What Does “Employment for the Foreseeable Future” Mean in ILR Applications for Skilled Workers?
When applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain under the Skilled Worker route, one of the key requirements is that the applicant’s sponsor must confirm ongoing employment. Under paragraph SW 24.2 of the Immigration Rules, the sponsor must confirm that “they still require the applicant to work for them for the foreseeable future, and that the applicant is paid, and will be paid for the foreseeable future, at least the salary in SW 24.3.”
In simple terms, the employer needs to confirm three things:
- The applicant is still required in their current sponsored role.
- The employment is expected to continue for the foreseeable future (with no known plans to end or significantly change it).
- The applicant is being paid, and will continue to be paid, at or above the required salary level set out in SW 24.3.
What does “foreseeable future” actually mean?
The term “foreseeable future” is not defined precisely in the Rules, but in practice it means a reasonable and genuine expectation that the employment will continue beyond the immediate or short term, typically, for at least several months, and with no known end date at the time of the application.
In other words, the role should be ongoing and permanent, with no current plans or circumstances that would lead the employer to terminate or significantly alter the employment in the near future. The sponsor must be able to say honestly that, based on what is known at the time, they expect the applicant to remain employed in the same role.
No guarantee needed — just a genuine expectation!
Importantly, this does not mean that the employer must guarantee employment forever or for a specific number of years. The Home Office simply expects a reasonable, good-faith statement that the employment is stable and continuing at the time of the ILR application.
The purpose of this requirement is to ensure that the employment is genuine, sustainable, and stable. Once a person is granted ILR, they gain access to public funds and certain benefits which are not available to temporary visa holders. The Home Office therefore wants to ensure that new ILR holders are financially independent and not likely to become reliant on public funds immediately after settlement. It also helps to verify that the sponsorship is genuine and not arranged solely to secure settlement.
