If your UK visa is about to run out, you can apply for a renewal up to a few days before it ends. Depending on the type of visa you have, you can apply to renew your visa up to a certain number of days before it expires. For example, if you have a:

• Skilled Worker visa: You can apply to renew no more than three months after getting a new Certificate of Sponsorship and up to 60 days before your current UK Skilled Worker visa expires.
• Student visa: You can apply to extend it up to three months before it runs out (i.e., June if your new course starts in September)
• Spouse visa: The application for a renewal of a spouse visa can be sent in up to 28 days before the current visa expires. Check our Spouse Visa renewal page for more assistance.

Check to see if your visa can be extended, because not all of them can. For example, the UK start-up visa can’t be extended, but if you want to keep running your new business in the UK, you can apply for an Innovator visa. Also, if you have a UK visitor visa, you might be able to stay longer as long as you don’t go over the maximum of 6 months (unless in very limited circumstances).

If you are in the UK and have a valid visa that can be extended, you can apply to do so. If your visa runs out while you’re waiting for another one in the UK, you can be sure that you can stay there as long as you send in your application before your visa runs out.

You can also think about getting a different visa before your current one runs out. But not all visas can be changed from one to another in the UK. For more information, please read our blog post about changing visas within the UK.

Can I get a new UK visa after my old one has expired?
In some cases, even if your UK visa has already expired, you may be able to apply to renew it. The Home Office rules for people who overstay their visas say that UKVI will ignore the overstay if the Secretary of State thinks there was a good reason that was out of the applicant’s control. The application must be made no more than 14 days after the visa’s expiration date, and the reason for the delay must be written into the application. Some good reasons that UKVI will accept are:

• Getting into the hospital for emergency care
• When a close family member dies
• When a school takes too long to send out a “Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies” (CAS).

Instruct me:

Thank you for your message. My name is Atty Lindoven Magsino, BSc, MBA, GDL, LLM, Ph.D. (candidate). I am a Partner & Solicitor /Lawyer and an advocate at Queen’s Park Solicitors. Our main office is located at Suite 4, Stewart House (formerly Glenny House), 56 Longbridge Road, Barking, Essex, England, IG11 8RT, United Kingdom | Telephone: 02036437508 | Fax: 02033931725 |Email: donm@queensparksolicitors.co.uk | http://www.queensparksolicitors.co.uk |Regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA): 566513