Skilled Worker visas are issued for a period of up to five years. To remain in the UK beyond this, the worker has to make an application for a Skilled Worker visa extension before their current visa expires to avoid overstaying.
As with the initial visa application, the worker will need to show when they apply for the renewal that they continue to meet the eligibility requirements under the Skilled Worker route.
In this guide, we explain the requirements to be met and the process to follow to make a Skilled Worker visa extension application.
Skilled Worker visa extension requirements
Workers who are already in the UK under the Skilled Worker route may be eligible to apply for a visa extension, provided they continue to meet the requirements set out in the Immigration Rules.
To qualify for a Skilled Worker visa extension, the individual must still be employed in the same job role as when they were last granted permission. The job must also fall under the same Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code used in their previous application. In addition, they must remain with the same sponsoring employer who assigned their most recent Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), and that employer must still be licensed by the Home Office to sponsor Skilled Worker visa holders at the time of the new application.
Skilled Worker visa applications submitted on or after 22 July 2025 will be subject to the revised salary thresholds introduced in the July 2025 Statement of Changes. This means that the individual must be paid a salary that meets the relevant salary threshold under Options A to J, depending on the circumstances, as well as the correct percentage of the updated occupation-specific going rate for their role. In most cases, the applicant must also meet the new minimum hourly rate of £17.13, which must be calculated based on no more than 48 hours of work per week. If the job is on the Immigration Salary List (ISL) or the Temporary Shortage List (TSL), the sponsor must pay the fixed list salary (either £33,400 for RQF Level 6+ roles or £23,200 for RQF Level 3–5 roles) in addition to the full going rate.
In terms of financial maintenance, an individual who has been lawfully living and working in the UK for 12 months or longer at the date of their extension application will meet the maintenance requirement automatically. In these cases, they do not need to provide evidence of holding at least £1,270 in savings, as would be required for new arrivals.
Employers and applicants are advised to check the latest version of Appendix Skilled Worker and the relevant salary options to ensure that the role continues to meet the requirements for sponsorship and that the proposed salary meets the thresholds now in force. This is especially important where the worker relies on transitional salary bands (Options F to J) or where their role appears on the ISL or TSL, as these lists are time-limited and subject to removal.
Can you extend a Tier 2 (General) visa?
Tier 2 (General) visa extensions are processed under the Skilled Worker category. This means that the application will be subject to the eligibility requirements under this route, including being employed in a qualifying role for a sponsoring employer at a certain salary level.
If the migrant worker was assigned an CoS on or after 24 November 2016, and they apply to extend before 1 December 2026, they’ll need to meet the new salary requirements.
How to apply for a Skilled Worker visa extension
To apply for a Skilled Worker visa renewal, the worker will need to submit an online application from within the UK, together with their supporting documentation.
Applicants must have a new CoS to be able to renew their visa. As part of the application process they’ll also need to prove their identity, although how they do this will all depend on the type of passport they hold and where they’re from. The applicant will be instructed as to what they need to do when they apply for their Skilled Worker visa renewal. They may need to provide their fingerprints and photograph at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) location. Alternatively, rather than attending a UKVCAS appointment, they may be able to create a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account and use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan their identity document.
Having made an application, the applicant must not travel outside of either the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until they’ve received their UKVI decision. If they do travel outside these areas, their renewal application will be withdrawn.
How much does a Skilled Worker visa renewal cost?
The cost of applying for a Skilled Worker visa renewal will depend on the applicant’s circumstances and how long they will be working in the UK.
| Applications Made in the UK | Skilled Worker Visa Application Fee from 9 April 2025 |
| Skilled Worker, where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for three years or less – main applicant and dependants | £885 |
| Skilled Worker, where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for over three years – main applicant and dependants | £1,751 |
| Skilled Worker – a job on the Immigration Salary List where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for three years or less – main applicant and dependants | £590 |
| Skilled Worker, shortage occupation where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for over three years – main applicant and dependants | £1,160 |
| Skilled Worker – Health and Care Visa – where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for three years or less – main applicant and dependants | £304 |
| Skilled Worker – Health and Care Visa – where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for over three years -main applicant and dependants | £590 |
| Skilled Worker – a job on the Immigration Salary List- Health and Care Visa – where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for three years or less – main applicant and dependants | £304 |
| Skilled Worker – a job on the Immigration Salary List – Health and Care Visa – where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for over three years – main applicant and dependants | £590 |
The standard application fees to extend your Skilled Worker visa from within the UK range from £885 per person for CoS assigned up to 3 years to £1751 for a CoS of over 3 years.
A lower application fee will be payable if the applicant’s job is on the Immigration Salary List, set at £590 for up to 3 years or £1,160 for more than 3 years
In addition to the visa application fee, the worker will also have to pay the Immigration Healthcare surcharge for each year of stay, unless exempt. An additional fee of £19.20 may also apply for the applicant to submit their biometric information.
The application fee, healthcare surcharge and any biometric fee are the applicant’s responsibility, although as their UK sponsor, unless an exception applies, an Immigration Skills Charge is payable each time you assign a CoS to an individual on the Skilled Worker route.
When should an application for a Skilled Worker visa extension be made?
A Skilled Worker visa will allow a migrant to work in the UK in an eligible job with a licensed sponsor up to a maximum of 5 years before they need to extend it. However, regardless of how long the migrant worker’s initial grant of leave was for, they must apply to renew their Skilled Worker visa, or Tier 2 (General) visa, prior to expiry of their existing leave.
If the application is submitted in-time, the applicant will usually be able to continue working for you pending a decision from UKVI, although it’s always best to apply well in advance. The applicant will be permitted to submit their extension application up to 60 days before their existing visa is due to expire. The application must be made within 3 months of the CoS being issued or before the existing visa expires, whichever is sooner.
If the migrant worker has changed their job or started working for you as a new employer since their last grant of leave, they’ll need to apply to update their visa instead of applying for an extension. However, if they’ve worked for you throughout the duration of that leave, they’ll only need to update their visa if their job changes into a different occupation code or they leave a job that’s on the shortage occupation list for a job that’s not on the list. They’ll not need to apply again if they stay in the same job, but that job is taken off the shortage occupation list.
Are there limits to the number of Skilled Worker visa extensions?
Skilled Worker visa holders can apply to extend their leave to remain as many times as they like. The 6-year maximum length of stay under the previous Tier 2 (General) route has been removed.
Provided the migrant worker continues to meet the relevant eligibility requirements, and doesn’t fall for refusal under the suitability requirements, for example, they’ve not breached the terms of their existing grant of leave or overstayed, they can apply to extend indefinitely.
However, most Skilled Worker visa holders opt to apply for UK settlement after 5 years in the UK rather than make successive extension applications. Your preference will depend on your circumstances; take advice if you are unsure which route is best for your needs.
How long does it take to process a Skilled Worker visa renewal?
Having submitted an application for a Skilled Worker visa renewal, a decision will usually be received from UKVI within 8 weeks. In some cases this could take longer, for example, if the applicant is asked to attend an interview. It may be possible to get a faster decision on a renewal application, using a priority service, although there will be an additional fee for this.
Skilled Worker dependant visa renewals
The partner or children of a skilled migrant worker will need to apply separately to extend their visa. They can either apply at the same time as the applicant or at any time before their current visa expires. This includes children who have turned 18 during their stay.
Dependants will need to apply online using their partner or parent’s Skilled Worker visa extension application number. This is called a Global Web Form (GWF) or Unique Application Number (UAN), and can be found on any emails and letters received from UKVI.
As part of their application, the migrant worker’s partner and/or children will need to prove their identity by attending a UKVCAS appointment or scanning their identity document using the online ID check app. They’ll be told what they need to do once they apply. As with the primary applicant, the partner or children of the migrant worker must not travel outside of the UK until they get a decision from UKVI, usually in around 8 weeks.
Can skilled workers apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain?
In addition to being able to extend a Skilled Worker visa indefinitely, this route also provides eligible visa holders with an avenue to settlement. This means that a migrant worker and any dependants who have held permission under this route for a qualifying period of 5 years, can apply for what’s known as Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).
ILR will give the successful migrant the right to live and work in the UK for as long as they like, without any time restrictions. Further, this 5-year period doesn’t necessarily need to be made up solely of time spent under the Skilled Worker route, although the worker’s most recent permission must be as either a Skilled Worker or Tier 2 (General) migrant. The applicant must also be able to satisfy a continuous residence requirement, knowledge of Life in the UK (KOLL) requirement, and certain sponsorship and salary requirements for settlement.
Author
Founder and Managing Director Anne Morris is a fully qualified solicitor and trusted adviser to large corporates through to SMEs, providing strategic immigration and global mobility advice to support employers with UK operations to meet their workforce needs through corporate immigration.
She is a recognised by Legal 500 and Chambers as a legal expert and delivers Board-level advice on business migration and compliance risk management as well as overseeing the firm’s development of new client propositions and delivery of cost and time efficient processing of applications.
Anne is an active public speaker, immigration commentator, and immigration policy contributor and regularly hosts training sessions for employers and HR professionals
