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International students can work in the UK, but it is the nationality that will determine what conditions you need to meet so that you can work in that country.

* If you are from a European Economic Area (EEA) country (Austria Belgium, Republic of Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and UK) you can work in the UK and don't need any permission to work. Be ready to show an employer your passport or identity card as proof you are a national of one of the above EEA countries.

* If you are from Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia you can work in the UK but you need to check whether you need to register under the Worker Registration Scheme on the Working in the UK website at: www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk - click on 'Working in the UK' and scroll down to 'Worker Registration Scheme'.

* If you are a student from Bulgaria and Romania you can also work in the UK but you need to check whether you need to register under the Worker Authorisation Scheme on the Working in the UK website at: www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk - click on 'Working in the UK' and then click on 'Bulgarian and Romanian nationals' and follow the appropriate links.

* If you are a student from outside the European Economic Area and your application for leave to stay in the UK as a student has been successful, you should be given a passport sticker that allows you to:

- work part-time up to 20 hours a week during term time and work full-time during your holidays
- work full-time at the end of your studies,
- during the period when your course has finished but your immigration permission to be in the UK has not yet expired (normally for a maximum period of four months)
- work full-time when your studies have finished, while you wait to hear whether an International Graduates Scheme application is successful (provided you make your application for the International Graduates Scheme before your student immigration permission expires);
- you can carry on working full-time even after your student immigration permission expires if you are still waiting for a decision on your International Graduates Scheme application at that stage (until a decision is made)
- take a work placement with an employer (sandwich students), and
- take an internship placement with an employer.

However, while in the UK with permission as a student, you must be able to show that you can afford to study and live in the UK without needing to work.

You should not work if your visa or entry clearance sticker or immigration stamp or UK Residence Permit states 'No work or recourse to public funds' or 'No recourse to public funds. Work prohibited'.

Hours and types of work you can do:

As an international student from outside the EEA, you may not:

* work for more than 20 hours a week during term time, except in the case of an agreed work placement or internship

* engage in business, self-employment or provide services as a professional sportsperson or entertainer pursue a career by filling a permanent full-time vacancy.

Permission to work for international students:

All international students from outside the EEA who have been given permission to study in the UK (except student visitors) are authorised to work, subject to the conditions above. You don't need permission from a Jobcentre Plus office or individual permission from the Department for Work and Pensions or from the Border and Immigration Agency for a sandwich course or internship placement.

Student visa or passport stamp:

An entry clearance or immigration officer's stamp that allows a student to study states: 'No recourse to public funds. Work (and any changes) must be authorised'. If these words appear in your passport, you are allowed to work in the UK, subject to the conditions above.

If you have been granted an extension of stay as a student by the Home Office Border and Immigration Agency, the United Kingdom Residence Permit (UKRP) in your passport will state, 'Limited leave to remain in the UK. No recourse to public funds. Able to work as authorised by the Secretary of State'. The permit will state the date on which your permission to remain in the UK will expire. Consent or authorisation on an individual basis from the UK government is no longer required. You are authorised to work in the UK, subject to the conditions above.


Working my way through college or university:

You must be able to support and accommodate yourself and any dependants without working in the UK and without recourse to public funds (these are described in the Home Office leaflet Information about students).

However, when your means are assessed, anticipated income can be taken into account if your UK institution:

- is a publicly funded institution of further or higher education which is itself providing and guaranteeing the employment (and has provided details of how much you will earn),

- or is able, if you are a sandwich course student, to guarantee that there is a job available and how much you will earn. You can use accumulated savings from your work in the UK to show you have the financial means to take another course if you wish to continue studying in the UK.

Sandwich course: A sandwich course is a course that includes a clearly defined work placement, which is approved by the institution providing the course. Students subject to conditions restricting employment are allowed to follow a sandwich course provided that:

- the course leads to a degree or to a qualification awarded by a nationally recognised examining body,

- and the work placement must be clearly defined,

- be approved by the university or college providing the course and

- must not extend beyond the end of the course.

Internship:

An internship is a short period of paid work, which an employer may offer a potential employee. The internship may be offered to a student on a first or higher degree course in the UK, even if the potential permanent employment is outside the UK.

You can take an internship, provided:

- you have not previously undertaken an internship with that employer
- the internship is not for longer than three months
- it is an established part of the employer's recruitment procedure
- it offers pay and conditions of employment comparable to those for a 'resident worker' doing the same kind of work
- it is completed within the current period of leave as a student.


Working while studying:

Applicants who meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules for students are normally given immigration conditions in their passports that allow them to work part-time up to 20 hours a week during term-time and full-time during vacations.

From 1 September 2007 students on courses of six months or less who do not wish to take part-time employment, undertake a work placement/internship (paid or unpaid) as part of their course or extend their stay in the UK can enter the UK under the new category of Student Visitor. Such students are given leave that prohibits employment.

If a student, on a short course of six months or less, wishes to work (subject to the conditions above) the student will need to apply for a student entry clearance before arriving in the UK.


National Insurance number:

You will need to apply for a National Insurance number but you do not need to have received your National Insurance number before you can start work. You can make an appointment for a National Insurance number interview by telephoning 0845 600 0643, between 0800 and 1800 Monday to Friday.

At the interview you will need to prove your identity and right to work in the UK (for example, by providing a document such as your passport, birth certificate or bank statement) and details of when you received a job offer or started work.

Your employer can allow you to start work, before your National Insurance number is issued and should deduct National Insurance contributions. It may take between six and twelve weeks after the interview for your National Insurance card to be issued.


Staying in the UK to work after completing the course:

Staying in the UK to work after completing your studies depends on whether you meet the requirements for any of the schemes that the UK government operates. If applying to stay in the UK to work in any of the categories below, there is no need to show that you can afford to stay in the UK without needing to work. For further details go to the Home Office's Working in the UK website (www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk) and click on 'Schemes and Programmes'.

At the moment, the schemes that are most suitable for students who have finished their studies are:

* International Graduates Scheme for all those who have obtained a UK degree or postgraduate certificate or diploma on or after 1 May 2007, or a degree completed before this date from a list of qualifying courses.

This scheme allows many students to apply to stay in the UK for up to a year in any kind of job without needing a work permit, or to be self-employed or to set up a business. You can apply for a maximum of 12 months under the scheme but will not be able to apply again even if you later complete another qualification. However, you may qualify to move from the scheme to work permit employment or into the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme or Innovators scheme.

* Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme for all those who have successfully completed a HND, undergraduate degree course, Master's, PhD, or postgraduate certificate or diploma at a Scottish further or higher education institution to apply to stay in Scotland for up to two years after completing their studies in order to work. There are no restrictions on the type of paid work.

* Work Permit Scheme for jobs where no one suitable can be recruited, and occupations where there is a shortage of qualified workers.


Training and Work Experience Scheme: for work-based training for a professional or specialist qualification, or work experience.

Highly Skilled Migrant Programme for those with degrees and work experience and prior earnings at a certain level. The Innovators scheme for entrepreneurs. Points-based system a new points-based system (PBS) for controlling migration, which is being phased in over the next two years and will replace all of the categories described above. Tier 1 will include a 'post-study' category, incorporating the International Graduates Scheme and Fresh Talent to allow international students to work in the UK for two years on completion of their degree studies. Tier 1 will also include an 'Entrepreneurs' category, incorporating the current Innovators scheme and a 'general' category incorporating the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme. For more information, please go to www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk, then click on 'Managing our borders' and then 'Managing migration'.

Once your course is completed - and you have a UK graduate degree - you can switch to full time work without having to leave the UK.

You can do this by :

• Obtaining a sponsored work permit
• Obtaining an HSMP visa
• Taking advantage of IGS (The International Graduates Scheme)

The scheme allows non-EEA nationals who have graduated from UK higher or further education establishments to remain in the UK for 12 months after their studies in order to pursue a career.
Depending on your specific circumstances, there may be other ways to achieve the right to work in the UK from Student status.


There are specific criteria for award and extension of student visas for:

Student Nurses: The term student nurse means:

- a person accepted for training as a student nurse or midwife leading to a registered nursing qualification; or
- an overseas nurse or midwife who has been accepted on an adaptation course leading to registration as a nurse with the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting.

You must have been accepted for a course of study in a recognised nursing educational establishment offering nursing training which meets the requirements of the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting. The possession of a Department of Health bursary may be taken into account in assessing whether the student meets the maintenance requirement.


Postgraduate Doctors and Dentists: You must be a graduate from a medical school and eligible for provisional or limited registration with the General Medical Council.

You must intend to undertake Pre Registration House Officer employment for up to 12 months and have not spent more than 12 months in aggregate in Pre Registration House Officer employment.
Or you must be a doctor or dentist eligible for full or limited registration with the General Medical Council or the General Dental Council, who intends to undertake postgraduate training in a hospital or the Community Health Services or both.


Sponsored Researchers:

This category is for:

• someone who has a job overseas, for which they are still being paid, or someone who is currently on paid or unpaid sabbatical
• has come to the UK to undertake a period of research at an employer/host organisation where the funding for the research:
• remains overseas
• is transferred to the UK employer or host
• is arranged and paid by UK employer or host.

References:
http://www.skillclear.co.uk/students.asp http://www.educationuk.org/pls/hot_bc/page_pls_user_advice?d=work_in_uk

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