Skilled Worker Visa Extension Solicitors — Extend Your Stay, Protect Your ILR Route

A Skilled Worker visa extension is not automatic. The Home Office reassesses everything — your salary, occupation code, sponsor compliance, and suitability — from scratch. Your previous grant does not guarantee renewal.

You must apply before your current visa expires. In practice, timing must be coordinated with the new Certificate of Sponsorship, which must normally be assigned no more than 3 months before the application. Most applicants can apply well ahead of expiry — do not leave it until the last few weeks.

The extension buys time. But only if your salary reaches the settlement level before ILR. If it does not, years of compliance can end in refusal.

What Is a Skilled Worker Visa Extension?

There is no separate extension form on GOV.UK. The extension uses the same online application as a new Skilled Worker visa — the system recognises you when you enter your BRP or eVisa reference and select “Apply from inside the UK.”

Your employer must assign a new Certificate of Sponsorship for every extension. The old CoS cannot be reused. Your salary, occupation code, and sponsor compliance are all reassessed at the point of the extension application — not carried forward from your last visa.

The extension does not count as a fresh start for ILR purposes. Your continuous qualifying residence continues from your original entry, provided you have maintained lawful status throughout.

For full extension requirements, documents, and the ILR salary strategy, read our complete guide to Skilled Worker Visa Extensions.

Who Needs a Skilled Worker Visa Extension?

• Same employer, same role — your current Skilled Worker visa is approaching expiry and you want to continue working for the same sponsor in the same occupation code.
• Same employer, changed salary — your salary has increased or your employer wants to update the CoS terms. A new CoS and extension application are required.
• Change of employer — you are moving to a new sponsor and need a new Skilled Worker visa before you can start. This is technically a new application but uses the same in-country process and the same KQ fee tier.

KQ Solicitors advises clients from our office in Luton, Bedfordshire and across the UK.

We Can Help If…

• Your salary relies on a new entrant or PhD discount and you are unsure whether it will meet the settlement threshold when you reach ILR.
• Your payslips or PAYE records do not consistently match your stated salary because of salary sacrifice, irregular hours, or pay variations.
• Your employer needs to assign a new CoS and you want to verify the occupation code and salary details before it is issued.
• You are changing employer and need the new application submitted before you can start the new role.
• Your current visa expires soon and you have not yet started the extension process.
• You have a previous refusal, overstay, or suitability concern in your immigration history.
• Your sponsor’s compliance status is unclear or they have recently had a Home Office audit.
• Your dependants also need to extend and you want to make sure the applications are linked and submitted correctly.

Key Extension Requirements

The Home Office reassesses your eligibility from scratch at every extension. Meeting the requirements last time does not mean you meet them now.

Sponsor — must usually hold the correct licence and rating

Your sponsor usually needs to hold the correct Skilled Worker licence and rating when the application is decided. If the licence is suspended, downgraded, or revoked during processing, the application can be delayed, placed on hold, or refused depending on the circumstances.

New CoS — required every time

Your employer must assign a fresh Certificate of Sponsorship. The CoS must be valid, unused, not withdrawn or cancelled, and normally assigned no more than 3 months before the application. Name errors on the CoS can be serious — significant identity or role errors may require a new CoS before submission. Check the details carefully before you apply.

Salary — reassessed against current thresholds

Your salary must meet the general threshold of £41,700 for most applicants or the going rate for your specific occupation code, whichever is higher. Lower thresholds may apply if you qualify for new entrant, PhD, Immigration Salary List, or transitional protection — but these options are route-specific and not automatic.

Only guaranteed basic gross pay paid through PAYE counts. Bonuses, commission, tips, unguaranteed overtime, and salary sacrifice arrangements do not count. Hours are capped at 48 per week.

The Home Office can check salary and employment information against wider government records, including HMRC data where available. Payslips, bank statements, CoS salary, and PAYE records should all tell the same story.

The ILR salary trap — read this before you extend

Extensions allow tradeable points discounts. At settlement, the reduced salary options used for some Skilled Worker grants may not apply in the same way. Your ILR salary must be checked against the settlement rules, the going rate, and any transitional protection that applies at the time.

If you extend at a lower discounted salary today and your going rate at settlement is significantly higher, you risk refusal after years of compliance. The extension buys time — but only if you use it to grow your salary toward the settlement level.

English language — not retested at extension

If you met the English requirement at your initial Skilled Worker or Tier 2 application, you do not retest at extension. The English requirement for settlement may change under announced rule changes — check the current ILR English requirement before relying on old B1 guidance.

Suitability

The Part Suitability framework applies at extension in the same way as at the initial application. Previous overstaying, visa condition breaches, or undisclosed suitability issues can lead to refusal.

Skilled Worker Visa Extension Fees and Costs in 2026

Estimated total — single applicant, 2-year extension, excluding dependants and optional priority: from £3,013 (£1,000 KQ + £943 Home Office fee + £2,070 IHS).

Estimated total — single applicant, 3-year extension: from £5,048 (£1,000 KQ + £943 Home Office fee + £3,105 IHS).

For extensions over 3 years, the Home Office fee increases to £1,865 and IHS is calculated on the full grant period.

Immigration Salary List and Health and Care Worker routes have reduced Home Office fees. IHS is calculated in whole-year blocks — any part-year over 6 months is charged as a full year. Health and Care Workers are exempt from IHS.

Home Office fees can change. Always check the current GOV.UK fee schedule before submitting.

What Our Extension Service Includes

• Initial eligibility assessment — we check your salary against the current threshold and going rate, verify your sponsor’s status, and confirm your occupation code is still correct.
• ILR salary strategy check — we assess whether your current salary is on track to meet the settlement threshold and flag if it is not.
• CoS verification — we check the CoS details including name, SOC code, salary, and start date before you apply.
• Tailored document checklist — specific to your extension, including what PAYE records and payslips caseworkers expect.
• Evidence review and gap identification — we check every document for consistency before submission.
• Application preparation and submission — we complete the form, organise your evidence, and submit the application.
• Post-decision support — we inform you of the outcome and advise on next steps, including ILR timing.

Our Extension Application Process

1. Initial consultation and eligibility check. We verify your sponsor’s rating, check your occupation code, and calculate whether your salary meets both the general threshold and the going rate.
2. CoS verification. We check the new CoS your employer has assigned — name, SOC code, salary, and dates — before you rely on it in the application.
3. Document review and gap identification. We review your payslips, bank statements, and other supporting evidence. If pay records do not consistently match the stated salary, we flag it before submission.
4. Application preparation. We complete the online application form, organise your evidence, and prepare representations where needed.
5. Submission and biometric guidance. We submit the application and advise you on your UKVCAS biometric appointment.
6. Decision and next steps. Once the Home Office decides, we explain the outcome and advise on ILR timing, extension length strategy, or refusal options.

How Long Does a Skilled Worker Visa Extension Take?

Standard processing is advertised at 8 weeks from the biometric appointment. Complex cases can take longer, especially where salary, sponsor compliance, or suitability checks are required.

Priority service targets 5 working days from biometrics. Super priority targets the next working day. Priority services are targets, not guarantees. Refunds depend on the service terms and reason for delay.

Common Extension Mistakes That Lead to Refusal

When Should You Speak to a Solicitor?

If your salary clearly exceeds both thresholds, your CoS is correct, your sponsor is compliant, and you have no suitability issues, you may be able to prepare the extension yourself.

But if your salary relies on a discount that may not survive at ILR, your pay records have any inconsistency, your CoS has errors, or your sponsor has had compliance issues — legal advice before submission is cheaper than a refusal and a fresh application.

When This Service May Not Be Right for You

This fixed-fee service covers Skilled Worker visa extensions with the same employer and change of employer applications from inside the UK.

• If you are applying for a Skilled Worker visa for the first time, see our Skilled Worker visa service.
• If you are an employer looking for sponsor licence or compliance support, see our sponsor licence service.
• If you are ready for ILR after five years, see our ILR and settlement service.
• If you have a complex human rights case, deportation order, or ongoing Home Office investigation, the case requires individual assessment beyond this fixed-fee scope.
• If you need a Health and Care Worker visa extension, contact us to discuss the correct fee and route.

If you are unsure whether your case fits, contact us and we will tell you — there is no obligation.

What Happens After the Extension Is Granted?

The extension continues your route to ILR — but it does not guarantee settlement. What you do during the extension period determines whether you reach permanent residence.

Your salary must stay above the threshold throughout. If a pay review, restructuring, or salary sacrifice reduces your counted salary below the requirement, that is a breach of visa conditions.

The 180-day absence rule continues. No more than 180 days outside the UK in any rolling 12-month period. Business trips count. Conferences count. Remote work abroad counts.

Your dependants’ visas do not extend automatically. Each dependant must submit a separate application before their own visa expires. If they do not apply before their own leave expires, they may become overstayers unless a limited exception applies.

At ILR, the full threshold applies. The reduced salary options used for some Skilled Worker grants may not apply at settlement. Your ILR salary must be checked against the settlement rules, the going rate, and any transitional protection that applies at the time.

For full ILR guidance, see our ILR and settlement service.

Every Extension Decision Must Be Made With Settlement in Mind

An extension that relies on a discounted salary today can become a problem at ILR if your salary does not reach the settlement threshold by the time you apply.

If you want the numbers checked before the Home Office checks them, KQ Solicitors can help.

Frequently Asked Questions