UK eases rules, gives students more flexibility for work visas

As per the new rules, foreign students can switch over to Tier-2 visa (or skilled worker visa) as soon as they complete their course. According to current norms, they must wait until they obtain a degree to apply for the Tier-2 visa. This gave students only a small time frame to find a job while still in the UK. For example, students opting for higher education, such as a PG degree, had to wait for their thesis to be marked or a degree to be awarded after completing their course before they could apply for a work visa. “The new rule will enable them to apply for a Tier-2 visa a few months earlier than what would otherwise have been possible,” explains a newsletter by EY-UK, one of the big 4 business consultancies. London mayor Sadiq Khan has advocated a new category of post-study work visas. In his blueprint paper—’Immigration, a future approach’, Khan had pointed to dwindling international student numbers. His suggestion was that a post-study work visa should be distinct from the Tier-2 route and should enable students to work in the UK for 12-24 months after graduation. Relief result of talks between UK univs, govt However, for now, international students will have to make do with a slight relaxation in the rules. According to immigration experts, this change is the result of a prolonged dialogue between UK universities and the government. As student visas, known as Tier-4 visas, are granted for the duration of the course plus a few months, it hampered the ability of international students to look for jobs in the UK. For instance, a Tier-4 visa for a long-term study course (more than 12 months) is granted for the course duration-plus four months. If international students are unable to find a job within the window, they had to return to their home country. Thus, currently, many students holding a Tier-4 visa are unable to switch to a Tier-2 visa because they have not yet obtained their degree and their student visa is about to expire. Culled: economictimes]]>