Losing sponsored job on Skilled Worker visa

This is a situation that affects many people and the rules are quite strict, so it is important to understand the position clearly.

The core legal position:

When you hold a Skilled Worker visa, your permission to stay in the UK is tied to your sponsor. If your employment ends, whether through redundancy, dismissal, resignation, or any other reason, your sponsor is legally required to report the change to the Home Office. Specifically, the sponsor must notify UK Visas and Immigration using the Sponsorship Management System, and they are required to do this within 10 working days of your employment ending.

What happens next:

Once the Home Office is notified, it will normally curtail your visa. This means your leave to remain is shortened so that it expires earlier than the original expiry date on your visa. Under current Home Office guidance, you will normally be given 60 days from the date of curtailment, or until the original visa expiry date, whichever is shorter. This 60-day period is your window to take action.

Your options during that window:

1. Find a new sponsor. If you can find another employer who holds a sponsor licence and is willing to sponsor you, you can make a new Skilled Worker visa application from within the UK. You do not need to leave the country to do this. The new employer will need to assign you a Certificate of Sponsorship before you can apply.

2. Switch to a different visa route. If you qualify for another immigration route, such as a family visa, a Graduate visa (if you are still within the relevant time), or another work route, you may be able to apply to switch before your curtailed leave expires.

3. Leave the UK voluntarily. If you cannot find a new sponsor or switch to another route within the 60-day window, you should leave the UK before your curtailed leave expires. Remaining beyond that point means you would be an overstayer, which has serious consequences for any future immigration applications.

Important practical points:

The 60-day clock is tight. You should begin looking for a new sponsor immediately rather than waiting for the formal curtailment notice. Many people start job searching as soon as they know their role is at risk.

Your existing visa conditions remain in place during the 60-day period. However, you are not permitted to work for a new employer until you have made a valid new application and that application has been accepted. Some people misunderstand this and assume they can simply start working for someone else straight away.

If you make a valid in-time application to switch or for a new Skilled Worker visa before your curtailed leave expires, your existing leave is extended by statute under section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 until that application is decided. This is sometimes called 3C leave and it protects you from becoming an overstayer while your new application is being processed.

If your sponsor has not yet reported your departure, your visa technically remains valid, but you should not rely on any delay in reporting as a strategy. The Home Office takes a dim view of sponsors who delay notification and may well backdate the curtailment.

If you are made redundant rather than dismissed for cause, this does not change the legal position. The outcome is the same regardless of why the employment ended.

Things that depend on your specific facts:

The exact number of days you receive can vary depending on circumstances and Home Office discretion. Whether you can find a new sponsor in time depends heavily on your occupation, the labour market, and whether prospective employers hold a sponsor licence. Whether you can switch routes depends on your personal circumstances, such as whether you have a partner who is settled in the UK, or whether you have accumulated enough qualifying residence for another route.

If you are in this situation or anticipate it happening, the single most important thing is to act quickly and not wait for the formal curtailment letter before exploring your options.