Extending a Skilled Worker visa is usually more straightforward than the first application. You are already in the job, your employer already holds a licence, and the Home Office already knows who you are.

That said, extensions are refused — and the reasons are nearly always avoidable. A certificate requested too late, a job that has quietly changed, a trip abroad at the wrong moment, or an assumption that the family’s visas extend automatically.

This guide sets out when to apply, what you need in place, and the points where extensions most often go wrong. The requirements below are taken from GOV.UK.

At Kenton Solicitors, our immigration team advises applicants and sponsors on Skilled Worker matters from our office in Harrow.

Call us on 020 8907 2444 or request a free consultation.

When to Apply

There is one hard rule: you must apply online before your current visa expires. Apply a day late and you are an overstayer, which affects your right to work and can affect your settlement application later.

Beyond that, timing is a matter of planning rather than a fixed deadline.

Decisions on extension applications are usually made within 8 weeks. A faster decision is sometimes available and you will be told whether you can pay for one when you apply.

In practice, start the conversation with your employer three to six months before your visa expires. The application itself is quick; getting a new Certificate of Sponsorship assigned is what takes time, particularly in larger organisations where HR, finance and the sponsorship management system all have to line up.

Applying early also gives you a buffer. If something unexpected comes up — a document that needs replacing, a question about your salary — you still have time to deal with it before your current permission runs out.

The Three Conditions

You can usually extend if all three of the following are true:

• You have the same job as when you were given your previous permission
• Your job is in the same occupation code as when you were given your previous permission
• You are still working for the employer who gave you your current Certificate of Sponsorship

If any one of those is not true, you are not extending. You are applying to update your visa instead, which is a different application.

Extend or Update? The Distinction That Catches People Out

This is the single most common misunderstanding, and it matters because the wrong application can be refused.

Extend means continuing exactly as you are — same employer, same role, same occupation code — for a further period.

Update is what you need if you have changed employer, changed job, or moved into a role with a different occupation code.

The difficulty is that job changes are not always obvious. A promotion, a restructure, a change of job title, or a gradual shift in duties can all move you into a different occupation code without anyone intending it. If your role today is not the role on your current certificate, speak to your employer and take advice before applying to extend.

Where you have changed jobs or employers, you will need a new Certificate of Sponsorship from the sponsoring employer and a different application altogether.

Do Not Leave the UK

This one is easy to miss and the consequences are severe.

Once you have applied, you must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. If you do, your application will be withdrawn.

Since decisions usually take around 8 weeks, that is a meaningful period of being unable to travel. Plan around weddings, funerals, family visits and business trips before you submit — not after.

If something urgent arises after you have applied, take advice before booking anything.

If Your Occupation Code Is “Medium Skilled”

The skill level for the Skilled Worker route was raised to graduate level on 22 July 2025. Roles below that are now described as medium skilled, and they can only be extended in limited circumstances.

You can extend in a medium skilled role if both of the following apply:

• You got your first Certificate of Sponsorship before 22 July 2025
• You have continually held one or more Skilled Worker visas since that certificate

The word “continually” is doing real work there. A gap in your permission can break the chain and remove your ability to extend in that role.

There is a separate route for prison officers under occupation code 3314, where a certificate must be assigned on or before 31 December 2027, sponsorship can be for up to three years, and the salary must be at least £31,300 or the lower going rate for the role, whichever is higher.

If you are in a medium skilled role and unsure whether you still qualify, this is worth checking before your employer spends money on a certificate.

Salary: You May Not Need the Current Figures

The general salary threshold for new applications is £41,700, or the going rate for the occupation code if that is higher. Many people assume this applies to them on extension. Often it does not.

If you got your first Certificate of Sponsorship before 4 April 2024, lower salary requirements may apply when you extend.

If you have a Tier 2 (General) visa, or had one and extended it as a Skilled Worker, different requirements may apply depending on whether your first certificate was before or after 24 November 2016. If you apply to extend before 1 December 2026, you will still need to meet the lower salary requirements, and your salary may include allowances such as London weighting — provided those allowances are guaranteed for the length of your stay.

Certain occupation codes also have their own going rates where you previously held a Tier 2 (General) visa, including physical scientists, higher education teaching professionals and researchers.

The practical point is this: check your dates before assuming you are priced out. A worker sponsored several years ago at a salary that would not support a new application today may still be able to extend perfectly well. Our guide to the 2026 salary thresholds sets out the current figures and the transitional rates.

Your Partner and Children Do Not Extend Automatically

This causes real problems and it is worth stating plainly.

Your partner or child’s visa will not extend when yours does. If they do not make their own application, their permission simply ends on its original expiry date — even though yours has been extended.

They can apply at the same time as you, or at any point before their own visa expires. Applying together is usually simpler, and it keeps everyone’s dates aligned.

Separately, if you are a care worker or senior care worker, there are restrictions on whether partners and children can stay as dependants when you extend. Check the position before assuming.

What to Prepare

Start gathering these as soon as you begin the conversation with your employer:

• A new Certificate of Sponsorship covering the extended period. Nothing can be submitted without this, and it is usually the longest lead time.
• Your current passport and any previous passports covering your time in the UK.
• Evidence of your immigration status — your eVisa or biometric residence permit.
• Recent payslips and bank statements showing the salary actually paid matches what your certificate states.
• Your employment contract, including any variation covering a change in hours or pay.
• Absence records — not needed for the extension itself, but essential for settlement later. Keep a running log of every trip out of the UK with dates.

That last point is worth taking seriously now rather than in five years’ time. Reconstructing travel history from old boarding passes is unpleasant, and gaps cause problems at the settlement stage.

You will also need to prove your identity, either through the “UK Immigration: ID Check” app or by attending a UKVCAS service point. There is no separate fee for providing your biometric information.

What It Costs

Extension applications are made from inside the UK, so the in-country fees apply:

• £943 per person for up to 3 years
• £1,865 per person for more than 3 years
• £628 or £1,235 where the role is on the immigration salary list

The Immigration Health Surcharge is payable again for the new period at £1,035 per year for each adult and £776 per year for each child, paid upfront.

Each dependant pays their own application fee and their own surcharge. Our full breakdown of Skilled Worker costs sets out the figures for the whole family, including what the employer pays.

If you cancel your application, the fee is only refunded where the Home Office has not started processing it.

Extend Again, or Apply to Settle?

There is no limit on how many times you can extend, provided you continue to meet the requirements. But most people reach a point where settlement is the better option.

You can generally apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain after five years of continuous residence on this route. Time on a Tier 2 (General) visa normally counts towards that five years.

If your qualifying date is approaching, it is worth taking advice on whether to extend or apply to settle — the answer depends on your dates, your absences, and whether you meet the other requirements. Our guides on when to apply for ILR and how long ILR takes cover the practical timings.

Where Extensions Go Wrong

• Leaving it too late. The certificate is the bottleneck, not the application. Start three to six months out.
• Applying to extend after a job change. If the role or employer has changed, it is an update application, not an extension.
• Travelling after applying. Your application is withdrawn if you leave the Common Travel Area before a decision.
• Forgetting the family. Dependants need their own applications.
• Assuming current salary figures apply. Check your certificate date first — transitional rates may help you.
• A gap in permission. For medium skilled roles in particular, continuity matters.

If your sponsor’s licence has been suspended or revoked, that is a separate and urgent situation — see our sponsor licence page and take advice straight away.

Where an application has already been refused, time limits are short. Our immigration appeals team can advise on the options available.

Frequently Asked Questions

The requirements in this article were checked against GOV.UK in September 2026. Immigration rules and fees change regularly, so please confirm the current position on GOV.UK before applying. For advice specific to your circumstances, please contact us directly.