Received top up slip for ISC payment - what do I need to do?

[qyuan71]

Dear all,

I have submitted my skilled worker visa application on 27th January 2024, and received an email on 20th March from the home office saying that they cannot make decision since they are waiting for the ISC payment. However, instead of telling me that they will contact my sponsor separately, they've attached a top up slip along with the email as follows:

"Thank you for your application for permission to stay in the UK as a skilled worker

Although we would normally decide your application within 15 working days from the date it was submitted, unfortunately this is not going to be possible in your case.

This is because we are currently awaiting confirmation of the requirement for your work sponsor to pay the Immigration Skills Charge.

I have attached the top up slip in this email and the total for the year would be £xxx.

After consideration of the information you have provided, you are not exempt from ISC payment."

Does this mean they won't send the payment link to my sponsor (as many other posts suggested), and I need to fill the top up slip myself/by my employer and upload it as a supporting document for my visa application? My sponsor told me that they were waiting for correspondence from the home office but heard nothing back yet.

Today is the last day that I could access my online application and upload supporting documents so I'm really frustrated and have no idea what to do. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

[honey1234]

Your Employer must have also received slip/Payment link but they might have not responded to HO yet. Now HO sent you slip as a second attempt, so that you could forward that Payment Slip to your employer. It's a heads up for you.

[Frontier Mole]

It is not the correct procedure to send the ISC payment request to the prospective employee, I think that was sent in error or as suggested as a warning to get the payment made by the employer. Have you checked with your employer that they have received the request for payment and if not the best you can do is pass on the request you have received.

I dont want to add worry but in situations where this is a COS scam this is an indicator that there was never an intention to process the COS beyond the assignment stage. Did you use an agent to find / progress the role?