Switching from Dependant Visa to Self-Sponsorship Through New Company – Need Guidance

[MRK09]

Hi there,

What is the correct and safest process for switching from a Skilled Worker Dependant visa to a self-sponsorship visa through a new IT consultancy company that I plan to start in the UK? I would like to understand how to set up the company so that it can later sponsor me, how long the business should operate before applying for a Sponsor Licence, what genuine trading evidence the Home Office expects from a newly formed company, whether I can continue my current full-time job while preparing the business and during the visa switch, how the company can legally issue a Certificate of Sponsorship to me once the licence is approved, and what compliance risks exist when the founder/director of the company is also the sponsored employee.