When applying for a Skilled Worker visa, timing can be crucial when ensuring that your prospective employee is in the UK for when you need them to commence work. UK employers and migrants therefore need to be acutely aware of the processing times which apply to the Skilled Worker visa.
The Skilled Worker visa allows overseas migrants to live in the UK and work for their UK employer for up to five years. If you are looking to apply for this type of visa, the processing time of your application will depend on whether you are applying from overseas, or if you currently hold leave under a different category of eligible visa and will be switching from inside the UK.
Generally, Skilled Worker visa applications submitted from outside of the UK are processed within three weeks. Applications from inside the UK take slightly longer, with a standard processing timeframe of eight weeks.
However, a decision can be expedited by purchasing the priority service for £500 for applications , where a decision should be made on your application within five days of enrolling biometrics. There may also be the option to purchase the super priority service for £1000, where a decision should be made by the end of the next working day following biometric enrolment. Whether a priority service is available for an application made from outside the UK will depend on the country you are applying from.
If you are using the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app, the only priority service available is the 5-day priority service, which costs £500. Please note that this mobile app is limited to EU nationals for entry clearance, however, other nationalities can sometimes use the app when applying from within the UK.
If you are applying for your Skilled Worker visa relatively close to your work start date, as indicated on your Certificate of Sponsorship, you may wish to opt in for a priority service option to avoid a delay on your visa application.
How Gherson can assist
Gherson’s Immigration Team are highly experienced in advising on UK visa matters. If you have any questions arising from this blog, please do not hesitate to contact us for advice, send us an e-mail, or, alternatively, follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn to stay-up-to-date.
The information in this blog is for general information purposes only and does not purport to be comprehensive or to provide legal advice. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information and law is current as of the date of publication it should be stressed that, due to the passage of time, this does not necessarily reflect the present legal position. Gherson accepts no responsibility for loss which may arise from accessing or reliance on information contained in this blog. For formal advice on the current law please do not hesitate to contact Gherson. Legal advice is only provided pursuant to a written agreement, identified as such, and signed by the client and by or on behalf of Gherson.
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