New Employer Skilled Worker Visa

[DrUni]

I am on a skilled worker visa in the UK sponsored by my current employer from October 2022 until August 2025. My question is, If I change to another employer and re-apply for the skilled worker visa, do I get 5 years visa or would I only be offered two years based on my previous application which makes a total of 5 years of skilled worker visa in the UK? Then I would need to extend?

Note: As Gov.uk says skilled Worker visa can only be granted for 5 years, does it mean specific for each employer? Or as a collective of other skilled worker visas you held with other employers?

[Frontier Mole]

The maximum period for a single skilled worker visa to be issued for is 5 years. There is nothing to stop you from having another 5 year visa from your new job. Assuming you want ILR after five years it does make any qualifying visa that takes you beyond 5 years a bit unnecessary.

[DrUni]

Hi @Frontier Mole and thank you for you response. The difference here is instead of getting two years from the new employer - added to my previous three years to equal five years in total - means I have to extend my visa again with the new employer which means I paid three times for visa applications. Does that make sense?Whereas If I get 5 years with new employer that it. I can apply for IRL once i hot 5 years mark in total.

[DrUni]

I also want to add that when I applied for three years the first time - the visa was two months short due to delays in granting me the visa. so If I get two years with new employer - I am still short of 5 years period and hence I would need to apply for an extension.

[DrUni]

And final point is I might switch to a new employer only having been on one year of Skilled worker Visa so I wouldn't have completed the full three years with the old employer.

[Anon123B]

Hi DrUni,

You will have to make 3 applications either way if you want to qualify for the ILR. If you get 5 years with a new employer, you would have completed the 5 years criteria within 4 years of the new visa (provided that you've done 1 year with the old employer - meaning that you finish working with them in Oct 2023). It seems that if you are switching to the new employer it is best to have a 5 year visa.

[DrUni]

Hi Anon123B and thank you f0or your response. If I get 5 years with new employer and I qualify for IRL within 4 years from that visa (counting the one year from the first visa). Wouldn't the total of visa applications be two? - first application I already made and I got three years and the second application when I apply with new employer (5 years). So why would I need a third application?


Regards

[lolo2]

Depending on the time you've spent in the UK under the same route so far, you can calculate when you're eligible and apply accordingly - as long as the new employer is willing to negotiate this (CoS duration 3 or 5 years) and your finances (longer visa is considerably more expensive).

[DrUni]

Hi lolo2, Thank you very much for your response. I am still awaiting for an offer and once I do, I will ask the employer about the CoS duration.