Employer does not have COS for extension of my stay.

[immBoardusr1]

Hi

My VISA expires on 30 April 2015.
My Employer is trying to issue a new COS to me from 1/May/2015 for 3 years.

While doing this the employer realized that they did not have a COS allocated in SMS system for extending my stay , they have requested a new COS using the SMS system in last few days ( Nov/2014 )

I have read on the internet that sponsors are expected to request the allocation in April each year
1. since my sponsor has not done so in April 2014 what are the chances of my employer getting COS extension allocated to them ?
2. What criteria does the UKBA use to decide if they will allocate a new COS for extension of my VISA ?
3. How many days does it take for the UKBA to tell my employer if they will allocate a new VISA ?
4. Is there a site where i can check the amount of COS that have been allocated and the chances that my job code has ?

Sorry for so many questions ... i want to make sure that i have enough time in my hand to think of options in case I dont get a COS