If You Overstay

Even a single day as an overstayer affects future visa applications, can lead to removal, and triggers a re-entry ban depending on how long it runs.

If something delays your application unexpectedly, such as your employer being late with the CoS, get legal advice immediately. There are sometimes options, but timing is everything.

How Early Should You Apply

Submit your application at least two to three months before expiry. Standard processing takes around eight weeks. Priority service cuts this to five working days and costs more, but most people find it worth it.

The Salary Calculation Is Where Most Extensions Fail

The July 2025 changes created real confusion, particularly around which transitional thresholds actually apply to someone's specific situation. People are getting refused not because they're underpaid, but because they've applied the wrong figure to their own circumstances.

A Y & J Solicitors have worked across the full Skilled Worker route through over 5,000 immigration cases. They'll confirm which thresholds apply to you, flag any issues with your current role before you submit, and make sure the application is right before it goes anywhere near the Home Office.

Sort Your Extension Before the Window Closes

A Y & J Solicitors handles Skilled Worker extensions and ILR applications for both employees and self-sponsored individuals. Whether it's confirming your salary threshold, checking your continuous residence, or managing the full application, the team keeps things moving so you're not scrambling near your expiry date.

We also provide a complimentary HRMS platform for sponsor licence holders. Book a free call with A Y & J Solicitors to get your situation assessed properly.