How long does a Skilled Worker visa decision take?

Standard processing is typically around three weeks for applications made from outside the UK and around eight weeks from inside the UK, with paid priority services often available. Times vary by country and demand — always check the current service standards on GOV.UK.

Can I start working before the visa is granted?

No. You cannot start the sponsored role until your visa is granted. Some in-UK applicants switching routes have limited rights to keep working under their existing permission while a decision is pending — this depends on your current visa, so check the specific rules.

When should I resign from my current job?

The cautious approach is to resign only after the visa is granted, and to agree a start date with your new employer that allows for processing time. Employers who sponsor regularly are used to this and will typically build the timeline around the visa.

Guide

Skilled Worker visa: offer to start date

The gap between accepting a UK job offer and actually starting work is where most of the anxiety lives — because the process involves your employer, the Home Office, and you, each with different jobs to do. Here is the whole sequence in order, what each party is responsible for, and the questions worth asking at every stage. Exact fees and processing standards change regularly, so treat GOV.UK as the source of truth for current figures.

Step 1 — The offer and the sponsorship conversation. Before anything formal happens, confirm two things in writing: that the employer holds an active sponsor licence for the Skilled Worker route, and that this specific role will be sponsored. Every listing on FindSponsorJobsshows the employer’s register status up front so this conversation comes with no surprises. If the employer is not licensed, sponsorship is impossible until they obtain a licence — a process that takes weeks and which many employers won’t undertake for a single hire.

Step 2 — Employer checks. The employer verifies your qualifications, references, and any registrations the role requires, because they are accountable to the Home Office for what goes on your Certificate of Sponsorship. Expect requests for documents you’d consider routine — passport, degree certificates, professional registrations — and respond quickly: at this stage you are usually the critical path.

Step 3 — Certificate of Sponsorship assigned. The employer assigns your CoS through the Home Office system and sends you the reference number. From assignment you normally have three months to submit the visa application. If you’re outside the UK the employer needs a defined CoS, which adds a request step on their side. (Full detail in our CoS guide.)

Step 4 — Your visa application. You apply online, entering the CoS reference. You’ll prove identity and English language ability, pay the application fee and the immigration health surcharge, and show you meet the financial requirement unless your employer certifies maintenance. Set aside a focused evening for the form; the most common self-inflicted delays are mismatches between what you enter and what’s on the CoS.

Step 5 — Biometrics and the wait. Depending on your country and passport type you’ll either enrol biometrics at a visa application centre or verify identity through the app. Then the wait: standard processing is typically measured in weeks — around three from outside the UK, longer for in-country switches — and paid priority services can compress it where available. Nothing you do during the wait speeds it up; what you can control is applying with a complete, consistent application.

Step 6 — Decision, travel, and starting work. Once granted, you’ll get either an eVisa or entry vignette arrangements depending on your situation. Coordinate your start date with the employer’s HR — they must complete a right-to-work check before day one, and their reporting duties mean they track your start formally. If your circumstances change between grant and start date (role, salary, location), tell the employer immediately: material changes may need Home Office action before you begin.

Step 7 — After you start. Your visa is tied to the sponsoring employer and role. Changing employers means a new CoS and a new application; significant role changes with the same employer may also need reporting or a fresh application. Keep your own copies of everything — CoS reference, grant letter, correspondence — and diarise your visa expiry well in advance of any extension or settlement application.

This guide is general information, not immigration advice — for your own case, rely on GOV.UK or a regulated adviser. Ready to find a role at an employer that can actually sponsor you? Start with the verified sponsors section.