Are you thinking of studying in the UK as an International student??
Have you given it a considerable thought? Did you plan properly? I'm here to guide and help you think about what matters most before you decide on your career and life. Please read this post till the end.
Why me?
I have been in the UK since 2017 as a PhD (international) student and later on as an academic who has taught hundreds of international students from around the world at four London-based universities. I have gained extensive and valuable experience and understanding of the academic 'market' of the UK and of what it means to study in the UK as an international student.
First of all,
You will come to the UK on a Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa, which you can apply for to study a UG or a PG course in the UK if you’re 16 or over and you fulfil all the criteria. You can also come to the UK to pursue a PhD (like I did) or other doctoral qualification.
Next: Once you're in the UK, and in a couple of years are about to finish your degree, you will think of the next step. Job? Another visa? Which one?
And now the Showdown begins: You will have a couple of months after you finish your degree before your student visa expires. If you have not been able to secure a sponsored job (which most international students couldn't/can't), that makes you eligible for a Skilled Worker visa, you will have to switch to a Graduate visa. The good news is that ALL students are eligible for the Graduate visa. It enables you to stay in the UK for at least 2 years after successfully completing your course. So, a Graduate visa usually lasts for 2 years. But if you have a PhD or other doctoral qualification, it will last for 3 years. Please note that your Graduate visa will start from the day your application for it is approved. So, this is the time when you can now relax a bit and keep applying for and finding a (suitable) job. But there could be several scenarios once you are about to finish your degree and I will succinctly explain all those below:
Scenario 1: You did not get any job right after your degree and you DON'T have money.
Once you finish your degree and have a few months before your student visa expires, you will need to think if you would want to apply for a Graduate visa. Why? Because when you apply for a Graduate visa, you’ll need to:
pay the £822 application fee
pay the healthcare surcharge - this is usually £1,035 for each year you’ll be in the UK
So, for a Graduate visa for 2 years, you spend £2892 from your pocket. 3 years means £3927.
Not only this, you will need to pay rent and bills for your stay in the UK. This is usually a minimum of £1200-1500 monthly.
So, if you did not get a job and you do not have any money, you will/should return to your home country before the expiry of your student visa. This happens with around 70-80% of the Indian students who came to the UK for study since 2007 (see the chart at the bottom). But hey, you do have a degree from a UK university and the skill set you can demonstrate and use for a job in your home country.
Scenario 2: You did not get any job right after your degree and you DO have money.
Some students also take a gamble, and this has been a trend that seems to be rather going north. They pay the visa fees and bills with their savings and/or their parental/ancestral wealth with the hope that they will get a job in a couple of months after they get the Graduate visa. Surviving for 2 or 3 years would usually cost you £40,000-70,000 (approx. 44-76 lakhs Indian Rupees; you can convert it into your own home country currency here), depending on whether you are living in London or any other UK city. If you have the money and are ready to take that gamble, then you can apply ASAP for the Graduate visa here. You can then easily stay legally in the UK for 2 years (if you were a UG/PG student) or 3 years (if you were a PhD student) provided you can financially sustain yourself in the UK. This is the time when you can keep applying for part-time or full-time jobs that you think can help you either sustain on the Graduate visa or switch to a Skilled Worker visa.
Scenario 3: You got a job but it is NOT sponsored (permanent)
If you have secured any part-time or full-time (35 - 40 hours a week) job that you think can help you pay the Graduate visa application fees and your bills, then you are in a much better situation and good to go to apply for the Graduate visa. Apply here. To be honest, getting a sponsored job right after you finish your degree is difficult because of several factors. But you can get one or more jobs that are part-time or full-time (35 - 40 hours a week) right after you finish your degree if you seriously work on your job applications and are open to work in different sectors. So, once you get one or more jobs and even if you earn a minimum wage (provided you are aged 21 and over, which you should be), you can easily earn around £1700 per month by working 35 hours per week (7 hours a day, 5 days a week). While being on a Graduate visa, you can keep looking for a sponsored job that will get you a Skilled Worker visa. But note that you cannot extend your Graduate visa. So, if you are unable to get a sponsored job by the time your Graduate visa expires, you will have to return to your home country.
Scenario 4: You GOT a sponsored (permanent) job right after your degree while being on a Student visa
A very rare phenomenon in the UK, but not an impossible one. If you're on a student visa and you can secure a sponsored job right after finishing your degree or before the expiry of your student visa, then you can directly apply to switch to a Skilled Worker visa at this link. A Skilled Worker visa allows you to stay in the UK to do an eligible job with an approved employer. This visa has replaced the Tier 2 (General) work visa. You must also meet one of the following requirements to get a Skilled Worker visa if you’re in the UK on a Student visa:
you have completed the course you were sponsored to study
your job start date is after your course has finished
you have studied for a PhD for at least 24 months
You cannot apply to switch to this visa if you’re currently in the UK:
on a visit visa
on a short-term student visa
on a Parent of a Child Student visa
on a seasonal worker visa
on a domestic worker in a private household visa
If you’re applying from inside the UK to switch from a student visa to a Skilled Worker visa, the standard fee depends on whether you’ll be in the UK for:
up to 3 years - £827 per person
more than 3 years (usually 5 years max) - £1,636 per person
You’ll also have to pay the healthcare surcharge for each year of your stay - this is usually £1,035 per year.
So, if you are applying for a 3-year Skilled Worker visa, your total cost will be £3932.
If you are applying for a 5-year Skilled Worker visa, your total cost will be £6811
Scenario 5: You GOT a sponsored (permanent) job while being on the Graduate visa
The most common scenario out of all. If you're unable to secure a sponsored permanent job (that gives you an employer-sponsored skilled worker visa) while being on a student visa, you will opt first for a Graduate visa. On the Graduate visa, you will have to work on one or more full-time or part-time jobs. This is scenario 3, but here the difference is that you secured a sponsored job before your Graduate visa expires. You can then directly apply to switch to a Skilled Worker visa at this link. The cost would be the same as mentioned in scenario 4.
I hope this blog post was helpful. If yes, then do like it and share it with others. Cheers!
Note: There has been a significant rise (6-7 times) in the number of Indian students coming to the UK for study from year 2018 to 2024. Some relevant data and charts from an article published (on 18 October 2024) in The Hindu newspaper on the (economics and politics of) the UK academic market, the immigration status of Indian students, and the country-wise inflow of students from China, Nigeria, and other Asian and non-Asian countries, studying in the UK below:
Comentarios