post-study work | Foreign Students

New Post-Study Visa Rules Explained

Submitted by Foreign Students on Wed 30/03/11

You have probably heard that new visa regulations were announced last week by the British Home Secretary, Theresa May. If you are already studying in the UK and hope to stay here to work after university then you may understandably be worried about these changes.

Post-Study Work Visas

To make it clear how the Post-Study Work visa regulations have changed, here are the basics:

The Post-Study Work Route that allows students free access to work in the UK for 2 years after they finish studying is being closed.

To stay and work, you must have a job offer from a sponsoring employer. This means that the firm has been registered with the government to accept overseas workers in the Tier-2 visa point system.

The job must be suitable for your skills and the starting salary must be a minimum of £20,000 a year.

This starts in April 2012, so students graduating this year will not be affected.

Working whilst you are studying

There are also tighter regulations on working whilst still a student:

Oxford University Questions Visa Changes

Submitted by Foreign Students on Mon 16/04/12

Oxford University is the latest high profile voice to condemn the changes in visa regulations, whilst welcoming Indian students to continue applying. With changes making it harder to gain a post-study work visa, Oxford Vice-Chancellor Andrew Hamilton wanted to urge potential students form India not to be put off.

The new regulations kicked-in at the start of April, meaning that only a handful of international students will be able stay on and work after their studies in the UK. Since these changes were announced last year, there have been figures from throughout higher education criticising them.

"Confusing and Off-Putting"

Most recently, speaking to the BBC Asian Network, a number of Oxford students, graduates and professors all questioned the motives and effectiveness of the new visa regulations. There are more than 350 Indian students at Oxford University, making them the sixth largest group of overseas students studying there. University heads want to maintain this popularity amongst Indians.

Britain Has Its Cake And Eats It Too

Submitted by Angelique on Tue 15/11/11

International students are an important source of income to the United Kingdom, as proven by the exceedingly high fees, which can range from £10,000 to £13,000 in London. It does not end with high tuition fees, but also with tax on money spent on renting a house, paying for the tube or merely buying some university books. VAT! VAT!

However, recently we have seen that the British government wishes to make it more difficult for international students to enter the country, through either categorizing them as high risk nationalities, or introducing a cap on the number of international student visas issued. Similarly, there is talk of the post-study work visa ceasing to exist meaning graduates must leave to go back home once they have completed their degree. But wait, there is another option to returning home.

Yes we have it. If you are able to find a job related to your field of study where you are earning £20,000 a year then... STAY! The UK seems to have a love-hate relationship with international students.