A Standard Skilled Worker visa application should be decided within 3 weeks of the application being submitted online and registering their biometric details. It may take longer to receive a decision if the applicant has had a prior visa refusal, or if the Home Office needs to request more information.
A Priority service visa application should be decided within 5 working days of the biometrics appointment.
Please note that the Home Office generally does not recommend that applicants with previous visa refusals use the Priority service.
Once their Skilled Worker application has been granted, the applicant should receive an Entry Clearance vignette (visa sticker) in their passport as well as a decision letter.
The visa sticker will be valid for around 30 days, and will allow the applicant to enter the UK within that period.
The decision letter will confirm the full dates for which the Skilled Worker visa has been granted, as well as the address of the Post Office from which their Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) can be collected, and the date from which their BRP should be available for collection. This will be based on the applicant’s work location and intended travel date listed in their visa application.
Applicants will need to present their passport, visa sticker, and decision letter when collecting their BRP. An applicant must collect their BRP within 10 days, and could face a financial penalty and/or have their visa curtailed if they do not.
Further guidance on BRPs for overseas applicants can been found on the Home Office website.
EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland
EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland nationals, who have a biometric passport and used the 'UK Immigration: ID Check' app will instead have a digital immigration status, and will not receive a vignette or a BRP.