This is for current PhD students who require a visa for 12 months work experience on completion of their course. To apply:  

• You must have a current Tier 4 visa. If you have left the country and returned to the UK on a student visitor visa or a general visitor, you are not eligible to apply.
• You must apply after your viva and before you submit your final bound thesis. You cannot apply once your course has been completed, i.e. after you've handed in your final thesis. 
• You will require an updated course completion date. Once you have taken your viva, and know if you need major or minor corrections, you should email the Tier 4 team at tier4@york.ac.uk with this information so that a new course completion date can be calculated. The Tier 4 team will provide you with a new CAS, which is required for the application. 
• You should apply using the online Tier 4 application form.
• You must apply in the UK. Applications outside the UK will not be accepted.
• You must show evidence of £2,030 for maintenance. This must be held in a bank account in your name (or in the name of a parent or guardian) for at least 28 days. The bank statement must be no more than one calendar month old on the date you post your application.
• You will continue to be sponsored by the University, and must meet certain ‘contact points’. 
• You must provide all documents as required for a Tier 4 application.

There are very few work restrictions on the Tier 4 Doctorate Extension Scheme visa. The only employment you are not permitted to take is as a professional sportsperson or coach, or as a doctor or dentist in training. Once you have applied for the Doctorate Scheme, and completed your course, you may start work on these conditions before your visa has been processed.  

The visa is for 12 months maximum, and will start on the course completion date given on the CAS. The starting date of the visa cannot be changed, even if your studies take longer than expected.  

You cannot study full time on this visa; only ‘supplementary study’ is permitted.  

Dependants can also apply, either from inside the UK or outside the UK.   

You can switch in the UK from the Tier 4 Doctorate Extension visa to Tier 2 (General), Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur), or any other category of Tier 1 visa. 

There is information on the Tier 4 Doctorate Extension Scheme in the Tier 4 Policy Guidance. 

Most students use the Tier 2 (General) visa if they wish to work in the UK. The requirements for Tier 2 are more flexible for those applying in the UK with a valid Tier 4 visa, provided they have studied on this visa. The requirements are also more flexible for those applying for a PhD level job, or earning over £155,300 per annum.

For Tier 4 (General) visa holders wishing to switch into Tier 2 (General) the requirements are:

• The employer must be licensed by the Home Office.
• You must be offered a job which pays at least £20,800, in some very specific job roles but for the majority it is likely to be £25,000 or higher, per year.
• You must show evidence of at least £945 in a your bank account for a minimum of 90 days.
• You must have a Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD degree, or have completed the first year of a PhD. Postgraduate diplomas (unless a PGCE or PGDE teaching qualification) will not be accepted.

If you apply in the UK and you still have leave remaining on your student visa, your employer will not have to pass the Resident Labour Market Test. This means that your employer will not have to search the UK and EU job market and prove that you were the most suitable applicant, before they can offer you the job. Furthermore, your application will not affect the restricted numbers of non-EU applicants that your employer can offer a job to. This will make it much easier for an employer to offer you a position in their company.

Once you have submitted a Tier 2 application, you can take a permanent full time job while waiting for the visa to be processed.

Depending on the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from your employer, you may apply for a visa for a period of 3 or 5 years.  If you apply for a 3 year visa, you will have the option later to apply for a further 3 years, provided you stay in employment.  After 5 years, you can apply to settle in the UK provided you are earning at least £35,000 per year or if the job is on the Shortage Occupation list, is a PhD level job, or if you have Tier 2 (Minister of Religion) leave.

Please note that the University’s Immigration Advice Service is not able to advise on work visas, so questions should be directed to the HR (Human Resources) department of your potential employer.

Reading Recruiting International Graduates 2020 (PDF , 333kb) may be useful. It's aimed at employers, but it highlights some of the concessions made for new graduates switching into this category and looks at misconceptions employers have. Make sure your prospective employer understands the rules, as applicable to you as a current Tier 4 visa holder switching in the UK. 

The Start-up visa scheme is aimed at people who wish to establish a business in the UK, and who have a business plan endorsed by a Home Office-approved endorsing body. It has replaced Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur. You can find out more information on the Gov.uk website, and the UKCISA website.

The University of York will endorse recent graduates (within two years) from the University of York who meet the criteria set out in the government's guidance.

If you are interested in applying for an endorsement, please complete the form on the Enterprise page for international students. Please note applications will be considered three times a year, in September, December, and March.

This visa route is aimed at graduates who require work experience, internships or professional training for their field of work, or for post-doctoral research projects. Find out more about Tier 5 (GAE) visas.

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Eligibility requirements are:

A Tier 5 Youth Mobility visa is completely separate from the Tier 5 Government Authorised Exchange visa. The Youth Mobility visa allows nationals of the countries listed below to work in the UK for up to two years:

• Australia
• Canada
• Hong Kong
• Japan
• Monaco
• New Zealand
• Republic of Korea
• Taiwan
• British Overseas Citizens, British Overseas Territories and British Nationals (Overseas) can also apply.

Places are limited annually and once the quota for the year has been reached you have to wait and try again later. Two key points:

• you are not allowed to apply from within the UK
• you must be aged between 18 and 30 to be eligible.

Find out more on the UKCISA website and at gov.uk