Student Visas in United Kingdom

Studying there, and whether study leads to residency

A Student visa requires an unconditional offer from a licensed student sponsor, evidence of tuition and living costs, and English language ability. The route remains straightforward for those who can fund it, but two changes matter: from January 2024 most students on taught courses lost the right to bring dependants, and the post-study Graduate route, while still open, has been the subject of repeated political review.

What the application requires

• A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies from an institution holding a student sponsor licence. Not every provider holds one, and studying with an unlicensed provider does not support a visa.
• Evidence of tuition fees for the first year plus maintenance funds at the published monthly rate, held for a continuous period commonly stated as 28 days.
• English language evidence, usually a Secure English Language Test, unless exempt by nationality or prior qualification.
• Tuberculosis screening for applicants from listed countries.
• For some nationalities and subjects, an Academic Technology Approval Scheme clearance for sensitive research fields.

The 2024 dependant restriction

Since January 2024 students on most taught courses, including one-year taught master's programmes, may no longer bring partners or children. The exceptions are broadly research postgraduate courses such as doctorates and research master's degrees, and students sponsored by a government scholarship.

This was among the most consequential changes of recent years for mature applicants, because a family that could previously relocate together on one student visa must now either separate or find a different route. Guidance and course marketing produced before 2024 frequently still describes the old position.

The Graduate route and the pressure on it

The Graduate route grants unsponsored permission after completing an eligible UK degree, commonly around two years and longer for doctoral graduates. It requires no job offer, no minimum salary and no sponsor, which makes it the practical bridge between study and a sponsored role.

It has been reviewed repeatedly since 2023 as part of the wider debate on net migration, with proposals ranging from shortening its duration to restricting it to graduates entering skilled employment. It remains open, but anyone building a multi-year plan around it should treat its length and conditions as subject to change and should check the current published rules rather than rely on a prior cohort's experience.

Time spent on the Graduate route does not count toward settlement. This is the single most misunderstood point in the study-to-settlement path: a graduate who spends two years on the Graduate route before obtaining sponsorship reaches settlement roughly two years later than a person sponsored from the outset.

Working while studying

Students at degree level are commonly permitted to work up to 20 hours per week during term and full time during vacations, subject to the conditions printed on the permission. Self-employment, professional sporting engagement and permanent full-time roles are generally prohibited.

Exceeding the permitted hours is a breach of conditions and has been treated as a ground for refusing later applications, including settlement.

Official sources

• Student visa
• Graduate visa
• UKCISA — student immigration guidance

Checked against these pages in September 2026. Fees and processing times change without notice — confirm before you act.

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