Request for Advice on Skilled Worker ILR Timing and Family Visa Planning

[bharatsingh]

Dear Sir/Madam,

I hope you are well.

I am seeking your professional advice regarding my immigration situation and the best way to proceed with my ILR application and my family’s dependent visas.

I am currently on a Skilled Worker visa, and I will complete my 5-year qualifying period for ILR in early July 2026. My current visa is valid until 10 September 2026.

My wife is on a Skilled Worker dependant visa and she will complete her 5-year residence requirement for ILR in March 2027. We also have two children born in the UK who are currently on dependant visas.

My employer is suggesting that I apply for a further Skilled Worker visa extension using a new Certificate of Sponsorship for a short period (around 6 months buffer), so that my visa and my family’s visas can be extended together before I apply for ILR. The intention is to manage timing and reduce risk around ILR application and dependent visa alignment.

However, I am unclear on the following points and would appreciate your guidance:

Is it possible or appropriate to request a short-term Skilled Worker visa extension (for example around 6 months), or will UKVI normally issue longer durations regardless of the CoS length?
What would be the correct and most cost-effective approach for my situation:
Applying for ILR directly in July 2026, or
Extending Skilled Worker visa before ILR and then applying later?
For my wife and children:
What is the best way to maintain their lawful status between September 2026 and March 2027?
Would they need separate dependant visa extensions even if I apply for ILR?
Would there be any advantage or disadvantage in extending Skilled Worker status before ILR in terms of ILR eligibility, costs, or dependent applications?

We would like to ensure that we follow the most correct and cost-effective legal route while avoiding any risk to our ILR eligibility or our children’s status.

I would be grateful for your professional recommendation on the safest and most appropriate strategy for our case.

[lolo2]

You've been receiving advice about this in your other post, no need to open a new one with a similar query.

UK born children can register as British once either parent gets ILR. UK born children don't need any visa at all before registration if either parent gets or is applying for ILR.

Dependants get a 3 years extension once the lead applicant gets ILR. The extension is under the last route the lead applicant had before ILR.