Student Working Regulations

Nationals of European Economic Area (EEA) Countries and Switzerland have the right to work in the UK .

Students from countries outside the EEA who are on courses of more than six months are usually given permission to work. You may take part-time or vacation work without needing to obtain permission from the local job centre. Similarly, they are able to do work placements which are part of a sandwich course or to undertake internship placements without the need to obtain permission from Work Permits (UK).

NLC will provide you with a work permit letter when you arrive at the College to show the prospective employers. Additionally, we can also provide advice and guidance on how best to approach employment in the UK .

Conditions:

Students with a stamp or vignette (sticker), which allows work, have to meet these conditions:

Students can, if they wish, get an official letter from their local Jobcentre Plus confirming that they do not now need a work permit provided the above conditions are met.  If a Jobcentre Plus is unwilling to provide such a letter, then visit a Student Adviser at the Counselling and Advice Service.

Passport Stamps and Stickers :

You need to check the stamp in your passport to see whether you are allowed to work during term-time and the vacations.

If you came to the UK as a student for a period of more than six months you will normally have a stamp/sticker that allows you to take on part-time or vacation work, although certain conditions need to be met. These conditions are outlined below.

If you came to the UK as a visitor you will have a stamp/sticker which prohibits you from working.

If you came to the UK as a student on a course lasting six months or less, you may have a stamp that prohibits you from working unless you made a special request to be allowed to work when you came to the UK . (See Short-term students below)

To find out if you have been given permission to work you need to check the wording in the last vignette (sticker) or stamp in your passport. If you have the wording in example 1 or 2 then you have been given permission to work and should read the conditions listed later.  If you have been given the wording in 3,4 and 5 then you will not have been given permission to work and you should see a Student Adviser who may be able to help you change your prohibition stamp to a restriction (permission to work) stamp.

 The following wording means you are allowed to work during term-time and the vacations

1.  ‘No recourse to public funds.  Work and any changes must be authorised’

or

2.‘Leave to remain in the United Kingdom on condition that the holder does not enter or change employment paid or unpaid without the consent of the Secretary of State for Employment and does not engage in any business or profession without the consent of the Secretary of State for the Home Department is hereby given Until………..’

This following wording means you are not allowed to work

3. ‘No work or recourse to public funds’

or

4. ‘Leave to enter for……. Employment and Recourse to Public Funds Prohibited’

or

5. ‘Leave to enter the United Kingdom on condition that the holder maintains and accommodates himself and any dependants without recourse to public funds does not enter employment paid or unpaid and does not engage in any business or profession is hereby given for / until…..’

Short-term students

Students on courses lasting 6 months or less may be given a stamp which prohibits employment unless they specifically said that they wanted to do part-time work when they came into the UK. If you have a prohibition stamp, you cannot work legally. You need to get the stamp changed.  From April 2005 the Home Office has started charging £250 to process postal applications. It is therefore now even more important that students who wish to work tell this to immigration officers upon arrival in the UK , taking care to follow the advice given below.

If you do ask to have the stamp changed so that you have permission to work it is vitally important that the reason you give for wishing to take up part-time employment is to gain work experience and not because you need the earnings to support yourself. It is one of the key conditions of your entry and stay in the UK that you have sufficient funds to support yourself.

You have to apply to the Home Office to get the stamp changed. Getting the stamp changed can take some time because of delays at the Home Office.  For more information on how to get the stamp changed, please see one of the Student Advisers.

Working when your studies have ended:

Some changes have been introduced that have made it easier for students to stay on in the UK to work. Subject to meeting the relevant criteria, students who have successfully completed a recognised degree course may be able to switch to work permit employment in the UK after finishing their studies. An employer can apply for a work permit for such a student without the student having to return home first. You can find more information about the current position if you click on ‘work permits’ on the Home Office website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk Special provisions have always applied to doctors, dentists and nurses and these will continue.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, New London College can accept no responsibility for errors or omissions.

ACCA