Graduate Visa holder with conditional offer from UK defence company – advice on sponsorship and onboarding

Hi everyone,

I would appreciate some advice from anyone who has been in a similar situation.

I am currently on a UK Graduate Visa and have recently received a conditional offer for a Business Analyst role with a large UK defence company. The role requires security clearance, and the company is currently reviewing my immigration documents through their Global Mobility team.

My Graduate Visa expires in October 2026, so I am trying to understand how employers usually handle situations like this.

I would be interested to hear from anyone who has experienced:

• Moving from a Graduate Visa to Skilled Worker sponsorship with a new employer.
• Joining a defence company where security clearance is required.
• Whether people were able to start employment while security clearance was ongoing, or whether they had to wait until it was completed.
• At what stage employers usually begin discussing sponsorship during the onboarding process.

I have not resigned from my current job yet because I want everything confirmed before making any decisions.

Any personal experiences or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!