If you currently hold a skilled worker visa, you can apply to undertake secondary work aside from the primary job that you are already sponsored for. This blog will outline the requirements and practical steps that you will need to take before you submit your application.
If you hold a skilled worker visa, you will be aware that you can travel to or stay in the UK to undertake an eligible job with an approved employer. If you would like to, you can also take on a secondary job.
It is important to check that your additional job falls into the secondary job category, which is subject to different regulations than supplementary employment. Our recent blog details the requirements for supplementary employment.
For a job to constitute secondary (or additional) employment, it must:
- Require more than 20 hours of work per week;
- Not be eligible for the Health and Care Worker Visa.
If your secondary job meets these requirements, you will need a new Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). You will also need to apply for a variation of permission, as working this second job is not covered by the existing conditions of your current job.
You cannot apply for further permission to stay for your second job until you have started working for your first sponsor.
After you have started working for your first sponsor, you can make a new application, where you confirm that you want to change your existing permission. This confirmation must include:
- Your full name (applicant);
- Your date of birth (applicant);
- CoS reference number (from the current permission);
- Confirmation of the date when the current permission expires.
If your second sponsor approves your application, they will vary your initial permission and you will now have two sponsors during the period in which both certificates are valid. Your sponsor must arrange for a new BRP card to be issued, and where the CoS reference number is displayed, the card should now read ‘2 CoS as Letter’.
Your sponsor must change your approval letter to state the primary and secondary sponsors and the employment end dates for each job.
You must keep your approval letter and BRP card safe, as they stand as proof of your right to work.
How Gherson can assist
Gherson’s Immigration Team are highly experienced in advising on UK visa matters. If you have any questions arising from this blog, please do not hesitate to contact us for advice, send us an , or, alternatively, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn to stay-up-to-date.
The information in this blog is for general information purposes only and does not purport to be comprehensive or to provide legal advice. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information and law is current as of the date of publication it should be stressed that, due to the passage of time, this does not necessarily reflect the present legal position. Gherson accepts no responsibility for loss which may arise from accessing or reliance on information contained in this blog. For formal advice on the current law please do not hesitate to contact Gherson. Legal advice is only provided pursuant to a written agreement, identified as such, and signed by the client and by or on behalf of Gherson.
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