After you have completed your ID check and Borderless has submitted your application to the Home Office, there are a few ways to keep track of where it is.
Where status appears
Borderless platform: your case page shows the current stage (for example "Submitted", "Decision Pending", "Decision Made"). This updates within one working day of any change. Your timeline now also shows an expected completion date for the current stage and each upcoming stage, based on how long similar recent cases have taken. These are estimates, not guarantees. If a case runs past its expected date, the timeline flags it as running longer than usual and your Borderless contact is alerted automatically.
UKVI account: the application appears under your UKVI account once submitted. Status changes there are usually mirrored in Borderless.
Email: the Home Office sends an email when a decision is made. This goes to the address used on the application.
How long it takes
A standard Skilled Worker visa is typically decided within 6 to 8 weeks of biometrics. Priority decisions are usually within 5 working days of biometrics. If priority service has been selected and the Home Office later requests additional documents, the application falls back to standard processing. For an estimate specific to your case, check the expected dates shown on your timeline. You can read more here: Expected dates on your timeline.
When to chase
You do not need to contact us while the application is "Decision Pending". The Home Office gives no daily updates and chasing does not speed the decision. You can chase if:
The standard route has been pending for more than 8 weeks from your biometric appointment date.
The priority route has been pending for more than 7 working days from biometrics.
You receive an email from the Home Office requesting documents and you are not sure how to respond. Forward the email to your Borderless case worker straight away.
If you need to travel
You cannot leave the UK while your application is being decided. Doing so will be treated as withdrawing your application. If travel is unavoidable, contact your case worker first.
Government guidance: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa
Moving house while your application is pending
If you move while an application is waiting for a decision, update your address on your UKVI account. This does not affect a pending application, either your own or a dependant's, and you do not need to withdraw or resubmit anything.
Let your Borderless contact know as well. We can make sure the Home Office record for your case is updated, and your employer needs your current address on file for their own records.
Update your details here: Update your UK Visas and Immigration account details
What the stages after your ID check mean
ID check: once you have completed your ID check, our team checks it. You do not need to do anything else unless we contact you.
Awaiting CoS assignment: your immigration adviser is doing a final review. Your Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is assigned just before your application is submitted to the Home Office. The CoS then appears in Case Documents once your application shows "CoS Assigned" or "Visa Submitted". If a dependant needs your CoS number, it will be there.
The expected time shown for each stage is an estimate, not a guarantee. Some reviews take longer. Your adviser can see your visa expiry date and works to submit your application before it.
Contacting the Home Office yourself
Once your application has been submitted, you can contact the Home Office directly if you want to. Quote your Unique Application Number (UAN), which is on your visa submission form on the Borderless platform. While your application is still within the standard processing time, the Home Office usually replies only to confirm that the application is being processed.
When the Home Office asks for more information
The Home Office sometimes asks for further information after submission. Usually this comes to Borderless and your caseworker responds for you. Sometimes the Home Office writes to your employer instead. If that happens, your employer should forward the request to their Borderless contact; we provide the wording and the employer sends the response.
You do not normally need to do anything. The document upload link in your UKVI account stays active after a response has been sent, so an active link does not mean something more is needed from you. Once the response is in, the application returns to "Action on: Home Office" and is decided under standard timescales. See Skilled Worker Visa Processing Times and Priority Processing.