Working in the UK

A Graduate Visa gives you permission to stay in the UK for at least 2 years after successfully completing a course in the UK. 

You can apply for a Graduate Visa if all of the following are true: 

• you are in the UK
• Your current visa is either a Student Visa or a Tier 4 (General) Student Visa
• You studied for a UK bachelor's degree, postgraduate degree or other eligible course for a minimum period of time with your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) Student Visa 
• Your education provider (such as your University or College) has told the Home Office that you have successfully completed your course. 

You can check if your course is eligible and how long you need to have studied in the UK on the Gov.uk webpage. 

A Graduate Visa will last for 2 years, however, if you have a PhD or other doctoral qualification, it will last for 3 years. 

You must apply before your Student Visa or Tier 4 (General) Student Visa expires. 

Once you have been granted your Graduate Visa you can work in most jobs. 

Further information about the Graduate Visa including what you can and cannot do on this visa, can be found on the Gov.uk webpage. 

Current University of Huddersfield Students can find further information from the University's International webpage.

 

The High Potential Individual (HPI) visa is for those who have been awarded a qualification by an eligible non-UK University in the last 5 years.  

You can find a list of eligible universities on the Gov.uk website. 

The visa is usually valid for 2 years but if you hold a PhD or other doctoral qualification, it will last for 3 years.  HPI visas cannot be extended, however, you may be eligible to switch to another visa, such as a Skilled Worker visa.  

Further information about HPI visas can be found on the Gov.uk website.

The EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) was established to enable EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, resident in the UK by 31 December 2020, and their family members, to get the immigration status they needed to continue to live, work and study in the UK. 

The deadline for most people to submit an application was 30 June 2021, however, if you or your family are from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Lichtenstein, you can stilly apply if you or a family member were living in the UK by 31 December 2020 and either: 

• meet one of the criteria for a later deadline to apply or
• have 'reasonable grounds' for not applying by 30 June 2021

Further information can be found on the Gov.uk website.

As an EUSS applicant you are either issued with settled status or pre-settled status.  Settled status is usually given where you've lived in the UK for a continuous 5-year period. 

You can work in the UK with settled or pre-settled status.  Those with pre-settled status can switch to settled status as soon as they've had 5 years continuous residence, or sooner if they are eligible before 5 years. 

If you do not already hold an EUSS visa or are not eligible to make a late application to the EUSS scheme, you will be required to obtain another visa type which enables you to work in the UK, such as a Skilled Worker visa or a Global Talent visa. 

Irish citizens continue to have unrestricted access to work in the UK.  They can prove their right to work using their Irish passport, Irish passport card or Irish birth/adoption certificate with an official document giving their National Insurance number.  

 

 

If you are recruiting or employing someone who holds a visa, please refer to our guidance document which covers all aspects from recruitment through to leaving employment:

Recruiting & Employing Visa Holders - Guidance for Managers

Sponsored Visa Managers

For those on a Skilled Worker or Tier 2 visa, there are additional restrictions and reporting requirements we must follow to be fully compliant with our responsibilities as their sponsor.  To help ensure compliance, sponsored worker boxes have been added to relevant sections of the guidance for managers listed above which advise of any restrictions and whether there are any reporting requirements.

We are required to hold up to date contact details for our sponsored workers therefore if you have a sponsored employee who will be going overseas on a business trip, or working remotely overseas on a temporary basis, please complete the Sponsored Worker - Business Trips & Remote Working Overseas Form.  Depending on the duration of time spent outside the UK, we may be required to notify the UKVI of a temporary change to an employee’s work location.