Close
Visa & immigration: Your questions answered
- 1.Will EU/EEA/Swiss students starting a programme in September 2021 need to apply for a visa?
EU/EEA/Swiss students who were not living in the UK before 31 December 2020 will need immigration permission to study in the UK, unless they already hold settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. This does not apply to Irish nationals.
Students who are not eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme and are studying a full-time, degree programme will need to apply for the new Student Visa Route which opened on 5 October 2020. This replaces the Tier 4 Student Visa.
Advice can be obtained from UKCISA and our individual institutions:
- 2. Will students be permitted to work during their studies?
Students with a valid Student Visa are permitted to work up to 20 hours per week (paid or unpaid) during term time, and full time during vacations.
Student Visa holders may not be self-employed, work as a professional sports person/sports coach, entertainer, doctor or dentist in training, or take a permanent (open-ended) contract.
- 3. Can international students work in the UK after graduation?
International students require immigration permission to work and study in the UK after graduation. This also applies to EU/EEA/Swiss students who arrived in the UK from 1 January 2021 and have not been granted settled/pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. International students will either need to find an employer to sponsor them under the new Skilled Worker Route or will need to apply under the new Graduate Worker Route.
In 2019 the UK Government announced a new Graduate Worker Route visa which will allow international graduates to stay in the UK to live and work, or to look for work, after they graduate. Undergraduate students will be able to apply to stay for two years.View the Home Office Graduate Route Factsheet.
The Graduate Route is due to be launched in Summer 2021. The immigration rules for the Graduate Route will not be published until Spring 2021.
EU/EEA/Swiss students who have been granted settled/pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme will be able to remain in the UK to work after graduation.
The most up-to-date information available is detailed on the UKCISA website.
- 4. What healthcare arrangements are in place?
International students will be required to apply for a Student Route visa in order to undertake undergraduate study at one of our institutions. As part of the visa application students will be required to pay an Immigration Health Surcharge (currently £470 per year for a student) in order to access the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK.
EU/EEA/Swiss nationals who were resident in the UK before 31 December 2020 and have been granted settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme can continue to access NHS services.
Students may also decide to take out private health insurance whilst studying in the UK. This is a personal decision. Our institutions are unable to make recommendations about the best private health insurance providers.
Students who have a disability or medical condition are advised to contact our institutions directly for detailed guidance regarding the support services available: Imperial College London, King's College London, LSE, SOAS, UCL.