From signed offer to visa, step by step
After you sign, your sponsor assigns a certificate, you apply, the Home Office decides, and you start. Five steps, in that order.
The five steps at a glance
Know what you hold and who acts at each step
- 1
Offer signed
Sign only after you have checked salary, hours, start date and every cost clause.
- You hold
- A written, signed offer
- Who acts
- You and HR
- 2
Certificate of Sponsorship assigned
Your sponsor assigns the certificate and sends you its reference number. The sponsor must be listed as A-rated on the register.
- You hold
- The certificate reference number
- Who acts
- Your sponsor
- 3
You apply, inside or outside the UK
Apply within 3 months of getting your certificate. In the UK on a Graduate or Student visa, you switch from inside the UK. Applying from outside the UK, you make an entry clearance application.
- You hold
- Your application, documents and English
- Who acts
- You
- 4
The Home Office decides
Check the current decision time for your application on gov.uk, not on forums. Tell HR the date you applied, so they can plan your start.
Visa processing times on gov.uk (opens gov.uk)
- You hold
- The record that you applied
- Who acts
- The Home Office
- 5
You start work
Share the decision with HR, agree the start date against it, and keep a copy of every document from the process.
- You hold
- Your decision and permission
- Who acts
- You and HR
Switching from a Graduate visa
The Graduate visa cannot be extended. Holders may switch to a Skilled Worker visa from inside the UK and may qualify for the new-entrant rate.
English level when you switch from another visa: B2.
Switching from a Student visa
Allowed if one of: the course has been completed; the job start date is after the course has finished (full-time degree-level course at a higher education provider with a track record of compliance); or a full-time PhD with at least 24 months studied before the job start date. Apply before the current visa expires.
Read the rules at the source
This page keeps to the order of events. The rules behind each step are on gov.uk: start with the Skilled Worker visa overview (opens gov.uk) and the page on how to switch to a Skilled Worker visa (opens gov.uk).
For the rules explained step by step, the handbook ukvisasponsorguide.com covers each one. Check the offer itself first with the offer checklist.
Before you ask
How long does it take after the offer?
It depends on when your sponsor assigns the certificate and on the decision time when you apply. gov.uk publishes current decision times; check them on the day you apply.
Can I start work before the decision?
Ask HR and check gov.uk for your own case before you agree a date. The answer depends on the visa you hold now and when you applied.
What if the certificate is late?
Ask HR in writing for the date it will be assigned, and compare that date with the end of your current visa. Keep the reply.
Do I need to prove my English again?
You need to meet the English requirement when you switch. A degree taught in English and awarded by a UK university is one accepted way; check gov.uk for what applies to you.
Checkpoint
Flip each switch when it is done. They stay set on this device only.
Before you sign, read the visa cost clauses check. If anyone asks you for money along the way, run the scam check.
Sources
- gov.uk guidance, Skilled Worker visa: Your job (opens gov.uk)
"You must apply for your visa within 3 months of getting your certificate of sponsorship."
Checked 7 October 2026 - gov.uk guidance, Graduate visa: Overview; Immigration Rules, Appendix Skilled Worker, SW 12.2(f) and SW 12.3 (opens gov.uk)
"You cannot extend your Graduate visa. However, you may be able to switch to a different visa, for example a Skilled Worker visa."
Checked 7 October 2026 - Immigration Rules, Appendix Skilled Worker, SW 1.5A (Conditions A, B and C) (opens gov.uk)
"If you’re currently in the UK on a Student visa, you must also meet one of the following requirements:"
Checked 7 October 2026 - Immigration Rules, Appendix Skilled Worker, SW 4.1 (HC 1333 APP SW3) (opens gov.uk)
"If you’re applying to switch from a different visa, you need level B2."
Checked 7 October 2026 - Immigration Rules, Appendix Skilled Worker, SW 5.3 (opens gov.uk)
"SW 5.3. The sponsor must be listed as A-rated on the Home Office’s register of licensed sponsors, unless the applicant was last granted permission as a Skilled Worker and is applying to continue working for the same sponsor as in their last permission."
Checked 7 October 2026 - gov.uk: Visa processing times, applications inside the UK (opens gov.uk)
"If you applied to visit, study or work in the UK, use the online service to check your visa processing time. This will tell you when you can expect a decision."
Checked 7 October 2026 - gov.uk: Skilled Worker visa, switch to this visa (opens gov.uk)
"You might be able to apply to change ('switch') to a Skilled Worker visa if you're already in the UK on a different type of visa."
Checked 7 October 2026
Updated Checked against gov.uk on
What changed
- 7 October 2026: First published.
This is a playbook, not immigration advice. Before you act, check the rule on gov.uk or ask a regulated immigration adviser or a solicitor.