I am currently on a Skilled Worker Visa with a dependent, both valid for five years. Next month, I will complete three years on this visa, and my partner may soon receive her own SW Visa from her employer. I have a few questions regarding the next steps as I have received my endorsement:
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Should I apply for Stage 2 for myself, or should I include my dependent in the “Additional applicant” section?
If the answer is that “I need to apply for my dependent as well”, I have the following follow-up questions:
1.1 Should I wait until my partner’s SW Visa is approved before proceeding with my Stage 2 application? This would help avoid duplicating visa processes for her. If I proceed with my Stage 2 application before her visa is approved, she might need to go through Stage 2 with me and then repeat the process for her SW Visa application. This could lead to additional costs, such as an extra year of IHS fees and related surcharges. -
Considering I will be eligible to apply for ILR very soon (it will be three years for me in the UK this April), is it possible to directly apply for ILR to save on IHS and other fees/surcharges, or is applying for at least a 1-year visa inevitable?
