20 Hours Work Permit For Students
I hope anyone who reads this article would find it to be very handy because a freelancer and working in between jobs are not a very good combination for anyone who is currently going through college. My advice to young students, at least complete your education if you do not have employment. But if you really want to work, you need to apply for the 20 hours work permit scheme. If you’re a student, then you might be working under the on-campus work permit policy of your college/university which allows maximum 20 hours of work for students. However, this might not be enough for able-minded young men and women who can do more than 20 hours of work.Now that you have a Student Work Permit from the Ministry of Education and Training, what are the next steps? There are numerous requirements you need to fulfill in order to stay compliant with your student work permit.
Working on a student visa
- Working on a student visa
- Prior to and on arrival
- Collecting your BRP
- Police Registration
- Changes in circumstances
- Finishing your studies
The University applies strict working restrictions on students.
The term ‘student visa’ on this page refers to immigration permission issued under both Tier 4 and the Student route. Tier 4 was replaced by the Student route on 5 October 2020.
Working hours
Students should ensure they are aware of the University’s working restrictions which are generally stricter than the number of hours you can work on a student visa. The following is therefore provided for information.
A student visa issued for full-time degree level studies allows you to work for a maximum of 20 hours per week during term-time. This is a maximum of 20 hours in total in any one week, including paid or unpaid work and for one or more organisation. The 20 hours cannot be averaged over a longer period. A ‘week’ is defined by the Home Office as a period of 7 days beginning with a Monday. This also includes both paid and unpaid work. The University imposes greater working restrictions, as outlined above, and you will need to adhere to these.
A student visa issued for full-time degree level studies allows you work full-time during official vacation periods. Term and vacation dates differ depending on the level of study you are undertaking so it is important you check these before undertaking full-time work. This includes a full-time internship or placement unless it is part of your course. Please note that the term and vacation dates used by undergraduates do not apply to postgraduate students. Masters students should consult their Faculty or Department for further details regarding official vacation periods. The academic year for postgraduate research students is continuous throughout the year, from 1 October to 30 September. It is therefore not possible, for example, for a postgraduate research student to undertake full-time work during the summer period. Whilst breaks for holidays are permitted, at times agreed with your supervisor, these are not periods that would permit full-time work. Whether you can work after submission of your thesis for examination varies depending on the stage of the process as outlined in the information below.
Type of work
Students on a student visa can do most kinds of work, but you must not:
- be self-employed;
- engage in business activity;
- filling a full-time permanent vacancy;
- work as a professional sportsperson including as a sports coach, paid or unpaid, as defined by the Home Office on pages 94-95 of the Student route guidance;
- work as an entertainer, paid or unpaid;
- work as a doctor or dentist in training, unless you are on the foundation programme.
These restrictions apply throughout your time on a student visa.
Self-employment
A student visa does not allow self-employment. This means in order to undertake work you should be given a formal document by the employer such as a ‘contract of employment’ or a ‘worker’s agreement’ or some other written statement confirming your employment status. This includes where you will be undertaking work for one or more of the Colleges, or for the University. Please note you may find that other students (who are not on a student visa) may not need to have the same documentation in place.
Self-employment normally includes activities such as freelance writing or publishing, private tutoring or selling goods or services directly to an end customer, for example as a consultant. If you are not on the employer or agency’s employee payroll, it is likely the work being offered is on a self-employed basis. If you are unsure, it is important you check your employment status prior to starting work.
Engaging in Business Activity
Your student visa does not permit you to engage in business activity. The Home Office defines this as working for a business in which you have a financial or other significant beneficial interest in a capacity other than as an employee. The Home Office provides some examples of the types of circumstances in which you would be considered to be engaging in business activity: setting up a business that is trading or has a trading presence; being employed by a company in which you hold shares of 10% or more; or working for a company where you hold a statutory role, such as a director. However, this is not an exhaustive list. If you are unsure whether this restriction would apply in particular circumstances, you should seek further guidance from the International Student Office prior to undertaking the activity.