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Executive Summary
- Only in-country switchers, Health and Care, GBM, Temporary Worker, extensions and changes consume undefined CoS.
- Overseas Skilled Worker hires use Defined CoS and must be stripped out of the count.
- Extensions are the most common omission, pull a visa-expiry-by-month report before finalising.
- Under-request and a mid-year top-up can take 12 to 18 weeks, so build a 10 to 15% buffer.
How should a company calculate how many undefined CoS allocations to request based on hiring plans?
Answer: Build a bottom-up forecast of hires that actually consume an undefined CoS: in-country switchers (Graduate, Student, dependants moving to Skilled Worker), all Health and Care Worker hires, GBM and Temporary Worker routes, plus every sponsored worker whose visa expires that year and any changes of employment. Exclude Skilled Worker hires from overseas, they use Defined CoS. A UKVI-defensible formula: (in-country new hires) + (extensions due) + (changes of employment) + (GBM/Temp intake) + (attrition × sponsored headcount), then add 10 to 15% contingency. Cross-check against last year's actual usage and keep evidence ready for any large increase.
Undefined CoS Allocation at a Glance
Sizing Your Undefined CoS Request So It Survives UKVI
The Legal Position
Undefined CoS cover sponsored roles assigned to people already in the UK, plus routes outside Skilled Worker from overseas. UKVI grants an annual number and reviews it at renewal. In practice they will reduce an inflated request that has no workforce evidence behind it.
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The Method
Forecast bottom-up. Count in-country new hires, extensions due (every sponsored worker whose visa expires in the CoS year), changes of employment, GBM and Temporary Worker intake, then add attrition applied to sponsored headcount. The formula that holds up: (in-country new hires) + (extensions due) + (changes of employment) + (GBM/Temp intake) + (attrition × sponsored headcount), plus 10 to 15% contingency. Cross-check the total against last year's actual usage. Requesting an increase is done in the SMS and can be granted quickly with evidence, or delayed 12 to 18 weeks without it.
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HR Guidance
- Pull a visa-expiry-by-month report before you finalise, extensions are the single most missed input and every sponsored worker eventually needs another CoS.
- Separate overseas Skilled Worker hires into the Defined CoS pipeline so you do not double-count them in the undefined request.
- Assign CoS only once a start date and payroll date are confirmed, because an assigned CoS starts a clock the worker must act within.
- Attach a business plan, workforce forecast or contract win to any request materially above last year's usage.
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Key Risks
- Forgetting extensions leaves existing sponsored staff unable to renew, risking a break in work authorisation and lost headcount.
- Under-requesting forces a mid-year top-up, stalling confirmed hires and start dates.
- Over-inflating without evidence prompts UKVI to cut the number, leaving you short of what you genuinely planned for.
About Jobbatical Expertise in United Kingdom
Jobbatical has supported over 17,000+ international relocations across more than 45 countries, helping HR teams manage immigration operations, onboarding continuity, permit tracking, and compliance coordination.
FAQs: Calculating Undefined CoS Allocations in the UK
This covers the following use cases:
- How many undefined CoS should we request at our sponsor licence renewal?
- What is the formula for calculating undefined CoS allocation from a hiring plan?
- Do Skilled Worker hires from India or the Philippines count towards undefined CoS?
- Why did UKVI reduce our undefined CoS allocation request?
- How do I include visa extensions in my CoS forecast?
- How long does a mid-year undefined CoS top-up take with UKVI?
- Do Health and Care Worker hires use defined or undefined CoS?
- How much contingency buffer should I add to my CoS allocation request?
- What evidence does UKVI want to justify a larger CoS allocation?
- How do Graduate and Student visa holders switching to Skilled Worker affect my allocation?
- Should a US company sponsoring GBM transfers count them in undefined CoS?
- How do I avoid running out of certificates of sponsorship mid-year?
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