UKCISA - international student advice and guidance

EEA and Swiss nationals, and family

Last modified: 12 August 2021

European Union nationals who come to study the UK after 1 January 2021 are subject to immigration control and need a visa. If you wish to work in the UK after your studies you will need to qualify for one of the work schemes or routes listed on this page.

EEA and Swiss nationals and their family members who were already living in the UK by 31 December 2020 had a deadline of 30 June 2021 to apply under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). Settled status or pre-settled status granted under the EUSS allow you to work in the UK without restrictions. See Brexit - EU Settlement Scheme.

Skilled worker route (formerly Tier 2)

Last modified: 18 January 2022

In order to apply under the Skilled Worker route you need sponsorship by a licensed employer to do a specific job that meets minimum levels of skill and salary. This overview of the route is specifically tailored to those who have studied in the UK with a Tier 4 or Student route visa and who now wish to apply under the Skilled Worker route, either in the UK or in their home country.

Most people who apply in the UK to switch from Tier 4, Student route or Graduate route permission to the Skilled Worker route, and many former UK students who apply later in their home country, are considered a "new entrant" under the Skilled Worker rules about "tradable points". This means they can meet a lower minimum salary than other applicants. (This guide does not cover the other ways non-student applicants can gain "tradable points" but you can read the full details in the Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker, paragraph 4.2)

We cover the basics about eligible employers, jobs and salaries, but for the fine detail of whether your specific job, salary and situation make you eligible for sponsorship as a Skilled Worker, you will need to discuss it directly with your employer, usually the Human Resources department. The Skilled Worker route is new, having launched on 1 December 2020, so you may find that employers take some time to understand all aspects, especially the key differences from the old Tier 2 route that it has replaced. We explain these difference below.

The Home Office has a full guide to the Skilled Worker route for all types of applicant, including students and former students. There are also separate routes for some specialised areas of skilled work: see the Home Office guides to the Health and Care Worker visa, Intra-company visas, Minister of Religion visa and Sportsperson visa.

The international student adviser at your university or college specialises in student immigration applications and is probably unable to offer one-to-one advice on work-based immigration applications, but they may be able to refer you to someone who can.

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Job-hunting in a pandemic

Deadlines

If you are relying on your current degree level studies to meet the definition of "new entrant" (see below), the earliest an employer can issue the Certificate of Sponsorship is three months before the end date of your course. There is an exception for those studying a PhD or other doctoral qualification, who only need to have completed 12 months of the course.

Your deadline for applying in the UK to switch into the Skilled Worker route is the expiry date of your current permission. As long as you apply by this date, your current permission is automatically extended until the outcome of your application, even if its original expiry date has passed. This is a general principle of UK immigration law known as 3C leave.

Given your visa expiry date deadline, and the current job market, it is possible that you may run out of time for securing a job and applying in the UK. If this happens, you can still apply in your home country for a Skilled Worker visa, and there is no time limit for this. You may also still be considered a "new entrant" and benefit from the lower minimum salary: see below for details of who is a "new entrant".

Applying in your home country for a Skilled Worker visa no longer has the extra requirements for employers that the old Tier 2 route had. Both the Resident Labour Market Test and restricted certificates of sponsorship were abolished on 1 December 2020 when the Skilled Worker route replaced Tier 2. The Immigration Skills Charge for employers does still remain for applications from outside the UK.

If you are applying in your home country, and your employer appears to not know that the RLMT has been abolished, or even that the Tier 2 route has changed to Skilled Worker, encourage them to get advice on the new route and its differences from Tier 2. You can refer them to the Home Office publication from August 2020, UK points-based immigration system: further details statement, especially paragraph 16 about the abolition of the RLMT and paragraph 17 about the abolition of a cap on Certificates of Sponsorship.

The Home Office website has full details of how to apply outside the UK. You can access the online application form here.

Employers and vacancies

Eligible jobs and salaries, "new entrants"

The list of eligible jobs is in the Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Occupations. Table 1 includes most of the eligible jobs, with separate tables for some jobs in health and education.

The minimum skill level for most occupations is described as Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level 3, which equates to the UK A-level qualification. This is a change from the old Tier 2 route, where the minimum skill level for most applicants was RQF level 6, which equates to degree level.

The list of eligible jobs includes a range of minimum salaries for each job. Most people who apply in the UK to switch from Tier 4, Student route or Graduate route to the Skilled Worker route will be considered a "new entrant" and therefore they will only need to meet the lower minimum salary in the column headed "70% of going rate".

You are a "new entrant" if you meet one of these provisions:

your current visa was issued to study a degree, PhD or other doctoral qualification, PGCE, or PGDE, and you have completed it, or you will complete it less than 3 months after you apply; or
your current visa was issued to study a PhD or other doctoral qualification and you have have completed at least 12 months' study on that course. Paragraph SW 12.2(f)(iv) of Appendix Skilled Worker says that only a PhD is eligible for this provision, but the Skilled Worker visa caseworker guidance (page 39, Option 6) allows other doctoral qualifications.

For a list of what the Home Office considers to be a doctoral qualification, see the Student route caseworker guidance, page 63.

You are also a "new entrant" if either

you are aged under 26 on the day you apply, or
you are applying in your home country, your last UK permission was under the Tier 4 or Student route and issued for a degree, PhD or other doctoral qualification, PGCE, or PGDE, and you are applying less than 2 years after it expired; or
you are applying in your home country, your last UK permission was under the Graduate route, and you are applying less than 2 years after it expired.

If you have visited the UK since your Tier 4, Student or Graduate permission expired this does not affect your eligibility as a "new entrant".

If you do not meet any of the above "new entrant" definitions you can still be a "new entrant" if your sponsor confirms on your Certificate of Sponsorship that either:

you are sponsored for a post-doctoral position in one of the six occupations listed under option 2 on page 36 of the Skilled Worker visa caseworker guidance; or
you are working towards a recognised professional qualification in a profession listed on the Centre for Professional Qualifications website; or
you are working towards full registration or chartered status with the relevant professional body for the job you are being sponsored for.

You can only be a "new entrant" for a maximum of 4 years' worth of permission under Tier 2, Skilled worker, or the Graduate route. This means that if you are switching from the Graduate route to Skilled worker you must meet a definition of a "new entrant" and your new application must not take you over a total of 4 years' permission (at any time in the past) under Skilled worker, Tier 2 or under the Graduate route. If it does, you will need to meet one of the other minimum salary rates, not "new entrant" rate. You should clarify this with your Skilled worker sponsor employer.

The 70% salary figure for a "new entrant" will of course vary depending on the specific job. You need to meet both the relevant minimum salary and £20,480 minimum. This absolute minimum of £20,480 is equivalent to £10.10 per hour. It had a small decrease from the minimum under the old Tier 2 route, where is was £20,800.

If you are being sponsored in a role whose occupation code falls into Table 2 of Appendix Skilled Occupations, then you will not be able to claim any tradeable points from Options A-E in Appendix Skilled Worker (Paragraph SW 4.2). You can only obtain points under Option F (Paragraphs SW 13.1-13.7). This means that if you are applying for a role from Table 2, you cannot be classified as a new entrant.

ATAS security clearance

Maintenance, English language skills

No evidence of maintenance (your money) is required if you are applying in the UK and you have been living here with a valid visa for at least 12 months. This is the same for any dependants who are applying in the UK. This is now a common new feature of all immigration applications in the UK, not specific to Skilled Worker.

If you have been in the UK for less than 12 months, or if you are applying outside the UK, your employer can confirm on the Certificate of Sponsorship that they will cover your living costs during your first month in the UK, up to £1270. Not all employers will do this, but you can ask. Some employers may also be willing to cover the living costs for dependants in the Certificate of Sponsorship. The rates are £285 for a partner, £315 for the first dependant child, £200 for any further dependant.

If you do not meet either of these provisions, for example you are applying in your home country and your employer is not covering your living costs, you must show evidence that you have held at least £1270 in your own name for at least 28 days. The funds must have been held in your own name. The provision to show money in a parent's name is for Student visa applications only.

If dependants are included in the applications, there must be extra funds of £285 for your partner, £315 for the first dependant child, and £200 for any further dependant. Money for a partner's application can be held in their name or in yours, while money for a child's application can be in their name or either of their parents' names.

In all cases Day 28 of the evidence must be no more than 31 days before the date you apply.

For full details, see the Home Office's Guide to Financial evidence for sponsored or endorsed work routes.

You must have English language skills. A degree-level qualification from a UK institution is one way of meeting this requirement. If you do not have such a qualification, see the other ways to meet this requirement on in the Home Office's guide to Skilled Worker visa > Knowledge of English.

Studies sponsored by a government or scholarship agency

Travelling and re-entering the UK

Starting work

Family, settlement

Immigration Skills Charge (ISC)

Criminal record certificate

Start-up and innovator schemes

Last modified: 08 November 2021

The Start-up route is aimed at people, including those with Tier 4, Student and Graduate route permission, who wish to establish a business in the UK, and who have a business plan endorsed by a Home Office-approved endorsing body. It replaced the Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur route.

The Start-up route has a broader remit than the old Graduate Entrepreneur scheme. Our information here is aimed at those with Tier 4, Student or Graduate route permission who wish to switch into the Start-up route, and those switching in from the Graduate Entrepreneur scheme. You can also apply if you have Tier 2 or Skilled worker permission or if you are in the UK as a visitor undertaking permitted prospective entrepreneur activities.

The full rules and eligibility for this route are contained in Immigration Rules Appendix Start-up. The Home Office website has a guide to applying for the Start-up route and they have published guidance for Home Office staff assessing applications.

The separate Innovator route replaced the old Tier 1 Entrepreneur route and is aimed at experienced businesspeople seeking to establish an innovative business in the UK. You cannot switch from Tier 4 or Student permission straight to the Innovator scheme within the UK, but you can switch if you hold leave as a Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur. Applicants must meet investment fund criteria, require endorsement from an independent endorsing body and must meet other eligibility requirements which are contained in full in Immigration Rules Appendix Innovator. For details of the Innovator scheme, see the guide to the Innovator scheme on the Home Office website.

The below information is specific for the Start-up route.

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Endorsing body, business plan

Your application for the Start-up route must be endorsed by either a Higher Education endorsing body or a Business endorsing body. You can check the list of all endorsing bodies published by the Home Office to see which institutions qualify to endorse candidates.

Each endorsing body is allocated a maximum number of endorsements (usually 25 per year) by the Home Office. You will need to contact endorsing bodies direct to check whether they have endorsements available and whether you will be considered. You do not need to be endorsed by the university or college where you studied, although some institutions have chosen to prioritise their own students for endorsements.

The Start-up and Innovator visa endorsing bodies: Guidance explains on page 20-21 that your endorsing body must be satisfied of that "the applicant will spend the majority of their working time in the UK on developing business ventures" and that these criteria are met:

Innovation: you have a genuine, original business plan that meets new or existing market needs and/or creates a competitive advantage
Viability: your business plan is realistic and achievable, and you have or you actively developing the necessary skills, knowledge, experience and market awareness to successfully run the business
Scalability: there is evidence of structured planning and of potential for job creation and growth into national markets.

If you are switching from Graduate Entrepreneur under the same endorsing body that endorsed your previous application, the endorsing body only needs to confirm that your business is "genuine and credible".

You must also meet these requirements:

You must either be the sole founder of the business or an instrumental member of the founding team, though more than one applicant can be endorsed for the same business if each applicant is a founding member.
You must also be relying on your own business plan, they must have generated the ideas in the plan (or made significant contribution to those ideas) and must be responsible for executing the plan.

Each endorsing body has its own way of assessing whether it will support your business plan. You can seek advice about who does the assessments from your institution's business or enterprise department or from the International Student Advice team.

It is worth enquiring before you complete your studies to give you plenty of time to plan for which bodies you will approach, how their endorsement process works, how to prepare your business plan, and where and when you should apply for endorsement.

Your endorsing body will supply you with an endorsement letter which is proof of your endorsement and is an important requirement for your immigration application. An endorsement is valid for three months from the date of issue, so you must make your immigration application before its validity expires (this will be noted on the endorsement letter).

The Home Office may contact you or your endorsing body to request additional information or evidence to support information contained in the endorsement letter. It is important to supply this information if requested, and the Home Office may refuse your application if they are not satisfied that the endorsement meets the requirements above.

Qualification, knowledge of English

Switching from Tier 4 or Student route

Switching from the Graduate route

Switching from Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur or Doctorate Extension Scheme

Maintenance

Running your business, and other work

Contact with endorsing body

Family

Extending your stay

Students' union sabbatical officers

Last modified: 11 August 2021

You can stay in the UK under the Student route if you have been elected to a full-time post as a students' union sabbatical officer at an education establishment where you are registered as a student. The Student route also covers you if you are elected to a post with the National Union of Students.

You will need to meet the requirements for a Student route application. However, the Home Office does not expect you to study during this period. The Home Office should give you permission to be in the UK for 12 months which you can apply to extend up to a two year maximum if you are re-elected.

You can find detailed information for you, the students' union where you are going to work as a sabbatical officer and your Tier 4 sponsor in Student union sabbatical officers.

For the logistics of switching to the Graduate route before, during or after working as a students' union sabbatical offer, see our detailed guide to the Graduate route above.

Teacher training

Last modified: 21 December 2021

The UK government's Department for Education has a dedicated and detailed "Get into Teaching" website about teacher training in England. The information in this section is taken from that website.

For information about teacher training in other parts of the UK, see these websites:

In England there are two separate training routes:

a non-salaried route where you study at a specific college or university for a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), or
a salaried route where you work at a school, called School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT).

The "Get into Teaching" website has detailed guidance on both routes, and on visas, tuition fees and funding. We do not offer individual advice about the Get Into Teaching programme, but the following guidance is based on their website, with some commentary.

Immigration and visas

If you need to apply for immigration permission to undertake teacher training under the non-salaried route, the college or university providing the PGCE will need to sponsor you for an application under the Student route. The college or university providing the course can advise on enrolment issues, including what evidence of your immigration status they will need to see at enrolment.

If you need immigration permission to train under the salaried route, check your eligibility to switch from Student permission to the new Graduate route. The UK government's guidance on teacher training for international applicants suggests that Skilled worker visa sponsorship may be available on the salaried route, but in our experience this is rare.

Otherwise, if you are eligible for the Youth Mobility Scheme visa (T5) or the UK ancestry route you can apply (in your home country only) for a visa under that route then come back to the UK and work as you wish, including training to be a teacher. Someone who is in the UK as a dependant can also work and study with very few restrictions and can undertake teacher training and work as a teacher.

After your teacher training, if you are offered a teaching job you can ask the employer to sponsor you under Skilled worker, if they hold the relevant sponsor license to do that, and if the job is eligible. Otherwise, if you have succesfully completed a PGCE qualification, from 1 July 2021 you can apply to stay in the UK initially for 2 years under the new Graduate route, during which you can switch to the Skilled worker route.

Tuition fees, funding, bursaries, scholarships

This is general information. For detailed information and figures, see the UK government's guide to Funding: initial teacher training (ITT).

A trainee on the salaried route is not eligible for any bursary or scholarship. Grants are only available for the school providing your training.

On the non-salaried route, a trainee studying a PGCE with Tier 4 or Student permission is likely to pay tuition fees at the "overseas" rate but you can check your personal eligibility for the "home" fee rate in our detailed guide to home or overseas fees.

Similarly, someone with Tier 4 or Student permission is unlikely to be eligible for a tuition fee loan or maintenance loan but you can check your personal eligibility using our guides to student support eligibility depending on the part of the UK where you normally live:

The eligibility for bursaries and scholarships on the non-salaried route is the same as for student support.

Lawyers, architects

Last modified: 12 August 2021

If you are eligible for the Youth Mobility Scheme visa (T5) or UK ancestry scheme you can apply for that scheme in your home country then come back to the UK and work. Someone who is in the UK as a dependant can also work. These types of work visa have very few restrictions on the work you can do. You can work as a lawyer or an architect.

Lawyers

The Graduate route allows applications from those completing some law courses. You may also be eligible to apply under the Skilled worker route. See above for detailed guide to switching to these routes.

If you are eligible for the Youth Mobility Scheme visa (T5) or UK ancestry scheme you can apply for that scheme in your home country then come back to the UK and train. Someone who is in the UK as a dependant can also train.

Pupil barristers might be eligible to apply under Temporary Worker: Government Authorised Exchange (T5) as the Bar Council is a Tier 5 sponsor. This is not an option for trainee solicitors.

Architects

Check your eligibility for the Graduate route or the Skilled worker route.

Your course provider should be able to explain whether you can undertake work between Parts 1 and 2 of your course with Tier 4 leave.

Doctors, dentists, optometrists, pharmacists

Last modified: 21 December 2021

Doctors and dentists

If you have Tier 4 or Student permission, you can only work as a postgraduate doctor or dentist in training if your permission is sponsored by the Foundation Programme.

To join the Foundation Programme you need a valid confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) from Health Education England. You must also have a recognised UK degree in medicine or dentistry from a UK institution and you must have had Tier 4 (General) or Student permission for the final academic year and at least one other academic year of those studies. For more information, see our guide to applying under the Student route.

Having complete the Foundation programme, you can apply under the Graduate route. See above.

If you have leave as the dependant of someone with Tier 4, Tier 2, Tier 1 or Tier 5 permission, paragraph 319D(b)(iii) of the immigration rules confirms that you can undertake work as a doctor or dentist in training under some circumstances. For further advice, speak directly to the Postgraduate Deanery or NHS Trust offering the position.

Optometrists

Check your eligibility to apply under the Graduate route.

Otherwise, optometrists who wish to undertake pre-registration training can apply in the UK to switch from Tier 4 (General) or Student permission to the Temporary worker: Government Authorised Exchange (T5) scheme. See further information on provided by the College of Optometrists.

If you are eligible for the Youth Mobility Scheme via (T5)or UK ancestry scheme, or you are in the UK as someone's dependant, you can work with very few restrictions, including work as an optometrist.

Pharmacists

Check your eligibility to apply under the Graduate route.

Otherwise, pharmacists are covered by the Skilled worker route. Pharmacist is a shortage occupation which means the visa application fee is reduced.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society no longer offers sponsorship under Temporary worker: Government Authorised Exchange (T5) for the Pharmacy Professional Sponsorship Scheme (PPSS).

If you are eligible for the Youth Mobility Scheme visa (T5) or UK ancestry scheme, or you are in the UK as someone's dependant, you can work with very few restrictions, including work as an pharmacist.

Doctorate Extension Scheme

Last modified: 26 October 2021

The Doctorate Extension Scheme (DES) closed on 1 July 2021 and PhD graduates can now apply under the Graduate route instead. This information is for those who already have DES permission.

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Working after studies

EEA and Swiss nationals, and family

Skilled worker route (formerly Tier 2)

Before you apply

After you apply

Start-up and innovator schemes

Students' union sabbatical officers

Teacher training

Immigration and visas

Tuition fees, funding, bursaries, scholarships

Lawyers, architects

Lawyers

Architects

Doctors, dentists, optometrists, pharmacists

Doctors and dentists

Optometrists

Pharmacists

Doctorate Extension Scheme

Contact with your sponsor

Settlement

Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur

Other options

Case studies

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