Skilled Worker Visa CoS duration and BRP duration do not match and visa charges

[JANESMITH023]

Hi there,

Hope all is well and thanks for your patience, assistance and information in advance.

With regards to my current Skilled Worker Visa I was wondering if you could possibly shed some lights on the following questions,
 
1. My Certificate of Sponsorship CoS issued in Dec 2020 says the start date is 07 Dec 2020 (my actual work start date) and end date 06 Dec 2023 but my BRP says the date of issue is 06 Jan 2021 and is valid until 20 Dec 2023. Both the start date and the end date do not match. I was wondering which ones are the actual duration of my current Skilled Worker Visa? I heard the visa duration is the CoS duration. Is that correct? Also, the CoS duration includes the start and end dates stated on it right?

2. If 07 Dec 2020 was my actual Skilled Worker Visa start date then on 07 Dec 2025 I would be continuously staying in the UK for 5 years and would be eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) if my understanding is correct?

3. The company says they would help me apply for a 3-year Skilled Worker Extension in Sep 2023. I am aware that the visa fees and the IHS surcharge are related to the the duration of my visa and I want to save money (I would bear the visa fee and the IHS surcharge by my own). And surely I want to apply for ILR in the future. Hence in theory I would not need another 3-year Skilled Worker Visa but instead a Skilled Worker Visa from 06 Dec 2023 to 07 Dec 2025 would be enough (which is an exact 2-year one)(please do correct me if I am wrong).  Is that correct?

4. For the purpose of saving visa fees and IHS surcharge and becoming eligible for ILR, what specific start and end dates of my new/extended Skilled Worker Visa would you suggest?

Kind regards,
James

[CR001]

Your visa validity dates are the dates on your brp. It is not your CoS dates. A cos is only to facilitate applying for the visa. A skilled worker visa is usually has an extar 14 days added to the end date if the cos

If you applied withing rhe uk, your visa start date is also noted in your approval lettet.

If you applied from abtoad, your visa start date is the valid from date on the initial visa vignette.