Student Visa to Work Routes: Switching Options, Timing, and Compliance

1. For many international students, the plan is simple: complete the course, start a graduate-level job, and settle. In practice, the transition from a Student visa to a work route hinges on tight eligibility rules and precise timing. This guide maps the options and highlights the traps that most often derail otherwise strong cases, with a focus on switch student to skilled worker and graduate route options.

   
   

2. The direct switch to Skilled Worker is the cleanest path if you already have a qualifying job offer. You will need a licensed sponsor, an eligible occupation at the required skill level, and pay that meets both the general threshold and the occupation’s going rate. Since July 2025 the general threshold is £41,700, and the going-rate tables for each occupation still apply. If you are a new entrant, in certain postdoctoral roles, or have a relevant PhD, you may qualify on a discounted going rate, but the salary must still meet the floor for that discount and the percentage set for your category. Health and education roles follow sector pay scales rather than the generic table. Teachers, for example, are assessed against national pay ranges.

   
   

3. Switch timing matters. If you are on a Student visa you can only switch after you have completed the course you were sponsored to study, or where your job start date is after the course has finished. PhD candidates have a limited exception once they have studied full-time for at least 24 months. Offers that require you to start before your official course end date, or which assume you can work full-time during term-time, usually lead to refusals or sponsor compliance issues. Do not travel outside the Common Travel Area after you apply to switch, or your application will be treated as withdrawn. Plan for decision time as standard processing can take several weeks unless you are eligible to use a priority service.

   
   

4. Salary calculations create frequent pitfalls. The going rates are expressed on a 37.5-hour week; if your contract uses a different pattern the figures must be pro-rated correctly. Employers sometimes propose part-time hours or compressed weeks that inadvertently drop pay below either the £41,700 threshold or the going rate. Your Certificate of Sponsorship must reflect the correct occupation code and hours, and the narrative of your role must match that code in substance. Any mismatch can be fatal to eligibility.

   
   

5. English language and futureproofing are now strategic considerations. For first-time Skilled Worker applications made on or after 8 January 2026, the English requirement rises to B2. If you plan to switch after that date, build in time to secure an approved test or alternative evidence. Candidates switching in 2025 under the current B1 standard should keep this change in mind for dependants or later route changes.

   
   

6. If a direct switch is not yet viable, the Graduate route can provide a bridge. It allows broad work rights without sponsorship, which can be helpful if your prospective role will not meet the salary or skill rules until a later pay review or promotion. Time on the Graduate route does not count towards the five-year settlement clock for Skilled Worker, but it can be a practical staging ground to gain UK experience and move into a qualifying position. From 1 January 2027, new non-PhD Graduate route grants will be 18 months rather than two years, so plan employer sponsorship timelines accordingly. PhD graduates will continue to receive three years.

   
   

7. Some students will not move into employment but into business. If you have a credible, innovative plan and the right evidence base, a move from Student to the Innovator Founder route can be viable. This demands early work on a robust business model, endorsement, and compliance with the route’s maintenance and English rules. It is often wise to prepare in parallel while you complete your course, so there is no gap in status.

8. Compliance during the handover remains critical. Keep to Student work-hour limits until you have switched or until the course has ended and vacation rules apply. Do not start your full-time permanent role before you are legally permitted to do so. Ensure your sponsor has the correct licence rating and reporting systems, because sponsor compliance breaches can affect your permission even if you are blameless. Align your job title, duties, code and salary on the CoS with what is in your signed contract and HR systems. If you change employer or role later, remember you must update your permission before you start the new job.

   
   

9. For families, students on taught master’s courses generally cannot bring dependants unless they fall within the narrow exceptions, whereas Skilled Workers can usually do so if the sponsor and salary rules are met. If your family plans are imminent, it can be safer to time the switch first and then file linked applications rather than rely on Student-route dependant rules that may not apply to you.

   
   

10. The right route depends on your degree stage, your job offer, the occupation code, the salary package, and the date you intend to apply. Get those five pieces aligned and the switch is straightforward. Misjudge any one of them and you risk refusal, delayed starts, or sponsor problems that could have been avoided with earlier planning.

Need a switch plan? Book a strategy call.

Student Visa to Work Routes