Working with a Student visa after studies

Extra time on your Student visa

How much extra time you have will depend on the total length of your course:

• Less than 6 months = 7 days
• Between 6 months and 12 months = 2 months
• 12 months or more = 4 months

The end date of your course is stated on your Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) statement. It is this end date that UK Visas and Immigration will use to calculate how much extra time to give you after your studies.

As soon as your official course end date arrives, you can work full time until your visa expires providing you have successfully completed your studies.

However, you will still be under the same Student visa restrictions for the type of work you can undertake during this period. You are still expected to observe the working conditions attached to your visa, which include:

• Not filling a permanent vacancy (unless you have applied for a Skilled Worker Visa and completed a degree level qualification or higher. If so, you can start work even if it's a permanent vacancy)
• Not becoming self-employed (unless you have applied for a Start-up visa and your last Student visa was granted on or after 1 October 2019)
• Not working as a professional sportsperson or entertainer

Travelling in and out of the UK is permitted whilst you hold a valid Student/ Tier 4 visa, even after the official course end date on your CAS has passed. You may be questioned at the UK border about your intentions for re-entering, so please ensure you are prepared for this.

You should be able to explain that you plan to apply for the Graduate Route visa from inside the UK before your current Student visa expires. Border Force Officers retain the right to cancel your visa or refuse you entry if they believe that intentions for re-entering the UK are not genuine.

You should not travel outside the UK after submitting any UK Visa application from inside the UK, as leaving whilst an application is pending would result in the application becoming automatically ‘withdrawn’.

Staying beyond your Student visa

If you wish to remain in the UK beyond that period, then you will need to apply for visa permission to do so.

Find out more about the most commonly available visa routes for graduates:

• Graduate Route visa
• Skilled Worker visa
• Global Talent visa