Spending maternity leave outside UK for more than 6 months on tier 2 skilled worker visa

[34447425joy]

Hello,
I am currently pregnant and planning to spend my 1 year maternity leave outside UK back in Africa. My cos is still valid till 2026 but I am not sure if spending time outside UK for unpaid maternity leave will affect my job and immigration status. My employer has granted me the 1 year maternity leave according to the hospital policy but does not know whether spending it outside UK for more than 6 months will put me at risk of not being allowed to move back to the UK once my maternity leave is over........
Will spending maternity leave for more than 6 months outside uk in a skilled worker visa tier 2 put me at risk of not being allowed back to the country once my maternity leave is over?

[Frontier Mole]

As long as your sponsor updates SMS that you are free to do whatever you want during your authorised maternity leave. There is no impact on your visa.