You Betta (Post-Study) Work!

In April 2012 the Home Office closed one of the most popular visas in the UK, the Tier 1 (Post-Study Work) Visa. 

This visa allowed the majority of international students a further two years to live and work in the UK following successful completion of their course. The appeal of this was clear; if you had paid the very high international student fees and spent years of your life in a country, the option to extend your stay, to use your new skills/qualifications to enter the workforce was tempting. 

Post-Study work did not lead to settlement in the UK itself, it allowed time for students to build up skills and a salary which made it possible to switch into other categories such as a general worker, which could lead to such a status.  

After seven years filled with pressure from universities and employers, it has been announced that this route will come back in the 2020/21 academic year. Considering the Home Office has always said they wish to attract international students to the UK, the question is why was this route ever closed in the first place? 

The change came at a time when the Home Office was relentlessly focused on their unrealistic target of reducing net migration to the tens of thousands, making sweeping, draconian changes to many areas of Immigration Law with little concern for the long-term implications. In March 2011 Theresa May, the then Home Secretary, said when announcing her intent to close the route: "The Changes I am announcing today re-focus the student route as a temporary one, available to only the brightest and best. The new system is designed to ensure students come for a limited period, to study not work, and make a positive contribution while they are here."

As international students add around £20bn to the economy per year, this was a very short-sighted move. This also deterred future students from studying in the UK, as they looked towards other countries who offered more favourable post-study opportunities. 

So, until the route is reinstated next year, what can students actually do to stay and develop their careers following their degrees?

Answer: There are options but these are often challenging and complex. Students are given a few months leave following their course (some up to six, under a pilot scheme) to either find another route to switch into or to settle their affairs in the UK, and depart.

Only those graduates who have been able to secure an offer of a 'skilled job' from a sponsoring employer, under Tier 2 of the points-based-system, are able to remain (This excludes those who may have secured leave as a family member of a British or settled national, or for other human rights reasons).

There are also some limited opportunities for those starting businesses who have secured seed-funding to extend their leave. 

The problems with Tier 2

Finding approved employers at such short notice, who are offering jobs at the appropriate salary and skill level, is challenging. Recent graduates will be all too aware that a degree is not an immediate fast-pass to a well-paid job on your intended career path. Employer's value experience and many students will need to undertake internships or low-paid entry positions before securing something more suitable and long-term, particularly in niche/creative industries. The chances of international students being able to secure graduate level roles with a sufficiently large salary, only a few months after their focus on studies, is slim. 

Reintroducing Post-Study Work gives international students more of a chance to pursue career avenues and take further training/low-paid work that will support them on their career path. It gives space for failure, success, change and innovation. It is also of particular benefit to areas outside of London, where companies can struggle to initially pay wages that would meet Tier 2 requirements. 

Ultimately, it means those who benefit from an education in the UK are more likely to stick around and use what they have learned to contribute to our society and economy. Hopefully this is the start of a more pragmatic, and less number-focused view on the benefits of migration from the Home Office.

For expert advice in relation to post-study visas/settlement in the UK, please contact our Immigration team by calling us on 0151 227 1429  request a callback at your convenience or message us your enquiry.