Working on a Student Visa

WORKING ON A STUDENT VISA

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Many international students in the UK take a part-time job, work placement, or internship alongside their studies. The hours and type of work you do will depend on the type of visa and your sponsoring university or college. You can work a maximum of 20 hours per week if you are studying at degree level or above on Tier 4 (General) student visa.

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Check out UKCISA to find out more about the hours and types of work you can do.

 National Insurance Number 

NATIONAL INSURANCE NUMBER

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To undertake a part-time job whilst on a Tier 4 visa, you are required to apply for a National Insurance (NI) number. This usually takes up to 2 weeks to arrive by post so make sure you apply for one, well in advance.

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Further details for obtaining a NI number can be found here.

Working after studies

WORKING AFTER STUDIES

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Most Tier 4 students have immigration permission that extends beyond the end of their studies. You can work full time for this extra period once you have completed your course, but you may not be able to work at all if you have not finished your course. 

For details, refer to Work with Tier 4 leave when you are no longer studying.