How covering maintenance for employees can increase the speed of visa application

Contemporary UK businesses face many challenges in filling vacancies with the right talent and are hiring international talent from outside the UK to fill these critical roles.

Once the right candidate is identified by the company, the individual will need to apply for a Skilled Worker visa and will be required to use the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) as proof that they have the right to work in the UK.

The CoS will confirm whether the employer will or won’t be covering the maintenance of the employee—a decision that may impact the speed of the visa application.

What does the Skilled Worker visa application process look like?

Understanding the Skilled Worker visa application process can help employers gauge how they can speed up the application process by covering the maintenance costs of employees.

Applicants must have the following to obtain a Skilled Worker visa:

An eligible job offer from a licensed sponsor
A CoS
A job that pays a minimum salary
A good knowledge of English

Once the applicant has proven that they meet the mentioned requirements, they can apply for the Skilled Worker visa online and provide the necessary supporting documents that support the application and also pay the application fee.

Depending on the circumstances, the application fee may cost between £625 and £1,423. The fee may even be lower based on the circumstances. Applicants must also pay the health surcharge and have a minimum of £1,270 in their bank account to support them (maintenance fee) when they arrive in the UK.

If the applicant has dependents, the applicant can also apply for their partner and children. The applicant must ensure that the above-mentioned fees are paid for each dependant. Once the fees have been paid, it could take between 3-4 weeks for the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) to respond to the application.

What does covering maintenance for your employees mean?

The employee can provide maintenance by having £1,270 in the bank account for 12 months.

In the event that the employee is unable to show that possess the required funds they should:

Find the required funds
Wait for 12 months to obtain a statement from the bank

The money is a guarantee that the employee can live and survive in the UK.

The employer can specify that they will cover the maintenance fees, however, this fee does not have to be paid as the employer will simply be acting as a guarantor that in the event that something happens they will help the employee.

How does covering maintenance for your employees speed up the application process?

Before granting a visa, the UKVI will check if the applicant has the minimum required amount in their bank to support themselves when they arrive in the UK.

In the event the applicant doesn’t have the required amount, their application may get delayed or in some cases, rejected, resulting in a delay in the recruitment process.

Covering the maintenance cost on behalf of the applicant enables the employer to expedite the application process and onboard them into the organisation at a much faster speed.

Hiring international talent can often be a complex road and if you’re unaware of the process, it can create a stressful situation for any organisation. At Nation.better, our immigration and legal experts are ready to guide you through the entire process.

Speak to our team of immigration experts today and find out more about covering the maintenance cost for your employees and other ways that you can speed up the visa application process and hire the right talent easily.

How covering maintenance for employees can increase the speed of visa application