If you wish to stay in the UK to work once you have completed your studies, your options include the Tier 2 or Tier 5 visa or the Tier 4 Doctorate Extension Scheme if you are a PhD student.
The Doctorate Extension Scheme (DES) is for those currently holding a Tier 4 visa who are about to complete their PhD, if you have already been awarded your PhD you cannot apply for DES. The purpose of this visa is to give holders an opportunity to gain further experience in their chosen field, seek skilled work or to develop plans to set up as an entrepreneur.
If the University of Bristol approves a CAS for DES it cannot be assigned until you are within 60 days of your expected successful completion date. The successful completion date is the date you will be awarded your PhD. Therefore, you should complete the DES pre-CAS check after your viva so that we can determine if you will successfully complete your PhD within 60 days of issuing you a CAS. See the DES Pre-CAS check form (PDF, 297.2 kB) for full requirements so that you can prepare the documents in good time.
PhD students are usually granted a Tier 4 visa until their submission date and are given an additional 4 months by the UKBA so that they have time to prepare to leave the UK and return home or apply for another visa. If your submission date is extended beyond your visa end date you should make a request for another CAS so that you can apply for a visa extension to enable you to remain in the UK to complete your studies (please see an international student adviser to do this). If you do not do this and instead choose to complete your studies within the additional 4 months given to you by the UKBA, please be aware that you will not be issued another CAS if your submission date is within your visa expiry date. If you intend to apply for DES this will limit the time in which you need to successfully complete.
Please also be aware that if you submit your thesis before your submission date, the University will inform the UKBA that you have completed early. In this case, the UKBA will curtail your visa to 60 days and you will lose the additional time at the end of your visa. If you intend to apply for DES this will limit the time in which you need to successfully complete.
If we approve your CAS request for this scheme we will act as your immigration sponsor for 12 months (from the date of your successful PhD completion). During this period, you will be expected to maintain contact with the University of Bristol, completing and returning a monitoring form emailed to you in June and December, and inform the university of any changes in your personal contact details. If we approve your CAS you will be required to make a Tier 4 student visa extension via the Student Batch Scheme within the university and meet all the normal criteria of this visa. See our Tier 4 visas information for further details.
If the UKBA grant your visa and you do not successfully complete your PhD, the UKBA will curtail your visa. It will be curtailed to 4 months after the date you were expected to successfully complete your PhD.
You must have a licensed sponsor, who will assign you with a Certificate of Sponsorship to work (i.e. job offer with a licenced sponsor holder) before you can apply for a Tier 2 visa. You can switch into Tier 2 from Tier 4 within the UK if you have completed and successfully passed a bachelor degree, postgraduate degree, a PGCE or a PGDE or if you have completed a minimum of 12 months study in the UK towards a UK PhD. If you have not successfully passed your qualification before your visa expires you cannot switch in the UK and you have to apply for your visa from your home country. In this case you will need to inform your employer of this as they will need to apply for a restricted Certificate of Sponsorship for you which will be subject to the resident labour market test.
If you make a Tier 2 visa application before your Tier 4 visa expires, after you have successfully completed your course, you will be permitted to work full-time, within the limits described below until your application is decided. The conditions of work between the end of your course and the start of a Tier 2 visa state that you cannot take a full time permanent vacancy for work unless you:
• have successfully completed a course at degree level or above at a Sponsor that is a Recognised Body or a body in receipt of public funding as a higher education institution from the Department of Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland, the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales or the Scottish Funding Council (the University of Bristol meets this requirement); and
• have made a Tier 2 application supported by a Certificate of Sponsorship assigned by a licensed Tier 2 Sponsor before his/her Tier 4 leave has ended (and any appeal against that decision has been determined) and
• will be employed in the role for which that Certificate of Sponsorship was assigned; and
• he/she has yet to receive a decision on his/her Tier 2 application.
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/pbs/Tier4migrantguidance.pdf Paragraphs 294 & 298
UK Border Agency information, application forms and guidance – please be aware that on 14 June 2012 a new Policy Guidance was introduced, please ensure that you refer to the correct one at the date of application.
The maintenance requirement for a Tier 2 (General) visa is £900 which must have been held for at least three months prior to the date of application. For full details see the UKBA Policy Guidance.
For information regarding bringing dependants as a Tier 2 holder please see the UKBA website. The maintenance requirement for dependants is £600 which must have been held for at least three months prior to the date of application. For full details see the UKBA Policy Guidance for dependants.
This is a two year visa applicable to nationals only from participating countries. Currently these are Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Monaco, Taiwan and, from 9 July 2012, South Korea. There are a limited number of places available each year. If you are a citizen or passport-holder of a country or territory listed above, and that country or territory has not used all its places, you might be able to come to the UK under the youth mobility scheme. Your national government will be your 'sponsor' during your stay and all you require to show this 'sponsorship' is your passport, except those from Taiwan who will need to obtain a Certificate of Sponsorship. The UKBA website has more information regarding this certificate.
If you are a British overseas citizen, a British overseas territories citizen or a British national (overseas) you can also apply under this scheme and there is no limit on the number of places available. You will not need a sponsor during your stay.
The maintenance requirement for this visa is £1,800 on the day of application. Please be aware that you cannot switch into this visa within the UK, you must travel home, and you cannot have dependants in this category.
There are various temporary working options under Tier 5, such as charity workers, religious workers, creative and sporting, international agreements and government authorised exchange. To be able to apply for a visa under these categories, you must have a job offer from a licensed sponsor, and you must pass a points-based assessment.
Dependants are permitted in this category and switching into this visa within the UK is only permitted under the government authorised exchange category. A list of sponsors under the government authorised exchange category is on the UKBA website.
International Advice & Support can offer only basic guidance on Tier 2 and Tier 5 visas, but we are happy to recommend other organisations that can help you. For further information regarding working in the UK after your studies, we recommend reading the information on the UKCISA website. You may also wish to speak to a solicitor regarding your options.
Because Tier 2 requires a job offer to allow you to apply for a visa, we recommend that you being thinking and planning early if you wish to work in the UK after your studies. The University's Careers Service would recommend you start this process as soon as you begin your studies! The Careers Services offers many events and workshops to help you understand and prepare for the UK employment market. You can find out more on the Events section of their website.
International Advice and Support offers guidance only. The International Student & Staff Advisers should not be viewed as legal representation, and the guidance offered is to be viewed strictly as guidance and not as legal advice.
International Advice & Support and the University of Bristol are NOT part of the Home Office (UK Border Agency). The University of Bristol is a separate and independent body from the British Government and has no power or ruling over immigration decisions.