UKCISA - international student advice and guidance

Graduate route ("post-study work")

Last modified: 01 July 2020

The government announced on 11 September 2019 that there will be a new 2-year Graduate immigration route from summer 2021, similar to the previous Tier 1 (Post-Study Work) scheme which ended in April 2012.

International students who will complete a degree in or after the summer of 2021 and who hold a Tier 4 visa at that time will be eligible to apply.

The Home Office released a fact sheet shortly after they announced the introduction of the scheme. It covers some basic details and can be accessed here.

On 1 July 2020, the Home Office announced that as part of this new graduate scheme, international students who complete a PhD from Summer 2021 can stay in the UK for 3 years after study to live and work. You can find the announcement here.

We are still waiting for full information on the scheme but will update this page as soon as there are further full details. In the meantime, you can read our news items that cover what we know so far:

Graduate route: what's happening? (24 January 2020)
Chief Executive's blog post about the return of a post-study work route (19 September 2019)
Graduate route: post-study work (16 September 2019)

EEA and Swiss nationals, and family

Last modified: 19 February 2020

The UK has left the European Union but for now the rights of European Economic Area and Swiss nationals and their family members to work in the UK continue. For full details, see our guide to your Basic residence rights.

EEA and Swiss nationals and their family members who are living in the UK can apply under the EU Settlement Scheme. Settled status and pre-settled status allows you to work in the UK without restrictions. See Brexit - EU Settlement Scheme.

European Union nationals who come to the UK after 1 January 2021 will be subject to immigration control. See The UK's points-based immigration system: policy statement published on 19 February 2020.

Tier 2: sponsored skilled work

Last modified: 19 February 2020

This section summarises the Tier 2 (General) route for skilled employment. It is primarily aimed at those who are applying in the UK to ‘switch’ from Tier 4 (General) to Tier 2 (General).

Tier 2 also includes routes for Intra-company transfers (those who are employed by a multi-national company outside the UK which has a UK branch), Sportspersons, and Ministers of Religion. For full details of these routes, see the Home Office's information.

It is important to read the Tier 2 policy guidance before you apply. Your employer will have checked and confirmed your eligibility for Tier 2 sponsorship before issuing the Certificate of Sponsorship, but you need to check for yourself that you meet all the requirements. The information below will be helpful, and you can also get advice from the employer and/or from an immigration lawyer who specialises in Tier 2 immigration applications. The international student adviser at your higher education provider specialises in student immigration applications and is highly unlikely to offer one-to-one advice on Tier 2 applications.

Our September 2019 blog post Tier 4 to Tier 2: no more tears? looks at some recent changes that have made the logistics of switching from Tier 4 to Tier 2 more straightforward.

You can also switch into Tier 2 without leaving the UK if you have or were last granted leave under be in the UK under as the partner of a Tier 4 migrant. Tier 1 migrants, those under the Startup or Innovator scheme, and people with some other work-related immigration statuses can also apply in the UK to switch into Tier 2. If in doubt, speak to your employer. If you have immigration permission in a different category, you will need to leave the UK and apply for entry clearance to come to the UK under Tier 2.

For Tier 4 dependant partners and for anyone applying from outside the UK there are some extra issues or requirements for both the applicant and the employer. These can include a restricted certificate of sponsorship (CoS), the Resident Labour Market Test, the Immigration Skills Charge, and whether the job is considered a PhD level job or a shortage occupation. We have explained all these matters at the end of this section. The Home Office website has details of how to apply outside the UK. You can access the online application form here.

Open all Close all

Employers and vacancies

Skill level

Wage level

This information is specifically for those applicants who are considered "new entrants". A "new entrant" is someone who is switching from Tier 4 to Tier 2 within the UK, or who is applying in their home country and meets the definition of 'new entrant' in in Table 11CA in Appendix A because they are:

under 26 years old on the date when you make your Tier 2 immigration application; or
recruited by a Tier 2 sponsor at a university milkround (check with your employer if that applies to you).

The minimum wage level for each different occupation varies. You will find the relevant wage for your job in the tables we refer to above, under 'Skill levels' above. You cannot be sponsored under Tier 2 if your job will pay less than the minimum wage associated with your occupation.

The lowest salary that any new applicant applying for Tier 2 (General) can be paid is £20,800. Tier 2 (General) applicants who meet the definition of 'new entrant' can rely on the lowest wage for each occupation (or £20,800, if the lowest wage for their occupation is below this minimum figure).

£20,800 is also the salary for certain specific jobs listed in Appendix A from para 79, with a certificate of sponsorship assigned before 1 July 2019:

medical radiographer
·nurse
secondary school teacher in maths, physics, chemistry, computer science or Mandarin
paramedic

While £20,800 is the minimum possible salary, you may be in an occupation where the appropriate minimum salary identified by the Home Office is higher than this.

For example, the minimum salary in table 2 (occupations skilled to RQF level 6 and above) for tax experts is £19,800 for new entrants. If you meet the definition of 'new entrant', the lowest wage you can be offered is £20,800. If you do not meet the definition of 'new entrant', the minimum wage you can be paid is £35,300 (the 'experienced worker' rate).

Sometimes wages below £20,800 are mentioned in the occupations tables. This is because some people who are already in the UK with work permit immigration permission can rely on lower wage levels if they need to apply to extend their leave.

Maintenance, English language skills

Studies sponsored by a government or scholarship agency

Your course and your Tier 4 sponsor

To apply in the UK your current Tier 4 leave must be sponsored by a "higher education provider with a track record of compliance". A "higher education provider" can be a higher education institution, a further education college that provides higher education courses, or a private institution. "Higher education provider" and "a track record of compliance" are defined on page 10 of the Tier 2 Policy Guidance. If you want to confirm that that your Tier 4 sponsor institution meets the definitions, check with them directly.

You can also apply in the UK if you were sponsored by an overseas higher education institution for a short-term study abroad programme.

You must have completed a relevant course, or be about to complete it less than 3 months after you make the Tier 2 application. Relevant courses are:

a UK recognised Bachelor's or Master's degree
a UK Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)
a UK Professional Graduate Diploma of Education (PGDE)

You can also apply if you have completed at least 12 months of study in the UK towards a UK PhD or one of the equivalent postgraduate qualifications listed in Annex 3 of the Tier 4 policy guidance. The concession for those who have studied at least 12 months of an equivalent qualification to switch to Tier 2 is currently only in the guidance for Home Office staff assessing Tier 2 applications (page 45). You may need to refer a sponsor employer to this guidance, because the concession is not yet in the guidance for sponsors and so they may not know about it. It is also not yet in the guidance for applicants.

Your course must also meet all of the following requirements:

you studied at a UK recognised or listed body or at an institution that holds a Tier 4 sponsor licence (and that is still on the register of Tier 4 sponsors on the date on which you obtain your qualification)
you studied the course during your most recent period of immigration permission (leave) or during a period of continuous leave that includes this most recent period of leave
you carried out your study or research for this course when you had immigration permission that did not prevent you from studying or carrying out research in the UK
you studied the course with your Tier 4 sponsor, and not as supplementary study

The requirement that you must have studied your degree, PGCE or PGDE during a period of continuous leave that includes your most recent period of immigration permission means that you can rely on a degree, PGCE or PGDE you completed earlier, even if you are now studying for or have obtained a different qualification. There are some circumstances where you will count as having had continuous leave even though you were late applying for an extension. You will count as having had continuous leave if:

before 24 November 2016, you made an application after your leave expired but within 28 days of it expiring, and you were granted leave
on or after 24 November 2016, you made an application after your leave expired but within 14 days of it expiring, and you were granted leave (note that in certain circumstances the 14 days will be counted differently, starting with the date when a refusal was issued, or section 3C leave expired, or a time limit for administrative review or appeal expired, or an administrative review or appeal was concluded).

Travelling and re-entering the UK

Starting work

Family, settlement

The following family members can join you or stay with you in the UK:

spouse or civil partner
unmarried partner or same sex partner who is not a civil partner
children (they must be under 18 if they have not yet applied to join you. It does not matter if they become 18 during their time in the UK, as long as they do not start to lead an independent life).

The funds requirement for family members is £630 per person. The money must have been held for 90 days before the date of the application. The policy guidance for points-based system dependants lists the forms of acceptable evidence of funds.

An A-rated Tier 2 sponsor can certify on your certificate of sponsorship that it will undertake to maintain and accommodate your dependants up to the end of the first month of their leave, if it becomes necessary. If your Tier 2 sponsor has stated that it will do this to the value of at least £630 for each family member, your dependants do not need to provide further evidence of funds.

If your dependant partner (spouse, civil partner, unmarried or same-sex partner) is applying from outside the UK with you or to join you, and you are a Tier 2 worker in the education, health and social care sector, your partner will also be required to provide a criminal record certificate to support their application. Find more information about criminal record certificates on the Home Office website and in the policy guidance for points-based system dependants.

Tier 2 can lead to settlement in the UK after five years of continuous lawful residence. You can combine periods of Tier 2 leave with Tier 1 leave (other than Tier 1 Post-Study Work and Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur)) to make up the five years. You must still be required for your Tier 2 job. It is also possible to apply for settlement under the long residence rule if you have spent 10 years of continuous lawful residence in the UK with any type of immigration permission.

For full details of how to apply for settlement under Tier 2, see the Tier 2 policy guidance.

For information about applying under the long residence rule, see the Modernised guidance for Home Office caseworkers.

Restricted certificate of sponsorship

Resident Labour Market Test (RLMT)

This information is only for those who are applying outside the UK, or who are applying in the UK and have current leave as the partner of a Tier 4 migrant.

In order to pass the resident labour market test, an employer must have advertised the job in an appropriate way for the sector, and be able to show that no suitably skilled settled worker can do the job. The Home Office decides where the employer must advertise the job, for how long, and the information that must be included in the advertisement. Settled workers are British citizens, other European Economic Area nationals, British Overseas Territories nationals, those with indefinite leave to enter or remain and those who have leave under the UK ancestry provisions.

This information is not in the guidance for Tier 2 applicants, but it is in the guidance for Tier 2 employers. The same applies to information about restricted certificates of sponsorship that are required for applicants who apply for entry clearance from outside the UK. This is because employers, and not applicants, have to prove that they meet these requirements.

You can find detailed information about advertising requirements in the Guidance for Tier 2 and Tier 5 sponsors.

Tier 2 employers can offer a job to some people without having to meet all of the provisions of the resident labour market test. This applies to you if you fall into one of the following categories:

Your job is on the shortage occupation list for the UK (or for Scotland only if you are going to work in Scotland); or
Your job is on the list of PhD level jobs (see above); or
Your salary will be £159,600 or higher; or
You will be continuing to work as a doctor or dentist in training, or you will be working as a specialty doctor in training and your wage and training costs will be met by the government of another country; or
You are applying for leave in order to resume a post in a higher education institution, and you will be employed by the same sponsor as under your previous grant of Tier 2 (General) leave and your break in employment was solely due to a period of academic leave; or
Your job is a supernumerary research position and either the funding is not transferable (you are named on the award), or by your sponsor, where you have been selected on the basis of your own research proposal and the funding of the research is secured in an agreement between the sponsor and a third party organisation, or you are continuing work that was initially funded in such a way.

The February 2020 policy statement The UK's points-based immigration system says that the government will abolish the RLMT from 1 January 2021.

Shortage occupations, PhD level jobs

Immigration Skills Charge (ISC)

Criminal record certificate

Doctorate Extension Scheme

Last modified: 19 February 2020

This scheme is designed to give students who have almost finished their PhD or other doctorate qualification an additional 12 months of Tier 4 (General) immigration permission in which to look for and start work in the UK.

Information about this scheme is available in the Tier 4 policy guidance.

The university or college where you are studying for your doctorate must be a Tier 4 sponsor. It must also be a recognised body or a body in receipt of public funding as a higher education institution. If in doubt, ask your college or university if it meets this requirement.

You can only apply in the UK under this scheme. You must be a doctoral candidate with current Tier 4 immigration permission. This means you must be studying for a PhD qualification or one of the doctorate qualifications identified in Annex 3 of the Tier 4 policy guidance as 'doctorates'. Some students may be studying part-time doctorate courses under Tier 4 (see Part-time postgraduate courses). As of 10 January 2019, such students are also eligible to make an application for the doctorate extension scheme from within the UK if they can meet the requirements. Unfortunately, students studying research Master's degrees listed in Annex 3 of the Tier 4 policy guidance are not eligible to apply under this scheme.

If you do not currently have Tier 4 immigration permission, you may consider getting immigration permission as a Tier 4 student so that you can apply later under the doctorate extension scheme. You should seek advice about all your options before doing this, as it will not always be in your best interests to change to Tier 4 leave, particularly if your current immigration status can lead to settlement. Remember, too, that only people with certain types of immigration permission can make an application to change to the Tier 4 student category from inside the UK.

From summer 2021, the 1-year Doctorate Extension Scheme will be replaced by the 2-year Graduate Immigration Route.

Open all Close all

When you can apply

If your university or college is happy to support your application under the doctorate extension scheme, it must assign you a Tier 4 confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS). It cannot assign the CAS until you are within 60 days of the expected end date of your course. It cannot assign you a CAS after it has confirmed that your doctorate has been awarded.

Academic Technology Approval Scheme clearance

If the study for your doctorate required Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) clearance and your current certificate is still valid, you are not required to obtain a new ATAS certificate in order to apply for leave under the doctorate extension scheme.

According to the Tier 4 policy guidance your ATAS clearance certificate remains valid as long as your sponsor and your course details, including length of course, do not change. It also states that if the course becomes up to three months longer than the length stated on your CAS, this is acceptable, and your ATAS clearance certificate remains valid for this period. This is because as part of your Tier 4 study condition, you are not required to obtain fresh ATAS clearance if your course completion date is postponed by three calendar months or less.

If your certificate will not be valid, you will have to apply for fresh ATAS clearance within 28 days of you being notified of the change in your course details. However, as you will have completed all research, the application for clearance should be processed quickly. It is important that you state on your application for ATAS clearance that you will be making a Tier 4 application under the doctorate extension scheme and that all your research has been completed. You should provide details of the research you have already completed. You need to obtain ATAS clearance before:

your current immigration permission expires and
your doctorate is formally confirmed as awarded and
the "expected end date" on your CAS, if you have already been assigned a CAS.

Expected end date

The "expected end date" is defined in the Immigration Rules as "the date the PhD is expected to be formally confirmed, by the sponsor, as completed to the standard required for the award of a PhD". It is often very difficult to know this date in advance and most Tier 4 sponsors will not be able to set this date until you have had your viva. At this point, it should become clear how much further work and time is required before your doctorate will be awarded.

In many cases, this date will be different from the date which was included in your CAS for study for a doctorate. Your Tier 4 sponsor might have originally used an earlier date, for example, the date on which you were expected to submit your thesis or attend your viva. See below for information about what to do if your current immigration permission will expire before the expected end date under this new definition.

When to apply

You can apply under the doctorate extension scheme after your Tier 4 sponsor has assigned a CAS for this scheme and after you have received Academic Technology Approval Scheme clearance, if you are required to apply for it. You must apply before the expected end date on the CAS. You must also make a valid application before your current immigration permission expires. Remember that you must have held your funds for 28 days or longer before the date of your application so you need to plan ahead and make sure that the level of your funds does not go below the minimum required level at any time during this 28-day period.

It is extremely important that you check that you complete the application fully, provide all relevant information and documents, including the correct fee, attend your biometrics appointment and provide photographs in the specified format. If you fail to meet any of these requirements, your application will be rejected as invalid. If this happens after your current immigration permission has expired, you will no longer have current leave. This means you will not be able to apply at all under this scheme.

For detailed information about making a Tier 4 application, seek advice and help from your international student adviser and see Making a Tier 4 (General) application.

Funds

Family

Working, contact with sponsor

If your application is successful, you will be granted Tier 4 immigration permission for a period of 12 months from the expected end date on your confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS).

If you held Tier 4 (General) immigration permission to study a full-time PhD, your immigration permission will have entitled you to certain work rights during your studies (with some restrictions - see Can you work?). Once you have successfully completed your PhD and have received confirmation of your award (this can be before or after your expected end date on the CAS), you will be able to work almost without restriction. As long as your award has been confirmed, you can also start working without your usual Tier 4 restrictions while your application for the doctorate extension scheme (DES) is still pending with the Home Office. The only restrictions are that you cannot work as a doctor or dentist in training, or as a professional sportsperson or sports coach.

If you have applied for the doctorate extension scheme having held Tier 4 (General) immigration permission to study a part-time PhD, you will need to wait until your application for DES has been approved before starting work. Once your Tier 4 immigration permission under DES has been granted, you can work almost without restriction. As above, the only restrictions are that you cannot work as a doctor or dentist in training, or as a professional sportsperson or sports coach.

You are not required to take employment at any particular level. However, if you will wish to stay on in the UK for employment at the end of your doctorate extension scheme period, you need to find a Tier 2 employer so that you can apply to extend your stay under that scheme. For more information about the requirements of Tier 2 (General), see Tier 2.

You can also work on a self-employed basis. If you choose to do this and wish to remain in the UK as a self-employed person after your doctorate extension scheme leave expires, you might want to consider applying under Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) for which you will need a Tier 4 sponsor who is also an endorsing body under this scheme. Alternatively, you might meet the requirements of Tier 1 (Entrepreneur). For more information about these routes, see our information about Entrepreneurs and other 'high value' migrants.

Contact with your Tier 4 sponsor

You are not required to stay in the area of the country where your Tier 4 sponsor is based and you can move anywhere in the UK. However, your Tier 4 sponsor is obliged to contact you on at least two occasions during this 12-month period. This can be a meeting in person or using Skype, telephone contact or by email. Speak to your Tier 4 sponsor so they can advise how they expect to keep in contact with you.

If you will not be able to make an appointment or other contact that your Tier 4 sponsor has arranged with you, it is very important that you contact your Tier 4 sponsor to let them know. If you miss a scheduled contact without providing an explanation, your Tier 4 sponsor is obliged to report this to the Home Office. The Home Office can take action to cut short your immigration permission if you do not comply with this requirement. You should also let your Tier 4 sponsor know if you leave the UK and do not intend to return before your doctorate extension scheme leave expires or if you are granted immigration permission under a different category.

Options afterwards, settlement

Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur

Last modified: 03 September 2019

The Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur route is now closed to new applicants. See the similar Start-up scheme which has replaced it.

The information below is for people who already have immigration permission under Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur, or who have a pending application.

Open all Close all

Working

Contact with endorsing body

Extending your stay, settlement

Family

Start-up and innovator schemes

Last modified: 03 June 2020

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

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

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

The separate Innovator scheme replaced the Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) category and is aimed at experienced businesspeople seeking to establish an innovative business in the UK. You cannot switch from Tier 4 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 (this includes qualifying Higher Education institutions from 4 June 2020) and meet other eligibility requirements which are contained in full in Part W6 of Appendix W to the Immigration Rules. 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 scheme.

Open all Close all

Endorsing body, business plan

Your application for the Start-up scheme must be endorsed by either an 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.

Appendix W explains at paragraph W5.2 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: the applicant has a genuine, original business plan that meets new or existing market needs and/or creates a competitive advantage
Viability: the applicant has a business plan that is realistic and achievable, and the applicant has or is 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".

As of 4 June 2020, the following requirements must also be met:

The applicant 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.
The applicant must also be relying on their 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. The letter must contain specific details which are set out in W5 of the Immigration Rules. 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).

It is important to note that if you make your application on or after 4 June 2020, 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

Switching from Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur

Maintenance

Running your business, and other work

Contact with endorsing body

Family

Extending your stay

Students' union sabbatical officers

Last modified: 26 October 2018

You can stay in the UK under Tier 4 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. Tier 4 also covers you if you are elected to a post with the National Union of Students.

You will have to meet the requirements for Tier 4 (General) students. 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.

Lawyers, architects, teachers

Last modified: 06 February 2020

If you are eligible for the Tier 5 Youth Mobility or UK ancestry schemes 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 or (from summer 2021) under the proposed new 2-year Graduate Immigration Route can also work.

In all these cases there are very few restrictions on the work you can do. You can work as a lawyer or an architect, you can undertake teacher training and you can work as a teacher.

Open all Close all

Lawyers

Architects

Teachers

The detailed information below is about teacher training in England. For information about teacher training in other parts of the UK, see these external websites:

The UK government's Department for Education has a dedicated and detailed "Get into Teaching" website about teacher training in England.

There are two 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.

Immigration and visas

The Department for Education and the "Get into Teaching" initiative do not sponsor work or study visas for teacher training. If you need to apply for immigration permission to undertake teacher training, you are currently restricted to the non-salaried route, as long as the college or university providing the PGCE agrees to sponsor you under Tier 4. See our guide to eligibility for Tier 4 (General) immigration permission. 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.

The "Get into Teaching" website advises on the page for Overseas graduates that Tier 2 work visa sponsorship may be available for the salaried route. If you currently have Tier 4 permission, you would need to speak directly with the school to check whether they have a Tier 2 sponsor license, and whether they would sponsor you to switch into Tier 2. If not, you will be restricted to the non-salaried route under Tier 4 student immigration permission.

From summer 2021, those who join the proposed new 2-year Graduate Immigration Route can train as a teacher under either the salaried or non-salaried route. Meanwhile if you are eligible to apply under the Tier 5 Youth Mobility or UK ancestry schemes, or if you are in the UK as someone's dependant, you can work with very few restrictions, including training and working as a teacher under either the salaried or non-salaried route.

After your teacher training, if you are offered a teaching job you can ask the employer to sponsor you under Tier 2, if they hold a Tier 2 license. Someone with Tier 4 leave can normally switch to Tier 2 within the UK, but someone with Tier 5 Youth Mobility must apply in their home country. Some secondary school teacher positions are listed as "shortage occupations" in Appendix K of the immigration rules. This means that the employer does not need to run the Resident Labour Market Test before sponsoring someone for this position, even if they are applying from outside the UK.

Tuition fees, funding, bursaries, scholarships

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

On the non-salaried route, a trainee studying a PGCE with Tier 4 immigration 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 under Tier 4 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 when applying in the country where you live:

Eligibility for bursaries and scholarships for trainees on the non-salaried route is the same as for student support. The Get into Teaching website advises on the Bursaries and Scholarships page (footnote 1) that

To receive a bursary or scholarship you must be entitled to support under the Student Finance England criteria. Residents of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will need to be entitled for support as set out by your country’s student finance body (Student Finance Wales, Student Awards Agency Scotland or Student Finance NI). Both elements will be assessed by your teacher training provider.

Doctors, dentists, optometrists, pharmacists

Last modified: 06 February 2020

Doctors and dentists

If you have Tier 4 leave, you can only work as a postgraduate doctor or dentist in training if your Tier 4 leave 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) student leave for the final academic year and at least one other academic year of those studies. For more information, see our guide to applying under Tier 4 (General).

If you have leave as the dependant of someone with leave under Tier 4, Tier 2, Tier 1 or Tier 5, 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

Optometrists who wish to undertake pre-registration training can apply in the UK to switch from Tier 4 (General) to the Tier 5 (Government Authorised Exchange) scheme. See further information on provided by the College of Optometrists.

This is currently the only exception to the rule that applications under all parts of the Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) tier must be made outside the UK.

If you are eligible for the Tier 5 Youth Mobility 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. From summer 2021 this will also apply to those who are in the UK under the proposed new 2-year Graduate Immigration Route.

Pharmacists

Pharmacists are covered by Tier 2. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society no longer offers sponsorship under Tier 5 (Government Authorised Exchange) for the Pharmacy Professional Sponsorship Scheme (PPSS).

Other options

Last modified: 09 July 2020

There are other visa options for people in very specific situations. Most of them can only be applied for outside of the UK, in your home country. There are two exceptions, which can be applied for in the UK:

Turkish workers: Turkish nationals who have been employed in the UK. Those who have been lawfully self-employed while studying in the UK (for example under the Doctorate Extension Scheme) can also apply.
Investors: people with at least £2 million to invest in the UK

All other options must be applied for outside of the UK, in your home country:

Global Talent visa for those who are internationally recognised or likely to become world leaders in arts and culture, humanities and social sciences, natural sciences and medical science research, engineering or digital technology. Applicants must be endorsed by a designated body. Research Councils UK can work with the designated bodies to help you apply under this scheme if you are receiving a relevant Research Council fellowship. The Global Talent visa replaced the Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa is February 2020.

Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) has five sub-categories:
- creative and sporting
- charity workers (voluntary work)
- religious workers
- government authorised exchange
- international agreement (work covered by international law, for example, the General Agreement on Trade in Services, employees of international organisations or other countries' governments).
These schemes allow you to undertake specific types of work in the UK for a period of one or two years, depending on the scheme. A Tier 5 sponsor must issue a certificate of sponsorship (CoS). Tier 5 sponsors are listed together with Tier 2 sponsors. In order to find sponsors with the type of sponsor licence you are interested in, open the full list of Tier 2 and Tier 5 sponsors and search for Creative & sporting, Voluntary workers, Religious workers, Exchange or International agreements. There is a separate list in Appendix N of the Immigration Rules of Tier 5 (Government authorised exchange) sponsors.

Tier 5 (Youth Mobility Scheme): A 2-year visa that allows both work and study, after which you must leave the UK. You must be aged between 18 and 30 and a passport holder of Australia, Canada, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, South Korea or Taiwan. It is also available to British Overseas Citizens, British Overseas Territories Citizens and British Nationals (Overseas).

The Home Office's guidance on where to apply for a visa says that applications for Tier 5 (Youth Mobility) can be made in any country (outside of the UK) where you are legally present. However, this appears to be an over-simplification of some more specific provisions in paragraph 28A of the immigration rules. Paragraph 28A and the Tier 5 (Youth Mobility Scheme) application form both say that a Tier 5 (Youth Mobility Scheme) application will only be accepted in a country (outside of the UK) where you have permission to live for more than 6 months.
UK ancestry visa: Commonwealth citizens who intend to work in the UK. You must be aged 17 or over and prove that a grandparent was born in the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or on a British-registered ship or aircraft. You are also eligible if a grandparent was born in the Republic of Ireland before 31 March 1922.

Exceptional talent: those who are internationally recognised or likely to become world leaders in arts and culture, humanities and social sciences, natural sciences and medical science research, engineering or digital technology. Applicants must be endorsed by a designated body. Research Councils UK can work with the designated bodies to help you apply under this scheme if you are receiving a relevant Research Council fellowship.

Case studies

Last modified: 15 March 2018

Open all Close all

Working after studies

Graduate route ("post-study work")

EEA and Swiss nationals, and family

Tier 2: sponsored skilled work

Before you apply

After you apply

Doctorate Extension Scheme

Academic Technology Approval Scheme clearance

Expected end date

When to apply

Contact with your Tier 4 sponsor

Settlement

Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur

Start-up and innovator schemes

Students' union sabbatical officers

Lawyers, architects, teachers

Immigration and visas

Tuition fees, funding, bursaries, scholarships

Doctors, dentists, optometrists, pharmacists

Doctors and dentists

Optometrists

Pharmacists

Other options

Case studies

Related content

About UKCISA

Useful links