United Kingdom guide 路 verified 2026-07-04
Working While Studying in United Kingdom, and Staying After
Working & staying on
Students can work meaningful part-time hours during term with full-time work in the holidays, and the UK's post-study offer, the Graduate Route, currently gives 2 years of unrestricted work rights (3 for PhDs), a figure that is being cut to 18 months for Bachelors/Masters graduates who apply from 1 January 2027 onward.
Work while studying
20 hrs/week in term (degree level, most sponsors); full-time in holidays
Below-degree-level courses: 10 hrs/week in term. No work allowed on short/pre-sessional courses or for those on certain restricted CAS conditions, check the individual visa condition.
Graduate Route duration (Bachelors/Masters)
2 years if applying on/before 31 Dec 2026; 18 months if applying on/after 1 Jan 2027
This is a confirmed, legislated change (announced May 2025, now in the Immigration Rules), not merely a proposal, but it is date-gated by the APPLICATION date, not the graduation date. A student graduating in mid-2026 who applies for the Graduate Route before the cutover still gets 2 years.
Graduate Route duration (PhD/doctorate)
3 years
Unaffected by the 18-month change.
Graduate Route cost
Mandatory拢937 application fee + IHS (usually 拢1,035/year for this route)
The Graduate Route uses the higher, non-student IHS rate (~拢1,035/year), not the 拢776 student rate, budget accordingly.
Graduate Route eligibility
MandatoryIn the UK on a Student visa; sponsor confirms successful completion
Cannot be extended, a Graduate Route holder who wants to stay longer must switch to a route like Skilled Worker before it expires.
Work part-time within the permitted hours
MandatoryStay within the 20-hours-a-week (degree level) cap during term time, this is a hard visa condition, not a guideline, and breaching it risks future visa applications. Full-time work is allowed during official vacation periods and after course completion up to the visa's expiry (subject to the specific CAS conditions).
Apply for the Graduate Route promptly after completion
OptionalOnce the sponsor confirms successful completion to the Home Office, apply for the Graduate Route from inside the UK before the Student visa expires. It grants unrestricted work rights (any job, any salary) for its duration and cannot be extended or renewed, plan the next step (Skilled Worker sponsorship, another study route, or departure) well before it ends.
When: As soon as course completion is confirmed by the sponsor, before the Student visa expiresCost: 拢937 + IHS (~拢1,035/year, non-student rate)Plan the Graduate Route application date carefully given the 2027 cutover
RecommendedFor a student graduating in late 2026, the choice of exactly when to submit the Graduate Route application can determine whether they get 2 years or 18 months, since the rule change gates on the APPLICATION date (from 1 Jan 2027), not the graduation date. Advise students finishing near that boundary to check the live Home Office guidance before timing their application.
Move onto Skilled Worker or another long-term route
OptionalTo stay beyond the Graduate Route, the standard path is Skilled Worker sponsorship from a UK Home Office-licensed employer sponsor, meeting the route's salary and skill-level thresholds (these are revised periodically, always confirm the current thresholds directly with the Home Office before advising a figure).
This was announced in the government's May 2025 immigration white paper and implemented via a Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules laid on 14 October 2025, it is a confirmed, legislated change, not merely a proposal, but it applies ONLY to Bachelors/Masters graduates who apply for the Graduate Route on or after 1 January 2027. Anyone who applies before that date still gets the full 2 years, and PhD graduates keep 3 years regardless. Because this is a live rule change, re-confirm the current position on gov.uk/graduate-visa before advising any student, especially those graduating in late 2026.
Sources
- Immigration Rules Appendix Student, UK Home Office (gov.uk)
- Graduate visa, Overview, UK Home Office / UK Visas and Immigration (gov.uk)
- Student update: changes to the Student and Graduate routes (18-month Graduate Route from Jan 2027), UKCISA (UK Council for International Student Affairs)
- Working during your studies, UKCISA (UK Council for International Student Affairs)
Where this fits
This is one step of the full United Kingdom journey: admission, tests, application, visa, money, arrival and stay-back, every figure cited to an official source.
More on United Kingdom
Bramica is independent and takes no commission from any university, recruiter or agency. This page is information, not immigration advice. Rules, fees and thresholds change; confirm the current requirement on the official source before acting on it.