UK Student visa work rights: hours, vacations and placements

Check your actual permission and study category

Appendix Student links work conditions to the type of study and sponsor. It provides a twenty-hour term-time limit for qualifying full-time degree-level study, different treatment for qualifying below-degree courses, and no employment permission for other study categories including part-time study. Read the conditions attached to your own permission.

Ask the university international student advice team to explain the rule for your course if anything is unclear. A statement that all UK students can work the same hours is too broad. Keep a copy of the guidance or advice you rely on.

Confirm term time and vacations for your course

Work permissions distinguish term time from periods outside term time. Use the dates and status confirmed for your own programme. A quiet teaching period or a dissertation stage should not automatically be treated as a holiday. The university calendar for another level or department may be different.

Plan hours across all relevant work rather than considering each job in isolation. Keep accurate records and discuss changing timetables with an employer. Work should fit around attendance, assessments and the conditions of your permission.

Understand restricted activities and placements

The Student rules restrict self-employment and business activity, professional sport and other activities, subject to specified exceptions. A job title or an online platform does not decide whether an arrangement is permitted. Seek qualified university advice before accepting an uncertain arrangement.

A course placement has its own requirements. An assessed placement that is an integral part of the course is different from an independently arranged job. Ask the university to explain approval, assessment, duration and any extra fee before relying on placement work.

• Read the employment conditions attached to your immigration permission.
• Confirm your programme term dates and dissertation status.
• Check unusual work arrangements before starting.
• Keep employment and placement documents for your records.

Keep employment assumptions realistic

A right to undertake some work does not guarantee employment, a salary or enough hours to fund study. Build the core tuition and living budget using resources that are actually available. Include time for applications and induction if you plan to seek work after arrival.

Do not assume finishing a taught class immediately permits a permanent full-time job. Completing a course, applying for a different immigration route and starting a particular form of employment are separate issues. Check the transition conditions before changing work patterns.