Future Applications and Ending Sponsorship

When a Skilled Worker visa holder approaches the end of their visa (permission to stay) and their contract is being extended, they need to apply for a visa extension. For this, their department or college should contact the Staff Immigration Team (SIT) to apply for a Certificate of Sponsorship extension.

To be considered for an extension, applicants must be continuing to work in the same or similar job. For example, a Postdoctoral Research Assistant coming to the end of their current visa may switch from one department to take up a new research post in another department without the need for the department to show that they have advertised the post. Such circumstances will be considered an extension rather than a new application.

If a Skilled Worker visa holder is moving onto a new role of similar type before the end of the current visa, their department or college should submit a Changes and Leavers Form (below) to SIT, who will notify the Home Office of this. Once the change has been reported, a Certificate of Sponsorship extension application may be submitted with the new role's details. 

DOWNLOAD SKILLED WORKER & TIER 5 CHANGES AND LEAVERS FORM

To apply for a Certificate of Sponsorship for an extension applicant, the employing department or college needs to download a Skilled Worker CoS extension application form (below), complete it, and return it to SIT together with the documentation listed at the end of the form.

DOWNLOAD SKILLED WORKER COS EXTENSION APPLICATION FORM 

Extensions for applicants who currently hold a Tier 2 (General) visa

• To request a CoS for extending a Tier 2 (General) visa, please complete the Skilled Worker CoS extension application form as above.
• As long as the extension application is made prior to 1 December 2026, the salary can also included permitted allowances, such as a housing allowance. The individual must be with the same sponsor and the allowances must be guaranteed to be paid for the duration of the extension.
• Individuals who were sponsored under Tier 2 prior to 24 November 2016, and are making an extension application prior to 24 May 2023, must be paid a salary of £20,800 or above, or at least the going rate for the occupation code, if higher.

Tier 5 visa holders who have spent less than two years in the UK and need more time to finish their research can apply to have their visa (permission to enter/stay) extended up to the maximum of two years per visit. They must still meet the Home Office's Tier 5 requirements.

As the total length of stay allowed on a Tier 5 visa at any one time is two years, the length of the extension will depend on the length of time already spent in the UK on this visa. After the two years have come to an end, the sponsored researcher will be required to leave the country. If a new extension is required, they must apply from overseas. There is no limit to the number of Tier 5 visas held, as long as each individual visit does not exceed two years.

Requirements for a Tier 5 Certificate of Sponsorship extension application:

• Details of the visit must remain the same as the original Certificate of Sponsorship (activities, work location, title, etc.). The amount of funding can vary, as long as it still meets the minimum national wage rate.
   
• The sponsored researcher must continue working on the same research which their Tier 5 visa was issued for.
   

The hosting department/college needs to submit a Certificate of Sponsorship extension application approximately three months before the current visa expiry date. This includes a completed application form (below), confirmation of funding available and an updated project plan.

DOWNLOAD TIER 5 EXTENSION COS APPLICATION FORM

Since a Tier 5 visa is granted specifically for the purpose of the research visit in question, it is not possible to switch for the purpose of carrying out other research or switching host department or college. If a different project with a different host department or college is proposed, or if the visa holder needs to change sponsors (i.e. move to another university), they would need to leave the UK and apply for a new Tier 5 visa from overseas.

Certificate of Sponsorship extension applications should be submitted to the Staff Immigration Team (SIT) between eight to twelve weeks before the applicant's current visa expires.

Visa extension applications can be submitted to the Home Office up to three months before the current visa end date. While awaiting the outcome of their application, visa holders cannot travel, even if they have retained their original documents or have received them back from the Home Office. Leaving the UK while an active application is in progress will automatically result in the application being withdrawn.

An applicant must apply to the Home Office for permission to stay (visa):

• Before their existing visa expires. By submitting a valid application before their visa expires, their current immigration status is extended until a decision is made on the application. If their visa expires whilst their application is pending, this prevents them from becoming an overstayer

AND

• Within three months of the date when their Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) was issued. After this period the CoS will automatically expire and can no longer be used to support a visa application

SIT aims to send a reminder to departmental administrators approximately 12 weeks before an applicant's visa expires. It is the responsibility of the department and the applicant to ensure that they apply for a Certificate of Sponsorship in plenty of time.

Travel Plans

Applicants must not travel outside of the UK until they have received a decision on their application. If they travel outside the ‘Common Travel Area’ (UK, Ireland, Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey) before a decision is made on the application, the application will be treated as withdrawn. Applicants should therefore allow around 10 weeks from submitting the online application to receiving their new Biometric Residence Permit, during which time they must not travel outside of the UK.

Applicants who have urgent travel plans will need to consider the super priority service available. Information about this can be found on the Skilled Worker Cost pages.

If a sponsored visa holder leaves early or switches to a different visa, the sponsor must report the end of their sponsorship to the Home Office who then curtail (cancel) their visa.

When reporting the end of sponsorship, the sponsor must provide the visa holder's last known UK contact details (address, telephone number, and email address). When the Home Office cancels the visa, they will send a letter by email or post to the addresses provided for the visa holder. This 'curtailment letter' will explain that they have 60 days to either leave the UK or apply for a different visa.

If the visa holder has already applied for a new visa, a curtailment letter should not be issued by the Home Office; however, occasionally they can be issued in error. If a curtailment appears to have been issued in error, advice should be sought from the Staff Immigration Team (SIT).