If you are either currently studying and your intention is to remain in the UK to work or you are close to graduating in the UK and would like to work in the UK, then these are the requirements you will need to satisfy:
Firstly, an employer will need to sponsor you in the UK, which means they will need to hold a sponsor licence. This will enable the employer to issue you with a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) which will then enable you to apply to switch in-country from a Tier 4 (General) Student to a Tier 2 (General) visa.
You will need to meet certain criteria as a student before the employer can provide you with a CoS.
You must be currently or have last been sponsored by a Tier 4 sponsor which is either a UK recognised body, or a body in receipt of public funding as a higher education institution, or an overseas higher education institution and you were sponsored to undertake a short-term study abroad programme in the UK.
You must have completed, or be applying no more than 3 months before the expected completion date of a course leading to a UK bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, Postgraduate Certificate in Education or Professional Graduate Diploma of Education. Alternatively, you must have completed a minimum of 12 months’ study in the UK towards a UK PhD during your current period of leave or a period of continuous leave which includes your last grant of leave.
Your period of study must have been undertaken whilst you had entry clearance, leave to enter or leave to remain in the UK that was not subject to a restriction.
As part of your application, you will be required to provide certain documentation when submitting a Tier 2 (General) visa application to prove that you meet the above criteria.
Gherson has extensive experience with the Points Based System and providing advice in relation to switching between the Tier 4 (General) Student and Tier 2 (General) visa categories. If you have any questions or queries please do not hesitate to contact us.
The information in this blog is for general information purposes only and does not purport to be comprehensive or to provide legal advice. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information and law is current as of the date of publication it should be stressed that, due to the passage of time, this does not necessarily reflect the present legal position. Gherson accepts no responsibility for loss which may arise from accessing or reliance on information contained in this blog. For formal advice on the current law please don’t hesitate to contact Gherson. Legal advice is only provided pursuant to a written agreement, identified as such, and signed by the client and by or on behalf of Gherson.
©Gherson 2019