Student (previously Tier 4) and graduate visa
Most undergraduate and taught postgraduate students on student visas are restricted to working for a maximum of 20 hours per week work during term-time. Any time during which students have study commitments (this includes any weeks when the student has study commitments, even if this is outside of the standard term-time) is also included in this restriction.
Paid and unpaid work count towards the student's maximum permitted working hours.
Student visa holders are not permitted to:
- be self-employed
- be employed as a professional sportsperson including as a sports coach
- be employed as an entertainer
- take a permanent full-time job
- work as a doctor or dentist in training, unless they are on the foundation programme.
Students may undertake voluntary work. Any hours spent doing voluntary or unpaid work will count towards the student’s maximum permitted hours of work during term-time.
Following completion of their studies, students may work full-time. Completion of studies is usually interpreted as when the final exam has been taken or after submitting the final version of the thesis (after viva and corrections). In either case, students should not work more than four months full-time on their student visa following completion of studies, unless they have submitted a valid application for a new visa status.
Further information on working on the Student visa can be found here.
Graduate Visa
A Graduate visa gives an individual permission to stay in the UK for at least two years after successfully completing a course in the UK.
A Graduate visa usually lasts for two years. If an individual has a PhD or other doctoral qualification, it will last for three years.
With a graduate visa, an individual can work in most jobs. More information can be found here.