Post-study work schemes Contents

Annex – UK visas

There are several visas which are relevant to international students during and after their studies. The main ones are:

Tier 4 (General) student visa: You can apply for a Tier 4 (General) student visa to study in the UK if you’re 16 or over and you have been offered a place on a course, can speak, read, write and understand English, have enough money to support yourself and pay for your course, and meet the other eligibility requirements. The visa lasts for four months after the end of a course.

Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) visa: You can apply for a Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) visa if you are a graduate who has been officially endorsed as having a genuine and credible business idea, and meet the other eligibility criteria.
Tier 1 (General) visa: This is now closed to new applicants but was available to skilled workers who fulfilled certain conditions.
Tier 2 (General) visa: You can apply for a Tier 2 (General) visa if you have been offered a skilled job in the UK.
Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa: You can apply for a Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa if you want to set up or run a business in the UK, meet the other eligibility requirements, and you have access to at least £50,000 investment funds.
Tier 1 (Investor) visa: You can apply for a Tier 1 (Investor) visa if you want to invest £2,000,000 or more in the UK and meet the other eligibility requirements.
Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) Visas: You can apply for a Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) for several categories: Charity work, Creative or sporting, Government Authorised Exchanges, International Agreements or Religious Workers. These visas allow you to undertake specific types of work in the UK for a period of one year or for two years, provided you have a Tier 5 sponsor.

Prepared 10 February 2016