UKCISA - international student advice and guidance

Graduate route ("post-study work")

Last modified: 12 January 2021

The government announced on 11 September 2019 that there will be a new Graduate immigration route from summer 2021, similar to the previous Tier 1 (Post-Study Work) scheme which ended in April 2012. This route will provide international students with the opportunity to stay in the UK to live and work, or to look for work, after they graduate.

The Home Office released a more detailed fact sheet about their plans for the Graduate immigration route on 14 October 2019. This and the "UK points-based immigration system: further details statement", released on 13 July 2020, include everything that is currently known about how the Graduate route will work.

The specific start date for the scheme has not been announced, only that it will be in summer 2021.

We are still waiting for full information on the scheme, and the start date, and we will update this page as soon as there are further full details. In the meantime, you can also read our earlier news items:

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)

Open all Close all

Graduate route overview

COVID-19 and the Graduate route

EEA and Swiss nationals, and family

Last modified: 02 October 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 should 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.

Skilled worker route (formerly Tier 2)

Last modified: 20 January 2021

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 a Tier 4 or Student visa 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.

Open all Close all

Job-hunting in a pandemic

Deadlines

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 or Student visa to the Skilled Worker route will be considered a "new entrant" and therefore they will need to meet the lower minimum salary in the column headed "70% of going rate". If your current visa was issued to study a degree, PGCE or PGDip, and you have completed it or will complete it less than 3 months after you apply, you are a "new entrant".

You are also a "new entrant" if you are aged under 26 on the day you apply, or if you applying in your home country and your last UK permission was Tier 4 or Student issued for a degree, PGCE or PGDip, and you are applying less than 2 years after it expired.

If you do not meet any of those criteria you are still a "new entrant" if your sponsor confirms on your Certificate of Sponsorship that:

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.

The 70% salary figure will of course vary depending on the specific job. You need to meet the relevant minimum salary or £20,480, whichever is higher. This absolute minimum of £20,480 is a small decrease from the minimum under the old Tier 2 route, where is was £20,800.

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 for 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

Doctorate Extension Scheme

Last modified: 30 October 2020

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

Information about this scheme is available in the Student route guidance.

The university or college where you are studying for your doctorate must be on the Register of licensed sponsors: students. It must also be on the list of recognised bodies or be a body in receipt of public funding as a higher education institution. If in doubt, ask your college or university if it meets these requirements.

You can only apply in the UK under this scheme. You must be a doctoral candidate with current Tier 4 or Student immigration permission. This means you must be studying for a PhD qualification or one of the doctorate qualifications identified on page 69 of the Student route guidance as 'Doctorate qualifications'. Students studying part-time doctorate courses under Tier 4 or the Student route (see Part-time postgraduate courses) are eligible to apply from within the UK if they can meet the requirements.

If you do not currently have Tier 4 or Student permission, you may consider applying under the Student route 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, and some people with short-term permission for the UK cannot switch into the Student route anyway.

From summer 2021, the Doctorate Extension Scheme will merge into the new Graduate route under which PhD graduates can apply for 3 years' permission in the UK to work. It appears that there will not be provision for a current Doctorate Extension Scheme participant to switch into the Graduate route for the balance of the 3 years' permission.

For more information on the application, see Making a Student route application in the UK.

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 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 Student route 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 Student 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 applying 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 (paragraph 6) 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 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.

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 Student route application in the UK.

Maintenance and other requirements

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 or Student 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 or Student 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 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 job with an employer who can sponsor you under Tier 2 / Skilled worker.

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 Start-up schemes for which you will need a Tier 4 sponsor who is also an endorsing body under this scheme.

Contact with your Tier 4 sponsor

You are not required to stay in the area of the country where your 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 by video conference, telephone or email. Speak to your 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 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 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 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: 10 December 2020

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: 12 January 2021

The Start-up route is aimed at people, including those with Tier 4 and Student 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 or Student 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 scheme 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 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.

Open all Close all

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 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: 20 October 2020

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 have 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.

Teacher training

Last modified: 01 December 2020

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:

For teacher training in all four countries, 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 with very few restrictions and can undertake teacher training and work as a teacher.

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

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, and only if the college or university providing the PGCE agrees to sponsor you under the Student route. See our detailed guide to eligibility for 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.

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

From summer 2021, those who join the proposed new 2-year Graduate Immigration Route can train as a teacher under the salaried route. Whether they can train under the non-salaried route will depend on what study is allowed under the Graduate route, which is still to be confirmed.

If you are eligible to apply under the Youth Mobility Scheme visa (T5) 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 Skilled worker, if they hold the relevant sponsor license to do that.

Tuition fees, funding, bursaries, scholarships

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:

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.

Lawyers, architects

Last modified: 01 December 2020

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.

From summer 2021 the proposed new 2-year Graduate Immigration Route may allow training lawyer or architect, depending on what study is allowed for people on the Graduate route. This is still to be confirmed.

Lawyers

If you do not meet any of the schemes or statuses mentioned in the introduction, you will need to apply under Tier 2. However, 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

If you do not meet any of the schemes or statuses mentioned in the introduction, you will need to apply under Tier 2, 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: 01 December 2020

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.

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

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.

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 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. 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 the Skilled worker route. 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 optometrist. From summer 2021 this will also apply to those who are in the UK under the proposed new 2-year Graduate immigration route.

Other options

Last modified: 07 December 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.

Temporary Worker (T5) 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.

Youth Mobility Scheme (T5): 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, San Marino, 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 Youth Mobility visa (T5) can be made in any country (outside of the UK) where you are legally present. It is not clear if this is a concession on the more strict provision of paragraph 28A of the immigration rules which says that an application will only be accepted in a country (outside of the UK) where you have permission to live for more than 6 months. The application form itself also appears to confirm this requirement.
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

Skilled worker route (formerly Tier 2)

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

Teacher training

Immigration and visas

Tuition fees, funding, bursaries, scholarships

Lawyers, architects

Lawyers

Architects

Doctors, dentists, optometrists, pharmacists

Doctors and dentists

Optometrists

Pharmacists

Other options

Case studies

Related content

About UKCISA

Useful links