- Working on a placement with a Student visa
- Can I work full-time on a placement?
- Can I have another job while on placement?
- Masters with Placement students
- What happens if my placement is less than an academic year?
- What happens to my Student visa while I am on placement?
- Extending your Student visa for a work placement
Working on a placement with a Student visa
If you are considering a work placement, contact a Student Immigration Adviser before making a decision. A work placement may affect your visa status.
Email sitadvice@herts.ac.uk to discuss your circumstances.
Can I work full-time on a placement?
If the work placement is part of your studies, you can work full-time on your placement. However, there are some job roles that you cannot do. Please check What type of work can I do? Permitted and Not permitted.
Before starting your placement, you must:
- have official approval from the Placements team
- check your visa status with a Student Immigration Adviser
You cannot start your placement until you have done both.
Can I have another job while on placement?
While you are on a full-time work placement, you can also work part-time in another job, up to your weekly working hours limit. Both jobs can be paid.
Make sure your part-time job does not affect your work placement.
Masters with Placement students
If you are a Masters with Placement student, you cannot work full-time during the period between completing your studies and starting your work placement unless you are on an official vacation.
Read Student visa holders: working during your vacation for more information.
If you are not on an official vacation, you should use this time to find a work placement, including attending interviews. You should also engage with any preparation for placement modules on your programme.
What happens if my placement is less than an academic year?
If your placement lasts less than an academic year, for example one semester, you must either:
- return to your studies when the placement ends, or
- secure another placement before your first placement ends.
If you cannot do this and there will be more than 60 days before you need to return to your studies, excluding official University vacation periods, you must return to your home country and apply for a new visa to return to the UK when your studies resume.
Before accepting a one-semester placement, consider whether you are likely to secure another placement that starts immediately after the first one. If this is unlikely, we recommend that you do not take a one-semester placement.
What happens to my Student visa while I am on placement?
When you start your placement, your new location will be reported to the Home Office and your attendance will be monitored throughout your placement.
If your immigration status or circumstances change while you are on placement, you must tell the Student Immigration Team (Compliance) by emailing sitcompliance@herts.ac.uk.
If the University withdraws or suspends you while you are on placement, you must:
- tell your placement supervisor
- stop attending your work placement immediately.
Extending your Student visa for a work placement
If you want to add a UK-based work placement year to your course, you can apply for a new visa either:
- before your placement starts, or
- after your placement ends.
We strongly recommend contacting a Student Immigration Adviser before deciding to take a work placement. They can help you understand how the placement may affect your individual visa situation.
Applying for a new visa before your placement
If you want to apply for a new visa before your UK-based placement starts, make sure you have enough time to apply and receive your new visa.
You cannot start your placement until you receive your new visa.
You cannot apply for a new visa once your placement has started.
If you need to extend your visa because you are going on placement, request a new CAS.
Taking a work placement outside the UK
If you take an overseas work placement and the University cannot monitor it, the University will stop sponsorship of your Student visa.
You will need to make a new visa application from overseas before returning to your studies.
Contact the Student Immigration Team a few months before you expect to return.