Living and working in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa often feels like walking a tightrope. One misstep—like a job loss—and you’re suddenly staring down a ticking 60-day deadline to either secure another job or return home.
This is the hard reality many migrants face. Their stay depends entirely on the company sponsoring their visa. If the job ends, so does the visa.
One tech professional, who asked to remain anonymous, shared his experience of losing his job—and nearly his new life—in the UK.
From internship to immigration limbo
In early 2021, he attended a portfolio feedback session online. A recruiter from a global tech firm noticed his work and reached out later that year with an internship opportunity.
“I didn’t need convincing,” he said. He applied, got in, and began working remotely from Rwanda. By the end of the internship, he had secured a full-time job at the same company.
With support from an accounting firm, the company processed his Skilled Worker visa and arranged his relocation to the UK.
The process took more than two months. “I went weeks without updates, unsure if I should plan or panic,” he recalled. But by 2022, he landed in the UK, visa in hand.
Then came the unexpected layoff.
“My name was on the list,” he said. Within hours, the UK Home Office sent an email. His visa was now under review.
He had 60 days to find a new sponsor or leave the UK.
“I was already grieving the job loss, and now immigration uncertainty loomed,” he said. He scrambled to find alternatives: another UK sponsor, a different country, or a return to Rwanda.
He applied to seven UK firms. Six turned him down because they couldn’t or wouldn’t sponsor his visa. One fintech company gave him a chance—and that saved him.
Not many sponsors, not much time
There are nearly 5.5 million registered companies in the UK. But only about 134,000—just 3%—are authorised to sponsor Skilled Worker visas.
Even those who can sponsor may be unwilling to, due to bureaucracy, cost, or limited slots. Some may have already hit their cap for the year.
New salary thresholds make things worse. As of July 22, companies must now offer at least £41,700 (₦80 million) annually to sponsor most Skilled Worker roles. That’s a jump from the former £38,700. Health and care roles have a lower threshold at £25,600 (₦49 million).
Even when a migrant qualifies for a job, companies often back off once sponsorship enters the conversation. “It just means more paperwork,” said another tech worker.
The visa curtailment notice, which arrives by email, doesn’t come with any comfort. It just says the clock is ticking.
“The message from the UK Home Office is coldly detached. For them, it’s business as usual,” the tech worker said. “But for the migrant on the receiving end, the emotional weight is heavy.”
Options run thin, quickly
Migrants have three choices after a curtailment notice.
First, they can find another sponsor—if one is willing and authorised. But this is a gamble, considering how few companies qualify or agree to the process.
Second, they might switch to another visa type—Global Talent, Graduate, or Spouse visas. But each path comes with steep requirements and long timelines.
Third, they leave. After years of trying to belong, this is the hardest option. “Being forced to walk away from that progress is a loss that goes beyond employment,” he said.
Migrants must complete five years on the Skilled Worker visa to qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)—a permanent right to live and work in the UK. One job loss in year four can wipe out all that progress.
There are talks to extend the ILR requirement to ten years. If approved, the stakes for migrants would double.
Migrants are building lives, not just working jobs
The fragility of the Skilled Worker visa means that migrants often live in a state of permanent uncertainty.
“The idea of settling down, building a future, or even staying put starts to feel risky,” the tech worker shared.
Some companies are learning. A few now give advance notice to visa holders ahead of layoffs. It doesn’t make the news easier to digest—but it helps them plan.
Still, for many migrants, their presence in the UK is a delicate thread. Even after building a life, paying taxes, and contributing to the economy, a single layoff can bring everything crashing down.
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