The application tells you which documents to supply. Start early with your permission history, employer confirmation, relevant pay records and any required test result.
Understand the application first
ILR means indefinite leave to remain. It is also called settlement. This guide concerns the main applicant settling through a Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker route, rather than every route to settlement.
GOV.UK says the application will tell you which documents to provide. Its examples include evidence of the salary requirement, a required Life in the UK Test result and a sponsor document confirming you are still needed for the job. Sources were checked on 14 October 2026.
Ask the employer about confirmation
A sponsor is the organisation sponsoring your work permission. The settlement overview says you must continue to be needed for the job and meet the salary requirements after settlement. Your employer must provide confirmation.
Ask what information the employer needs and how long the letter takes. Do not leave that request until the day you want to submit. Keep the response with the employer’s record.
Check pay records for names, dates and unexplained differences. Ask about any correction before presenting the records as if they all agree.
Keep history that helps answer the questions
Keep passports, permission decisions and previous sponsorship information in date order. Record actual travel dates and which documents support them. If a date is uncertain, mark it as uncertain.
A useful personal collection may include payslips and matching bank records. That is a preparation choice, not a universal Home Office instruction to collect every month since arrival or exactly six statements. Follow the request made in the application.
For an application before 26 March 2027, the main-applicant guidance currently says English does not need to be proved again. Do not use that statement as a promise for a later application. The published Skilled Worker rules require English speaking and listening at B2 from 26 March 2027, unless an exemption applies. B2 is a language proficiency level. Check the accepted evidence for your application date; earlier proof may need to meet the higher level. Check Life in the UK separately, and use a dependant’s own checklist.
Review the pack before sharing or submitting
Made-up example: a worker has the pay records ready but no current sponsor confirmation. The gap is the employer document, not the number of files in the folder. He requests it and keeps the answer.
Open the originals, check the summary against them and identify missing pages or conflicting dates. REKODHA helps organise these checks. It does not decide whether you meet residence or salary requirements.
Partners and children need their own eligibility and evidence checks. If previous routes, absences or family circumstances make the answer unclear, prepare the history for a regulated immigration professional.
A small step you can take today
Use this checklist to review your starting point.
These ticks are a reading aid and are not saved to your account.
How REKODHA can help
Evidence Library →Keep your documents and a note of what they show.Work, study & support →Keep details of your employer, school or person supporting you.Travel →Record when you left, when you returned and who travelled.Prepare & share →Check your records and put a pack together to share.Sources and further reading
- GOV.UK: Applying for sponsored-worker settlement ↗
- GOV.UK: Sponsored-worker settlement overview ↗
- GOV.UK: Life in the UK Test and exemptions ↗
- Immigration Rules: Appendix Skilled Worker — English requirement from 26 March 2027 ↗
These links explain the rules mentioned in this article. The examples are made up. Check the latest official guidance before you act.
REKODHA is independent of the Home Office. It helps you keep records and get ready for your next step. For advice about your own case, speak to a regulated immigration professional.