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The UK: Student Visa - BRP - NI - PSW - HCS Visa - Skilled Work Visa - ILR

Student visa

You can apply for a student visa to study in the UK if you’re 16 or over and you:

Have been offered a place on a course by a licensed student sponsor
Have enough money to support yourself and pay for your course - the amount will vary depending on your circumstances. You’ll need either:

£1,334 per month (for up to 9 months) for courses in London (Total: £12006)

£1,023 per month (for up to 9 months) for courses outside London (Total: £9207)

Can speak, read, write and understand English

This visa has replaced the Tier 4 (General) student visa.

When to apply

When you can apply depends on whether you’re applying from inside or outside the UK.

Applying from outside the UK

The earliest you can apply for a visa is 6 months before you start your course.

You’ll usually get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks.

Applying from inside the UK

The earliest you can apply is 3 months before your course starts.

You must apply before your current visa expires. Your new course must begin within 28 days of your current visa expiring.

You’ll usually get a decision within 8 weeks.

How long you can stay

How long you can stay depends on the length of your course and what study you’ve already completed in the UK. If you’re 18 or over and your course is at degree level, you can usually stay in the UK for up to 5 years. If it’s below degree level, you can usually stay in the UK for up to 2 years.

Staying longer in the UK

You may be able to:

extend your visa if you’re eligible, for example, to continue your studies in the UK
switch to a Student visa from another visa if you’re already in the UK
switch to a Graduate visa to stay in the UK for at least 2 years after successfully completing your course

When you can travel to the UK

You can arrive in the UK before your course starts. This can be either:

up to 1 week before, if your course lasts 6 months or less
up to 1 month before, if your course lasts more than 6 months

Fees

It costs:

£348 to apply for a student visa from outside the UK
£475 to extend or switch to a Student visa from inside the UK

You must pay the visa fee for each person that joins you.

Healthcare surcharge

You’ll also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your application.

How much you pay depends on how long your visa lasts.

You’ll have to pay:

£470 per year for a student or Youth Mobility Scheme visa, for example, £940 for a 2-year visa
£470 per year for visa and immigration applicants who are under the age of 18 at the time of application
£624 per year for all other visa and immigration applications, for example, £3,120 for a 5-year visa

Dependants aged 18 or over usually need to pay the same amount as you.The exact amount you have to pay depends on how much leave you’re granted.

You’ll pay half of the yearly amount if your application includes part of a year that is less than 6 months. (Approximately additionally £235). You’ll pay for a whole year if your application includes part of a year that is more than 6 months.

Check how much you’ll have to pay before you apply.

Your partner and children

Your partner and children (‘dependants’) may be able to apply to come to the UK or stay longer in the UK. You must be one of the following:

a full-time student on a postgraduate level course (RQF level 7 or above) that lasts 9 months or longer
a new government-sponsored student on a course that lasts longer than 6 months
a Doctorate Extension Scheme student

Your relationship

A dependant partner or child is one of the following:

your husband, wife, or civil partner
your unmarried partner
your child under 18 years old - including if they were born in the UK during your stay

You’ll need to provide evidence of your relationship when you apply, for example:

a marriage or civil partnership certificate for your partner
a birth certificate for your child

Your partner and child must each have a certain amount of money available to them. This is in addition to the money you must have to support yourself.

They must have either:

£845 a month (for up to 9 months) for courses in London (Total: £7605)
£680 a month (for up to 9 months) for courses outside London (Total: £6120)

Dependent Fees

Each person will need to pay:

£475 for the visa
the healthcare surcharge - check how much they’ll have to pay

They may need to pay £19.20 to have their biometric information (fingerprints and a photo) taken.

For more latest information visit: bring your partner and children (‘dependants’).

What you can and cannot do

You can:

study
work as a student union sabbatical officer

You may be able to work - how much depends on what you’re studying and whether you’re working in or out of term-time.

You cannot:

claim public funds (benefits) and pensions
work in certain jobs, for example as a professional sportsperson or sports coach
be self-employed
study at an academy or a local authority-funded school (also known as a maintained school)

If your application is successful, you’ll be told what you can and cannot do on a Student visa.

For more information visit : https://www.gov.uk/student-visa

Biometric residence permits (BRPs)

What a BRP is

A biometric residence permit (BRP) can be used to confirm your:

identity
right to study or work in the UK
right to any public services or benefits, you’re entitled to

You’ll usually get a BRP if you:

apply to come to the UK for longer than 6 months
extend your visa to longer than 6 months
apply to settle in the UK
transfer your visa to a new passport
apply for certain Home Office travel documents

You do not have to apply separately for a BRP.

You will not get a BRP if you use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to prove your identity when applying for your visa. You’ll get a digital immigration status instead.

What’s on your BRP

Your BRP will include:

your name, date, and place of birth
your fingerprints and a photo of your face (this is your biometric information)
your immigration status and any conditions of your stay
whether you can access public funds, for example, benefits and health services

You may have a National Insurance (NI) number printed on the back of your BRP. Not all BRPs have this - it depends on factors like the date it was issued and your visa status.

You’ll need to apply for an NI number if all of the following apply:

there is not one on your BRP
you do not already have one
you’re planning to work, claim benefits, apply for a student loan or pay Class 3 voluntary National Insurance contributions

https://www.gov.uk/biometric-residence-permits

National Insurance number (NI number)

What is a national insurance number?

Your national Insurance (NI) number is unique to you throughout your life but it is not a form of identity. It is made up of two letters, six numbers and a final letter. Everyone who wants to work in the UK must have a national insurance number. To obtain a national insurance number, you must be 16 or over and resident in Great Britain or Northern Ireland. You can start work without one but you must then apply for a national insurance number immediately. The law requires you to apply for NI number if you do not already have one and you are working or are intending to work.

Eligibility

You can apply for a National Insurance number if you live in the UK and have the right to work in the UK. You must also be looking for work or have an offer to start work in the UK. If you have already started working you can still apply.

When you may not need to apply

Make sure you’re eligible before you apply for a National Insurance number. If you already have one you will not be sent a new one.

You do not need to apply if you:

have lost your National Insurance number
are a UK resident aged 19 or under
have a biometric residence permit which has a National Insurance number printed on it
are applying for benefits or a student loan

If you have a biometric residence permit (BRP)

If you have a biometric residence permit (BRP), you might have a National Insurance number already - it will be printed on the back of your BRP if you do.

If you do not have a National Insurance number, you must apply for one if you plan to work. You can only apply when you’re in the UK.

How to apply

You can apply for a National Insurance number if you live in the UK and have the right to work.

To get a National Insurance number you need to:

Apply online.
Prove your identity. After you apply, you’ll get an email telling you how to prove your identity. You may need to post photocopies of your documents or attend an appointment.

It can take up to 16 weeks for you to get your National Insurance number after you have proven your identity.

Apply online

If you have the following documents, use them when you apply:

a passport from any country
a biometric residence permit (BRP)

You can also use a national identity card from:

a country in the EU
Norway
Liechtenstein
Switzerland

You can still apply if you do not have any of these documents but you may need to attend an appointment to prove your identity.

https://www.gov.uk/apply-national-insurance-number

PSW / Graduate Route Visa

If you’re an international student at a UK university, you don't need a graduate job to stay in the UK. When you’re just starting any Undergraduate (UG) / Post Graduate (PG) programs in the UK as international students applying to the university in the UK, you’ve probably one who can stay to work after your degree. Your ticket to staying to work as an international graduate was traditionally a post-study work visa (PSW Visa), which was dependent on you getting sponsored by your employer. However, in July 2021, the UK government launched the UK Graduate Route.

What is the UK Graduate Route?

The UK government has changed both its international student and graduate work visas in the light of the country leaving the European Union (EU). On paper, this creates a more level playing field for international talent competing for job opportunities in the UK. The UK Graduate Route gives you two years to stay in the UK and look for jobs after you graduate, without the need for a traditional post-study work visa that involved employer sponsorship.

The Graduate Route is available from summer 2021 for international talent looking to stay to work after their degree. The new Graduate Route is not permitted to stay and work indefinitely, and it cannot be renewed. After the two-year period is up, if you wish to continue to stay and work in the UK, you'll need to change over to a relevant visa. The Skilled Worker visa, for example, requires employer sponsorship and replaced the old Tier 2 work visa in the UK.

Who can apply for the UK Graduate Route?

You can apply if you’ve completed an eligible course at a UK university and have a track record of compliance with the government’s immigration requirements. Graduates on the route can work flexibly, switch jobs, and develop their careers as required. The Graduate Route is also available to international students who begin their degrees online or remotely because of COVID-19.

Graduate Route UK | Key Facts

- Available to all international grads from any eligible UK higher education provider

- Allows grads to stay in the country to work or look for work for up to two years after they graduate

- It's unsponsored, meaning applicants do not need a job offer to apply to the route

- No minimum salary requirement

- No cap on the number of grads who can apply for the Graduate Route

What job opportunities are there for master's grads in the UK?

As an international student looking towards the Graduate Route after your master’s, a strong career path is a goal. It’s a good time for post-graduate jobs in the UK, and the UK’s post-pandemic economic recovery is set to be stronger than expected. Although the pandemic hit the global economy hard, and job prospects wavered, salaries and hiring are set to return to pre-pandemic levels. Companies are also planning a wave of fresh talent-hiring over the next half a decade.

The Graduate Management Admission Council’s (GMAC) latest Corporate Recruiters Survey showed that 54% of recruiters in Europe think their demand for fresh graduates in the next five years will increase. 86% of companies in Europe are also planning to hire fresh talent in 2021-2026. Things seem to be recovering in light of vaccination rollouts and the return of optimism around the economy and job prospects post-pandemic. And with the UK’s new Graduate Route offering international talent a way into the UK economy after business school, now is a good time to invest in your career and start your business school application.

A Graduate visa gives you permission to stay in the UK for at least 2 years after successfully completing a course in the UK. You must be in the UK when you apply.

Eligibility

You can apply for a Graduate visa if all of the following are true:

you’re in the UK
your current visa is a Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa
you studied a UK bachelor’s degree, postgraduate degree or other eligible courses for a minimum period of time with your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa
you’ve successfully completed that course

Check if your course is eligible and how long you need to have studied in the UK.

How long you can stay

A Graduate visa lasts for 2 years. If you have a PH.D. or other doctoral qualification, it will last for 3 years. Your visa will start from the day your application is approved.

If you want to stay longer in the UK

You cannot extend your Graduate visa. However, you may be able to switch to a different visa, for example, a Skilled Worker visa.

How to apply

You must apply online.

Your partner and children can also apply to stay in the UK if they are eligible.

When to apply

You must apply before your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa expires.

You can apply as soon as your education provider (such as your university or college) has told you that you’ve successfully completed the course you took with your Student or Tier 4 (General) student visa. You do not have to wait until you’ve graduated or have been given a certificate. As part of your application, you’ll need to prove your identity and provide your documents. Your application may take longer if you need an appointment to do this. You’ll find out if you need one when you start your application.

Getting a decision

Once you’ve applied online, proved your identity, and provided your documents, you’ll usually get a decision on your visa within 8 weeks. You can stay in the UK while you wait for a decision.

How much does it cost?

When you apply for a Graduate visa, you’ll need to:

pay the application fee - this is usually £700
pay the healthcare surcharge - this is usually £624 for each year you’ll be in the UK

If you work in public sector healthcare

If you’re a doctor or nurse, or you work in health or adult social care, check if you’re eligible to apply for the Health and Care Worker visa instead. It’s cheaper to apply for and you do not need to pay the annual immigration health surcharge. If you get a job in public sector healthcare after you have paid the healthcare surcharge, you may be able to get a refund.

What you can and cannot do with a Graduate visa

you can:

work in most jobs
look for work
be self-employed
continue living in the UK with your partner and children, if they’re eligible
do voluntary work
travel abroad and return to the UK

You cannot:

apply for most benefits (public funds), or the State Pension
work as a professional sportsperson

If your application is successful, you’ll get a full list of what you can and cannot do with a Graduate visa.

Studying with a Graduate visa

You can only study with a Graduate visa if your chosen course is not eligible for a Student visa. If your course is eligible for a Student visa, you can extend your Student visa instead.

You may need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate if you’re studying or researching sensitive topic

For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/graduate-visa

Health And Care Worker Visa

If you work in public sector healthcare

If you’re a doctor or nurse, or you work in health or adult social care, check if you’re eligible to apply for the Health and Care Worker visa instead. It’s cheaper to apply for and you do not need to pay the annual immigration health surcharge. If you get a job in public sector healthcare after you have paid the healthcare surcharge, you may be able to get a refund.

A Health and Care Worker visa allows medical professionals to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job with the NHS (National Health Service), an NHS supplier or in adult social care.

Eligibility

Your job

To qualify for a Health and Care Worker visa, you must:

be a qualified doctor, nurse, health professional, or adult social care professional
work in eligible health or social care job
work for a UK employer that’s been approved by the Home Office
have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your employer with information about the role you’ve been offered in the UK
be paid a minimum salary - how much depends on the type of work you do

You must have a confirmed job offer before you apply for your visa.

Knowledge of English

You must be able to speak, read, write and understand English. You’ll usually need to prove your knowledge of English when you apply.

How long you can stay

Your visa can last for up to 5 years before you need to extend it. You’ll need to apply to extend or update your visa when it expires or if you change jobs or employer.

If you want to stay longer in the UK

You can apply to extend your visa as many times as you like as long as you still meet the eligibility requirements. After 5 years, you may be able to apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’). This gives you the right to live, work and study here for as long as you like, and apply for benefits if you’re eligible.

How to apply

You must apply online.

How you apply depends on whether you’re:

outside the UK and are coming to the UK
inside the UK and extending your current visa
inside the UK and switching from a different visa

If you want to change your job or employer, you must apply to update your visa. You can include your partner and children in your application to stay in the UK if they are eligible.

How long it takes

You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before the day you are due to start work in the UK. This date is listed on your certificate of sponsorship. As part of your application, you’ll need to prove your identity and provide your documents. You may need to allow extra time if you need an appointment to do this. You’ll find out if you need one when you start your application.

Getting a decision

Once you’ve applied online, proved your identity, and provided your documents, you’ll usually get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks. If you need to go to an appointment, you may be able to pay for a faster decision. How you do this depends on whether you’re outside the UK or inside the UK.

How much does it cost?

When you apply for a Health and Care Worker visa, you’ll need to have enough money to:

pay the application fee
support yourself when you arrive in the UK - you’ll usually need to have at least £1,270 available (unless you’re exempt).

You’ll be told how much you need to pay when you apply.

Application fees

The standard application fee depends on whether you’ll be in the UK for:

up to 3 years - £232 per person
more than 3 years - £464 per person

The fee is the same whether you apply from inside or outside the UK.

Money to support yourself

You must have at least £1,270 in your bank account to show you can support yourself in the UK. You will need to have had the money available for at least 28 days in a row. Day 28 must be within 31 days of applying for this visa.

You’ll usually need to show proof of this when you apply, unless either:

you’ve been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months
your employer can cover your costs during your first month in the UK

Your partner and children will also need to prove they can support themselves while they’re in the UK. Check how much they’ll need.

If your employer can support you instead

Your certificate of sponsorship must confirm this. Your employer will need to complete the ‘sponsor certifies maintenance’ section on your certificate. This is under ‘Additional data’.

Healthcare surcharge

You - and your partner or children - will not have to pay the healthcare surcharge.

What you can and cannot do

You can:

work in an eligible job
take on additional work in certain circumstances
do voluntary work
study
bring your partner and children with you as your ‘dependants’, if they’re eligible
travel abroad and return to the UK
apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’) if you’ve lived in the UK for 5 years and meet the other eligibility requirements

You cannot:

apply for most benefits (public funds), or the State Pension
change jobs or employer unless you update your visa

If your application is successful, you’ll get a full list of what you can and cannot do with a Health and Care Worker visa.

https://www.gov.uk/health-care-worker-visa

Skilled Worker visa

Overview

A Skilled Worker visa allows you to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job with an approved employer. This visa has replaced the Tier 2 (General) work visa.

Eligibility

To qualify for a Skilled Worker visa, you must:

Work for a UK employer that’s been approved by the Home Office
Have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your employer with information about the role you’ve been offered in the UK
Do a job that’s on the list of eligible occupations
Be paid a minimum salary - how much depends on the type of work you do

You must have a confirmed job offer before you apply for your visa.

How long you can stay

Your Skilled worker visa can last for up to 5 years before you need to extend it. You’ll need to apply to extend or update your visa when it expires or if you change jobs or employer.

If you want to stay longer in the UK

How long it takes

Getting a decision

Once you’ve applied online, proved your identity, and provided your documents, you’ll usually get a decision on your visa within:

3 weeks, if you’re outside the UK
8 weeks, if you’re inside the UK

If you need to go to an appointment, you may be able to pay for a faster decision. How you do this depends on whether you’re outside the UK or inside the UK.

How much it costs

You, your partner or children will each need to:

pay the application fee
pay the healthcare surcharge for each year of your stay
prove you have enough personal savings

If you work in public sector healthcare

What you can and cannot do

With a Skilled Worker visa you can:

Work in an eligible job
Study
Bring your partner and children with you as your ‘dependants’, if they’re eligible
Take on additional work in certain circumstances
Do voluntary work
Travel abroad and return to the UK
Apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’) if you’ve lived in the UK for 5 years and meet the other eligibility requirements.

You cannot:

apply for most benefits (public funds), or the State Pension
change jobs or employer unless you apply to update your visa

If your application is successful, you’ll get a full list of what you can and cannot do with a Skilled Worker visa.

Your job

You must meet all of the following requirements to be eligible for a Skilled Worker visa:

Your job is eligible for this visa
You’ll be working for a UK employer that’s been approved by the Home Office
You’ll be paid at least the minimum salary for the type of work you’ll be doing

The minimum salary for the type of work you’ll be doing is whichever is the highest out of the following 3 options:

£25,600 per year
£10.10 per hour
the ‘going rate’ for the type of work you’ll be doing

Check if your job is eligible

Before you can find out if your job is eligible, you need to know its 4-digit occupation code. If you already have a job offer, ask your employer for your occupation code.

Look up your job’s occupation code

If you do not know your code, you can search for your job in the ONS occupation coding tool.

Not every job title is included. If you cannot find your exact job title, try searching for similar jobs. Make sure the job description matches what you’ll be doing. Some similar jobs have different codes, for example, chefs and cooks. Chefs are eligible for a Skilled Worker visa, but cooks are not.

Check if an occupation code is eligible for this visa

When you know your occupation code, view the table of eligible jobs to see if it’s included. The table is very large. It’s sorted in order of occupation code, with the smallest numbers at the top. You may be able to use your web browser to search for your code on the page.

Salary requirements

You’ll usually need to be paid at least £25,600 per year or £10.10 per hour, whichever is higher. If the ‘going rate’ for your job is higher than both of these, you’ll usually need to be paid at least the going rate.

Example

Your salary is £27,000 per year, but the annual going rate for the job you’ll be doing is £30,000. You do not meet the usual salary requirements for this visa.

Each occupation code has its own annual going rate. Check the going rate for your job in the going rates table.

If you work in healthcare or education

There are different salary rules if you work in some healthcare or education jobs, where the going rate is based on national pay scales.

When you can be paid less

If you do not meet the usual salary requirements, and you do not work in healthcare or education, you might still be eligible if your salary will be at least £20,480 per year and at least £10.10 per hour.

Check when you can be paid less.

You must have a job offer from an approved UK employer before you apply for a Skilled Worker visa. Approved employers are also known as sponsors because they are sponsoring you to come to or stay in the UK.

View the list of approved UK employers.

If your employer is not currently approved, they can apply for a sponsor license if they’re eligible. They’ll need to pay a fee - £536 for small businesses and charities or £1,476 for medium and large organisations. It usually takes around 8 weeks to process a license application.

If you already have a job offer from an approved employer

Your employer - also known as your sponsor - will check that you meet the eligibility requirements. They’ll give you a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ to prove this. The certificate of sponsorship is an electronic record, not a physical document. It will have a reference number, which you’ll need for your visa application. You must apply for your visa within 3 months of getting your certificate of sponsorship.

For more information visit: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa

ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) Continuous residence

How to get ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) / Continuous residence?

Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) is also commonly referred to as 'Permanent Residence'. If you are a foreign national and you are granted Indefinite Leave to Remain, you will have permission to live and work in the UK without restriction.

Visa categories that can lead to Indefinite Leave to Remain include:

Spouse visa / Unmarried partner visa (after 2 years for visas issued prior to 9 July 2012)
Tier 1 visa / UK work permit (after 5 years)
UK ancestry visa (after 5 years)
EU nationals and dependents (after 5 years)
Long residence (after 10 years legal residency in the UK)

ILR Qualification Criteria

To qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain you must satisfy the following criteria:

You must complete 5 years of continuous residence in the UK and adhere to certain income requirements
Keep a detailed record of any absences from the UK over the last 5 years, as any lengthy absences may impact your application
You must demonstrate a good knowledge of language and life in the UK, by way of the Life in the UK' test - a compulsory 45-minute test devised for foreign nationals seeking indefinite leave to remain in the UK or naturalization as a British citizen

The 5 years can include residency in the UK on another visa if it was one of the following:

Tier 2 (General) or Skilled Worker
Tier 2 Minister of Religion
Tier 2 Sportsperson
Tier 1, but not Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur)
Representative of an Overseas Business
Global Talent
Innovator

Salary requirements

You’ll usually need to be paid at least £25,600 per year unless the ‘going rate’ for your job is higher than this.

Example

Your salary is £27,000 per year, but the annual going rate for the job you’ll be doing is £30,000. You do not meet the usual salary requirements for this visa.

Each occupation code has its own annual going rate. Check the going rate for your job in the going rates table.

If you work in healthcare or education

There are different salary rules if you work in some healthcare or education jobs, where the going rate is based on national pay scales.

When you can be paid less

If you do not meet the usual salary requirements, and you do not work in healthcare or education, you might still be eligible if your annual salary will be at least £20,480.

You do not have to be paid £25,600 if the main job you’re sponsored for:

is on the list of healthcare and education shortage occupations
is on the list of all other shortage occupations
was on one of these lists when you applied for your Tier 2 (General) or Skilled Worker visa

You also do not have to be paid £25,600 if you were sponsored for a Tier 2 (General) visa in one of the following occupation codes:

2111 Chemical scientists
2112 Biological scientists and biochemists
2113 Physical scientists
2114 Social and humanities scientists
2119 Natural and social science professionals not elsewhere classified
2150 Research and development managers
2311 Higher education teaching professionals

How long is Indefinite Leave to Remain valid for?

There is no time limit on Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, however, it is important to note that you should not spend periods of more than two years outside the UK as this may lead to the loss of ILR.

Indefinite Leave to Remain and the pathway to British Citizenship

You may be eligible to apply for British Citizenship 1 year after being granted Indefinite Leave to Remain.

Loss of Indefinite Leave to Remain

There are a number of circumstances that may cause you to lose your Indefinite Leave To Remain status. For example, if you leave the UK and upon return are granted leave to enter the UK other than for an indefinite period. This may occur because you mistakenly seek to enter as a visitor, or the immigration officer believes that you do not intend to reside in the UK.

Indefinite Leave To Remain may also be revoked if you commit an offense that could lead to you being deported from the UK, or for reasons of national security. You may also lose ILR status by leaving the UK for a period of more than two years, however, in some circumstances, you may be able to reapply. Please note that British Overseas citizens, British subjects, and British-protected persons do not lose their Indefinite Leave To Remain status no matter how long they stay outside the UK.

https://www.gov.uk/settle-in-the-uk/y/you-have-a-work-visa/tier-2-general-visa

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