Changing Employer on a UK Skilled Worker Visa: CoS, Notice Period and Start Date

4 hours ago

3 min read

A new employment contract does not transfer your UK Skilled Worker permission to the new employer. A change of sponsor normally requires a new certificate of sponsorship and an application to update your visa. Plan the immigration decision alongside the contractual notice period before agreeing when you will start.

Establish what is actually changing

Record the current sponsor, occupation code, duties and permission expiry, then compare the proposed role. A similar job title does not prove that the occupation code is unchanged. Conversely, a title change within the same employer needs analysis of the real duties rather than an automatic assumption that a new visa is necessary.

GOVUK identifies changes that require an update, including moving to another employer and certain changes of occupation code. It also distinguishes moving away from a job on the Immigration Salary List from a job merely being removed from the list. Give the adviser the actual current and proposed arrangements so that the relevant branch can be checked.

Obtain evidence for the new sponsored role

The new job must meet the applicable eligibility requirements and have a new CoS. Ask the prospective employer for the formal job description, salary, weekly hours and intended start date. A verbal offer or a recruitment agency's estimate does not establish sponsorship. Check the employing legal entity rather than relying only on a familiar trading name.

Historic arrangements can matter to salary or occupation eligibility. Preserve the first relevant CoS and the continuous visa history where transitional provisions may apply. Do not identify a concession solely by the year you first visited the UK: entry as a visitor or student answers a different question from the date of the relevant sponsored permission.

Negotiate notice and the approved start separately

GOVUK allows an update application up to three months before the new job's start date. It explains that you may continue the current job or work out notice while the application is considered, provided the applicable timely-application conditions are met. The new role should not begin until confirmation of the new permission has been received.

Discuss that distinction with both employers before resignation dates are fixed. A contract can describe an intended start while allowing for the actual immigration outcome. An employer's urgent staffing need does not accelerate a government decision. Keep genuine correspondence recording what has been agreed, rather than changing an earlier start date on paper after work has already begun.

Consider dependants and travel at the same time

A partner and children have their own applications and expiry dates. The principal applicant's update does not automatically renew their permission. Keep a separate record for every family member, including which applications are submitted and which remain in preparation. School or travel bookings should reflect the actual position of each person.

GOVUK warns against travelling outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man while the in-country application is awaiting a decision, because the application will be withdrawn. Treat a planned business trip or family visit as part of the application timetable. Do not assume a valid passport, an old visa expiry or a return ticket resolves the pending-application issue.

Retain a usable handover record

Keep the old permission, new CoS, submitted application, official payment records and decision together. On approval, compare the role, sponsor and conditions with what was requested, then complete the employer's required right-to-work checks. A share code helps demonstrate status; it does not replace the underlying permission for the new role.

If the employment offer changes during processing, obtain advice before starting different duties or relying on the original application. Report discrepancies truthfully using the appropriate procedure. 卓越移民 Premiervisa Group can help organise the employment and immigration timeline for review by an appropriately qualified adviser, with government charges and any professional service fee stated separately.