At the end of term and finishing studies

The expiry date of your visa permission will be confirmed in your initial UKVI visa grant letter/email when you first receive your visa decision. Certain applicants may have been issued with a BRP card which should also confirm your visa expiry date.

*Please note that the UK is moving to a digital immigration system at the end of this year. Therefore, all BRPs will expire on or before 31 December 2024. If your BRP expires on 31 December 2024, you should check the UKVI decision letter/email which you received when your visa was granted, as this will give you the full details of your immigration permission. 

Information about the digital immigration system

You must leave the UK by your visa expiry date, OR, make an appropriate, valid application to remain in the UK, on or before your expiry date. 

There is no ‘grace’ period after your visa expiry date. If you stay in the UK beyond the expiry date of your visa without having made a valid application for permission to stay, you will become an 'overstayer'. Overstaying a visa in the UK is classed as a criminal offence, and it can have serious consequences for future visa applications in the UK and elsewhere. Overstaying may even lead to you receiving an automatic 10-year 're-entry ban' to the UK. 

Overstaying

If you have successfully completed your programme on time, and your Student visa is still valid (even for a short period), and providing you are coming back for reasons which are deemed permissible by your visa (for example, to pack up your belongings, apply for the Graduate /Skilled Work visa, or attend graduation), you should be permitted to re-enter the UK.  It is important that you are clear with the Border Force officer when you return as, if you state that you are coming back for a purpose that is not compatible with your Student visa, or that you will overstay your visa, they may refuse entry. 

If you have interrupted your studies, or if you have completed your programme early, we do not recommend that you leave the UK and attempt to re-enter with your Student visa as you may be refused entry.

If your Student visa has expired, you will need to seek alternative immigration permission to return to the UK, such as entering as a standard visitor.

At the end of your studies

Standard visitor visa

Unless you have a job offer at an appropriate level, or meet the requirements of another visa route, it is very unlikely that you will be able to stay in the UK after the end of your study visa. 

There is no option to extend your Student visa in the UK for reasons of starting work experience or an internship. It is also not possible to work or extend your stay in the UK if you hold Standard Visitor visa permission. 

Working after studies