My visa expires next month: what happens to my gig work

In the next hour

• Check your exact immigration status on your Home Office online status or your Biometric Residence Permit. Do not guess. Do not rely on a WhatsApp group.
• Note the exact expiry date and how much time you have before the platform is likely to recheck.
• Do not let anyone else use your account, even for one shift. Account sharing is the single fastest route to suspension under the Home Office / Deliveroo / Just Eat / Uber Eats partnership announced in July 2025.
• Do not apply for more gig platforms in panic. Each sign-up creates a new right-to-work record.

In the next week

• If you have a valid extension or switch application already submitted, get the official receipt and the Section 3C leave confirmation. Keep it ready for platform re-verification.
• Book a paid consultation with a regulated immigration adviser (Immigration Advice Authority registered) or a solicitor. Free generic advice is not enough when your income depends on the outcome.
• Check whether your underlying visa actually permits self-employment. Student, Skilled Worker and Temporary Worker visas generally do not. Stuart's FAQ is explicit: those visa categories cannot work as self-employed couriers.
• If you cannot lawfully continue, plan a stop date. Carrying on after expiry can trigger immigration enforcement as well as platform suspension.

Tools, guides and templates to use

• plain-English flag for self-employment risks.
• reminders for visa, share codes and platform rechecks.
• the 2025 Home Office crackdown explained.
• if your account was wrongly suspended.

When to escalate

Immigration Advice Authority register at iaa.gov.uk (find a regulated adviser). JCWI at jcwi.org.uk, 020 7251 8708. Migrant Help at migranthelpuk.org. For complex cases, a solicitor listed with the Law Society's Immigration Accreditation Scheme. Do not use unregulated "visa consultants" on Facebook.

Related crisis pages

• if someone else has used your account.
• if platform already suspended you.
• if stopping work creates a tax gap.

Last reviewed

19 April 2026

Primary source used:

• Research/Gap/G3.1-right-to-work-immigration.md