The main purpose of the Student/Tier 4 visa is for you to come to the UK to study as a full-time campus-based student. Where you are permitted to work this should only be to supplement your income whilst studying. The UKVI expect work in most cases to be a part-time role or as part of a work placement which is an integral and assessed part of your course.
Depending on your level of study different work restrictions will apply to you. The restrictions are a condition of your visa and maintaining your Student sponsorship, so it is important that you understand them and adhere to them.
Students on Student/Tier 4 visas are limited to the number of hours they can spend working. If you are working for more than one employer you must ensure your hours do not add up to more than your visa allows in any given week which are:
*The University will only officially confirm your completion once you have been awarded. These restrictions apply to all students holding a Tier 4 or Student visa regardless of nationality.
Voluntary work and volunteering
There is a distinction between voluntary work and volunteering. The main difference is ‘Voluntary workers’ will usually have a contract which states hours of work and duties assigned. Students who are volunteering will not have a contract. You can undertake voluntary work and it will count towards your total working hours limit.
The University of Leicester offers many volunteering opportunities. If you wish to participate but are still unsure, please contact volunteering@le.ac.uk
It is important to note that some 'casual' jobs or those in the 'gig economy' may be classed as 'self-employed' and therefore in breach of your visa and not allowed, e.g. couriers, translation services, running an online business, being a director of a company or registering with Companies House, etc.
Occasional selling on Ebay is within the rules and permitted. If you are in doubt, you should make checks before starting the work and contact UKCISA for further guidance.
The paragraphs below outline your work restrictions according to your level of study.
Undergraduate Students on a Student/Tier 4 visa at the University of Leicester are restricted to working no more than 20 hours per week during the published University term dates and are permitted to work full time during published vacations. These are published on our website for your employer to check.
Students in years 3, 4 and 5 of the Medicine MBChB are not entitled to the standard published holidays and as a result cannot download a Certificate of Registration.
All postgraduate taught students are entitled to the standard three-week Christmas vacation and to a two-week Easter vacation encompassing the Easter bank holidays and University closure days and may work full-time during this period.
You must not work more than 20 hours a week except during the specified vacation periods for PGT students and these will be confirmed on your Certificate of Employability. The work restrictions apply still whilst you are writing up your dissertation or working on your project.
PGT students who began a 16 month course in January are entitled to the summer holiday in their first year of study and are permitted to work full-time during this period. These courses are longer overall than those of other postgraduate students to allow for this holiday starting in the January and ending in May the following year. It is only the summer vacation in the first year these students are entitled to, as in other academic years they will be working on projects or undertaking work placements.
If you are January starter who is entitled to the summer holiday in your first year your Certificate of Employability will confirm this. No work should be undertaken without this confirmation.
Students in the School of Business including those on Management courses are not entitled to a summer holiday or to work full-time during that period.
PGT students who began their course in September are not entitled to the summer holiday.
Any and all additional work undertaken during a work placement must be within term-time regulations and not more than 20 hours a week.
As Postgraduate Research Student you need the approval of your Head of Department to undertake paid employment which should not normally be in excess of 8 hours. Your hours remain restricted whist you are preparing for your viva and whilst you are completing your corrections until the Doctoral College Office confirms you have completed and you have been awarded.
The standard course term dates and holidays dates do not apply to you. You are entitled to university closure days, and you can request a further 27 days holiday a year during which you can work full-time. Your holidays must be approved by your department and cannot be agreed retrospectively. Evidence of your holidays must be provided before you undertake employment. You should not work more than 20 hours a week if you are not on holiday.
All students undertaking part-time work should note ‘employment’ will not be accepted as grounds for mitigating circumstances or to request an extension to study.
A PhD course is considered to be the equivalent of full-time work and Senate Regulations state PhD students should not 'usually' work more than 8 hours. Some students depending on their mode of funding (some grants) will not be permitted to work additional hours which is why permission must be granted by the department. The slightly different wording of the Senate Regulations does permit work of up to 20 hours, but students are expected to prioritise their studies and carefully consider the impact work will have on them.
Most students on a Student/Tier visa have immigration permission that starts up to one month before the course start date and extends for up to four months beyond the end of their studies. If you are allowed to work, you can work before your course starts and after it ends according to the dates on your Certificate of Acceptance of Studies (CAS). If you are required to resit any exams or work, you will revert to the usual term-time restrictions and the University does not consider you to have officially completed until you have been awarded.
You can also work full time during your official vacations. If you want to work more than your usual restricted hours, your employer is required by law to check that your education provider agrees that you are on holiday. Your holiday entitlement is determined by your level of study.
Employees in the UK are protected by a usual working week of a maximum of 48 hours in accordance with the ‘working time directive’. Some jobs make it difficult to conform to these hours and it is possible to ‘opt out’, however you, and your employer, should always be mindful of the negative effect excessive working hours could have on your health before agreeing additional hours.
All sponsored students on Student/Tier 4 visas can obtain a Certificate of Employability which can be downloaded from the My Uni Documents section of MyStudentRecord. You are able to email the certificate directly to an employer from an official university email address.
The certificate will detail your holidays and include term dates for this academic year and the start date of the next.
Your studies will be considered completed only when your final result has been confirmed by an exam board and you have been officially notified of the results by us, the University. The University will not officially confirm completion of your studies until your results have been confirmed by an exam board and your employer may choose to continue to restrict your working hours.
When you complete your studies you can request an award letter from Student Services which will confirm completion of your studies.