So, are you thinking about working with the student visa that you have?Then you are reading the perfect student visa UK employer guidance article that fits your needs.This guide will break down everything that you need to know about student visa regulations and your responsibilities as an employer.Therefore, without any explanations let’s get into details.
Understanding the Student Visa Basics
When international students come to the UK, they can actually work while they study.Most students get what's called a Student visa (British people used to call it a Tier 4 visa).There's also something called a Short-term Study visa, but those students typically can't work.So if you have a Student visa, you can work part-time during your school terms and full-time during your holidays.However, remember that the exact time frame depends on your course and where that you are studying.Note: The rules aren't the same for everyone. Undergraduate and postgraduate students have different allowances. Where most students can work up to 20 hours every week during term time, and they can work as much as they want during official holidays. Research students at the postgraduate level might have different rules because their term dates works differently.
Key Employer Responsibilities
As an employer, the person who is hiring you must need to set up proper systems to check and verify your student visa documents before they let you start working.The hiring person must keep copies of everything of your documents and he/she must make sure that your records stays up to date.They usually have an effective way of doing things to track your working hours too.However, If something changes with your situation or if that person notices any problems with your visa conditions. They must need to report it to the immigration or the legal department as well.
Work Hour Restrictions
That 20-hour weekly limit during term time is really important which means that you can't go over it.This includes any kind of work that you do.It doesn't matter whether it's paid or unpaid, including self-employment and sometimes even volunteer work relates to this.Remember that you need to count the hours week by week. Which means that you can't average them out over a longer time.On the other hand, for postgraduate students, especially those who are doing research, it gets a bit tricky because their term dates aren't always as clear-cut.
Document Verification Process
Before you start to work, your employer will carry on a few checks of your right to work.Employers actually cannot do this process by simply looking at your original documents or using the online checking service to verify your digital status.This means they will check your passport, your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), and also the term dates from your school.As for the legal procedure, the person who is hiring you must make copies of your documents with the date on those and sign to show that he/she is the one who checked your status.
Transitioning to Post-Study Work
When you are getting close to finishing your studies, there are options for keeping your visa on the safe side.There's something called the Graduate route that lets students work or look for work after they graduate.So if you want to stay longer, there's the Skilled Worker visa option as well.In addition to that, if an employer wishes to sponsor you during your working period, that is possible as well.In order to do this, the employer must need to plan ahead, this is because there are timelines to follow and preparations to make the process fall back to the legally safe side.ConclusionManaging to work under UK visa rules takes attention to detail and a good commitment to your workload, but it's completely possible to carry on.The key is to really understand what the visa rules are.If you follow our points that we've talked about, as in keeping your paperwork in order, and staying up to date with any change of rules, you can successfully work with the student visa while avoiding any legal problems.However, it is your employer’s responsibility to review your processes regularly and keep training you to the fullest.So make sure the person that you are working for is someone who is knowledgeable about the process.We know that these visa rules might seem overwhelming at first, but they're not so hard to follow when you break them down into smaller pieces.So good luck and get the most out from the opportunities that you can.Contact TEVS a UK student visa consultants in Sri Lanka for more information.