ILR SET O - New sponsor during eligibility window

Hi,

Currently work in the NHS as a physician and and my eligibility to submit starts on June 17th. My job with current employer ends on 2/8/2026. The visa itself expires end of September however.

My job currently is a non-training job and from August I'll be starting as a formal trainee now (with the same NHS Trust but under a different sponsor now which will be Health Education England [HEE] instead of the Trust itself)
My question is, given the ILR requires a letter confirming you'll be needed for employment in the future etc and periods of absences, how do I go about this in actuality?

Do I wait for HEE to issue the CoS and use that license, and then ask my current employer (ie the Trust) to send HEE the list of authorised absences and then use the letter HEE issues from that for my application?

The only issue with that is that I won't be formally employed under the new CoS until August, but if I use the current Trust as the sponsor, their letter will mention August 2026 as my last day of work which is about 6 weeks post applying, which is rather short for the requirement of being needed in the future (They won't amend this, I've asked).

My predicament is due to the wording below, which seems to reference the current sponsor/employer ie the Trust, as my current visa is under them. The new visa likely won't be issued until sometime in August but I'd rather avoid paying for a new visa and they pay again the ILR.

"A document from the sponsor who issued the certificate of sponsorship that led to your last permission to stay as a Tier 2 migrant confirming that you are: still required for the employment in question for the foreseeable future"

So not sure how to go about applying and was hoping for some insight if anyone has a clue or been in similar position. Thanks alot.

You cannot use HEE for anything to do with your ILR if you do not hold a Skilled visa with the new sponsor.

For ILR when you qualify, everything you will need must be from your current sponsor.

Thank you. So essentially, I don't have a choice but to delay applying for ILR until I've had a new visa issued with the new CoS by HEE and subsequently have them also issue the letter I need (with my previous employer supplying the authorised absences confirmation).
Was hoping I can avoid having to pay again for a new visa as the ILR fees went up by 200 last month and with the priority service I'd be well past 4000 in total fees.

hemingway9999 wrote: ↑

Sun May 03, 2026 4:59 pm

...I've had a new visa issued with the new CoS by HEE and subsequently have them also issue the letter I need (with my previous employer supplying the authorised absences confirmation).

You don't need anything from previous employers to apply for ILR. The letter confirming you're needed for the foreseeable future, absences and everything else should be issued by the current employer/sponsor.

hemingway9999 wrote: ↑

Sun May 03, 2026 4:59 pm

Was hoping I can avoid having to pay again for a new visa as the ILR fees went up by 200 last month and with the priority service I'd be well past 4000 in total fees.

There's no requirement to apply for ILR as soon as you're eligible. You can continue with your visa and apply for ILR in the future if you want to minimise the financial burden.