Immigrationboards.com

Hi everyone,

I recently became eligible to apply for ILR. As part of the process, I’m requesting a letter from my company, but I have a question about my absences from the UK.

Each year, my “days outside the UK” come to around 30–40 days because my company offers one month of work-from-home per year. I usually spend about three weeks of that working remotely from India.

However, my company-approved annual leave is only 25 days. This means my records show more days abroad than my official leave days.

How should I explain this in my application?
• Should I ask my employer to mention in their letter that I was allowed to work remotely from abroad and took advantage of this?
• Or is it fine to just list these as annual leave?
• Do I need to provide any specific proof for the remote working period?

Thanks in advance for your advice.
Jish

The immigration rules do not care about any of these.

Make sure to read: All you need to know about the sponsor letter for Skilled Worker route

Thanks a lot for the quick help @zimba.

I have a follow up question on this, Do we need a statement like below in the employement letter

"It is expected that xxxx will continue their employment with the company for the foreseeable future if granted Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK"

My employer's letter currently contains

Start Date:
● Contract Type:
● Working hours:
● Job Title:
● Current Salary:
● All leaves of absence have been authorised by company

Do we need anything additional in the letter.

Thank You,
Jish

Yes, I already covered that under that link

Thanks Zimba.

I have a follow up question on the SOC, In my COS its given as 2136, whereas the latest skilled-worker-visa-eligible-occupations-and-codes document says 2134 as the matching SOC code for my job title. Should I fill the SOC given in COS or the actual code matches with my role.

Thanks,
Jish

It should be the SOC 2020, so the latest SOC

Hi everyone,

I have a question regarding ILR eligibility and dependent visa options.

I am currently on a Skilled Worker visa.

My timeline:
- Visa application submitted: 13 July 2021
- Visa valid from: 18 July 2021
- Arrived in the UK: 04 August 2021

1. Based on this timeline, when would I become eligible to apply for ILR? Is it calculated from the visa valid-from date or from the date I entered the UK?

My second question is regarding my wife’s dependent visa.

She arrived in the UK about 6 months after I did, so she will not complete 5 years in the UK at the same time as me.

2. When I get ILR, what would be the best visa route for her during the remaining 6 months before she becomes eligible for ILR?

- Can she continue as a Skilled Worker dependent after I get ILR?
- Is there an option to extend as a dependent for only 6–12 months?
- Would she need to switch to another visa category?
- Or should she apply for some kind of ILR dependent route?

3. If a short extension option (like 6 months or 1 year) is not available, what is the minimum visa duration she would normally get?

For example:
- Would she need to apply for a 3-year visa minimum?
- Are 1-year or 2-year Skilled Worker dependent extensions possible?
- Since she would only need around 6 more months before qualifying for ILR, I want to understand what the most practical and cost-effective option would be.

Would really appreciate advice

Thanks in advance!
JIsha

1. Visa valid from date.

2. Extension of her current visa route. It is a 3 year extension.

3. There is no shorter option or cost effective option. It is a 3 year skilled worker dependent visa extension. This is stated in the immigration.migration rules, ypu cannot choose less visa validity time.

Thanks for the quick response.

If I apply for my wife’s Skilled Worker dependent extension after I get ILR, can I still use my current CoS details even if my current Skilled Worker visa/CoS expires in August 2026?

My company most likely will not issue a new CoS because I would already be switching to ILR by then. In that case, how does the dependent extension process work?

Yes re CoS.

You do NOT need a new CoS for a dependent extension!!

Thank you so much for your help

Hi Zimba,

I’ve been trying to find an answer to the same query, and I noticed you’ve already addressed it here—thanks for that!

I do have a follow-up question: for the employer letter confirming employment for the foreseeable future, should they include both the old SOC code and the new SOC 2020 code, or would mentioning only the new SOC be sufficient?

Also, would you recommend explaining this change briefly in the “Additional Supporting Information” section OR in covering letter?

Thanks in advance!
Regards.

The letter does not need to include the SOC. I already gave you the link above on what the letter needs to say

zimba wrote: ↑

Mon May 18, 2026 2:40 pm

The letter does not need to include the SOC. I already gave you the link above on what the letter needs to say

Thank you very much @Zimba.

Hi @Zimba,

I have a query about ILR salary requirements under the Skilled Worker route.
I have been in the UK since August 2021, and my CoS was issued under an old SOC code. For ILR, I will use the new equivalent SOC code.

So, my question is- Will my application be assessed under:

the post‑April 2024 salary rules, or
the rules that applied when I first entered the route in 2021?

Regards.

shobhitsri wrote: ↑

Tue May 19, 2026 1:18 pm

Hi @Zimba,

I have a query about ILR salary requirements under the Skilled Worker route.
I have been in the UK since August 2021, and my CoS was issued under an old SOC code. For ILR, I will use the new equivalent SOC code.

So, my question is- Will my application be assessed under:

the post‑April 2024 salary rules, or
the rules that applied when I first entered the route in 2021?

Regards.

Can you start your own topic with your questions please, instead of continuing to tag questions onto another members topics. It is considered rude and creates confusion.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice regarding my wife’s Skilled Worker Dependant ILR application.

I received my ILR around three months ago. My wife is currently on a Skilled Worker Dependant visa.

Due to health/personal reasons, we are planning to travel to India together for approximately three months. Her employer is okay with her taking this period off, and she will continue to be employed by the same company. Her total absences will also be well within the 180-day limit.

Since we will both be outside the UK for around three months, we are planning to vacate our current rented property and put our belongings into self-storage rather than continue paying rent while we are away.

We will then return to the UK together early next year. By the time we return, my wife will already be eligible to apply for ILR. Our plan is to find a new rented property after returning, start living there together, and then submit her ILR application.

My main concern is about address/cohabitation proof. For the three months that we are in India, we won’t have a UK residential address, tenancy agreement, council tax bill or utility bills because we will have vacated our current property.

We will have evidence of our joint address before leaving the UK, evidence that we travelled to and stayed in India together, and evidence of our new joint address once we return.

Could the three-month gap where we don’t have a UK residential address cause any problems with her Skilled Worker Dependant ILR application, especially as she will be eligible to apply as soon as we return?

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Is there any requirement to maintain a UK residential address/address proof during a temporary period abroad before applying for ILR?

Any advice or experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

There is no specific cohabitation requirement under the immigration rules at all. This is not an issue at all.

READ: All you need to know about cohabitation evidence

zimba wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 28, 2026 9:59 pm

There is no specific cohabitation requirement under the immigration rules at all. This is not an issue at all.

READ: All you need to know about cohabitation evidence

Hi @zimba,

Thanks for the quick response. I understand that cohabitation documents may not be required.

We are planning to leave the UK in November and stay in India for around 3 to 3.5 months. Before travelling, we will vacate our current rented property, so during the entire period we are in India, we won’t have a UK residential address.

When we return to the UK, we will find a new place and will have address proof from that point onwards. However, this means there will be a gap of around 3–4 months where my wife won’t have any UK address proof. She may also not have things like UK bank statements or other correspondence showing a UK residential address during that period, as we will both be living in India temporarily.

Would this gap in UK address/address-related documents cause any issue when she applies for ILR shortly after we return? Thank You

Again, there is no specific requirement that says such a so-called gap will be an issue. The rules do not say that you need to have a continuous address proof at all. Cohabitation evidence is just to show that your relationship is genuine and subsisting, it is NOT asked due to some imaginary requirement that says you need continuos proof of address