Applying from within the UK

An applicant applying for Skilled Worker permission to remain must submit their application in the UK. They must submit their application before the expiry of their current visa, and no more than 3 months before the start date in their Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS).

Once it has been issued, a Skilled Worker CoS is valid for 3 months, and an applicant must submit their application before the date of expiry on the CoS. If an applicant does not submit their application before that date, the CoS will no longer be valid and cannot be used.

Dependants in the UK can apply at the same time, and they can be included in the same application form as the main applicant. If the dependants wish to apply at a different time, or they are outside the UK, they must apply using a different application form, and should only apply once the main applicant has submitted their own application or their application has been granted.

Applicants and each of their dependents will incur a visa application fee, immigration health surcharge fee, and any additional fees for Priority or Super Priority services. 

A full table of costs can be found on the Skilled Worker costs page.

Visa application fees will vary depending on the length of the CoS and whether the job is on the Shortage Occupation List.

See our guidance on the reimbursement of visa costs and visa loan scheme webpages.

The applicant will need to complete an online application form.

For extension applications (including Change of Employment applications), guidance and a link to the online application can be found on the Home Office Skilled Worker ‘Extend your visa’ page.

For switching applications guidance and the online application form can be found on the Home Office Skilled Worker ‘Switch to this visa’ page.

Dependants already in the UK can be included on the main applicant’s application. Dependants applying at a different time, or applying to join the main applicant in the UK, must apply separately, and submit an individual application. Guidance and a link to the online application can be found on the Home Office Skilled Worker 'Your partner and children' page.

The online application forms should be intuitive, and only ask for information relevant to the application being made. The Staff Immigration Team is happy to provide guidance on the completion of the application, and encourages applicants to email a downloaded PDF of the drafted application to be checked before submission. An application cannot be amended once the ‘Declaration’ section has been completed, so a draft PDF should be downloaded once the applicant reaches the ‘Document’ section.

Once they have carefully checked the details and submitted their application, the applicant will need to pay the visa application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge.

All applicants and their dependants applying in-country are required to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge. This is a one-off payment that allows access to the National Health Service for the duration of the visa.

When the visa application and immigration health surcharge fees have been paid, two PDF documents are generated: the completed application form and a supporting evidence checklist.

These two PDFs should be sent to the Staff Immigration Team for future reference, and to help the team provide assistance if any issue with the application arises after submission