Stricter visa conditions for students who want to work in UK

NEW DELHI: Indian students who wish to work after their studies in the UK will now need to apply for a job with a licensed Tire 2 sponsor, the government said today.

In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Human resource Development D Purandeswari said the Post-Study Work visa, which earlier allowed students to work in the UK for two years after they completed their studies, is closed from April 6, 2012.

"Students who intend to work after their studies now need to apply for a job with a licensed Tire 2 sponsor if they do so before their student visa expires," Purandeswari said.

The sponsor would be a UK-based organisation that wants to employ overseas applicants from countries outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland.

As per the new rules, the applicants "can only work only in areas commensurate to their field of study subject to a minimum salary threshold of 35,000 pounds per year", the Minister noted.

Changes to UK student visas, which have come into force from April 6, were announced on March 22, 2011.