Hello, everyone. I need advice on my immigration situation. I was previously on a skilled workers visa and working in the UK, when I had a mental health relapse. For context, I battle with depression, anxiety disorder, cPTSD and have been recently diagnosed with ASD and combined ADHD. At the time I was still working, the ASD and ADHD diagnosis had not been made yet but was suspected by my GP.
I had a relapse from severe stress and was dismissed at work in February 2026 following prolonged sickness absence from work and the mental health concerns raised by a mental health practitioner at the time. The combined stress of the job loss led me down a rabbit hole of regression and finally had to contact a helpline with my struggling health.
Long story short, I was advised by an immigration advisor from a nursing organisation to apply for a fee waiver application on medical grounds to give me time to recover, especially since I couldn’t even return home at my current state at the time as I come from an abusive background.
The months after that are a blur as I severely regressed into a childlike state as I am told by the charity organisation that have been taking care of me.
I recovered two months ago and was informed of a legal aid that the charity organisation found to help me process an asylum claim and medical grounds/human rights application. Now, they intend to go through with the application once the fee waiver decision has been made, because it’s now October and a decision on the fee waiver application has not been made yet and i applied in May.
This is my main concern, ever since recovering, all I want to do is go back to work. I had a successful interview with an NHS trust that is willing to sponsor and the interviewer said specifically that I would be placed in an easier ward as they know I just recovered from a long illness.
I was hoping to apply for a skilled worker visa once the COS comes through, but I started hearing that it is impossible and the legal aid said it might be rejected due to new laws and that the asylum and medical grounds claim is the way to go.
I’m worried as I do not want to lose this new job opportunity and and I researched and came across a page saying that I can request that the NHS trust run an ECS request with the home office under the Section 3C leave and that despite the fact that my fee waiver decision has not come in yet that the home office can grant a six month approval to work while the decision is pending.
My main reason for wanting to work despite the legal aid saying otherwise is I really want to promote my independence and start to work to sustain myself. I do not feel comfortable relying on the cha organisation help for i don’t know how long it will take to get a decision on the fee waiver and then a decision on the subsequent human rights and asylum visa claim that the legal aid wants to push.
I’m sorry for the rambling. I’m just looking for advice.