Watchtower/Law library/Right to work checks: an employer's guide/Students
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Right to work checks: an employer's guide · Students

Students

employer s guide to right to work checks 1 october 2026 chunk 124 · in force: unknown

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Students

Not all international students are entitled to work while they are in the UK, but some are allowed to take limited employment if the conditions of their permission to study permit this.
A student who has been granted permission to be in the UK will have an eVisa. Employers can do a check by using the online service to determine whether the student is permitted to work and what restrictions apply.
Alternatively, they may have an endorsement in their passport which states whether they are permitted to work and the number of hours of work permitted during term time, for example,10 hours or 20 hours a week.
A week is considered in this context to run from Monday to Sunday. If permission to work is not stated in one of these documents, the student is not permitted to work other than work in relation to integral and assessed work placements. Students who have the right to work are permitted to work full-time before their course starts, during vacations or during the period they hold permission for after they have completed their course.
Study term times may end on any day of the week, depending upon the education provider. Therefore, if the educational institution’s term time ends on a Friday, full-time work would be permitted from the next day (in this scenario, a Saturday). Students should confirm with their sponsor what the term end date is and verify this with their employer as part of the right to work checking process when considering working full- time hours. This will allow employers to ensure students are not in breach of their visa conditions.
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Students are not permitted to fill a permanent full-time vacancy unless they are working as a Student Union Sabbatical Officer or applying to switch into the Skilled Worker or Graduate routes during their study. The Immigration Rules allow students with valid applications for these routes to take up permanent, full-time vacancies either up to three months prior to the course completion date for the Skilled Worker route, or once they have successfully completed their course of study for the Graduate route.
Students are not permitted to work as an entertainer or professional sportsperson. Students are also not permitted to be self-employed unless they have made an in-time application for the Innovator Founder route, supported by an endorsement from an Innovator Founder endorsing body, and that application remains outstanding.
For students who have limited permission to work during term-times, employers must also obtain, copy and retain details of their academic term and vacation times covering the duration of their period of study in the UK for which they will be employed.
The dates should be provided by the sponsoring education provider, either directly or indirectly if the student is providing a letter or email which they have received from their sponsoring education provider, setting out the required details.
It is for the employer to determine if the information provided is sufficient, whether received from the sponsoring education provider directly or via the student. For instance, where information showing course dates on the education provider’s website differs from that in any letter received, the employer may wish to seek further clarification.
More information about student work entitlements is available in the Student route caseworker guidance and section 6 of the Student sponsorship duties guidance.
Full captured verbatim text
Not all international students are entitled to work while they are in the UK, but some
are allowed to take limited employment if the conditions of their permission to study
permit this.

A student who has been granted permission to be in the UK will have an eVisa.
Employers can do a check by using the online service to determine whether the
student is permitted to work and what restrictions apply.

Alternatively, they may have an endorsement in their passport which states whether
they are permitted to work and the number of hours of work permitted during term time,
for example,10 hours or 20 hours a week.

A week is considered in this context to run from Monday to Sunday. If permission to
work is not stated in one of these documents, the student is not permitted to work other
than work in relation to integral and assessed work placements. Students who have
the right to work are permitted to work full-time before their course starts, during
vacations or during the period they hold permission for after they have completed their
course.

Study term times may end on any day of the week, depending upon the education
provider. Therefore, if the educational institution’s term time ends on a Friday, full-time
work would be permitted from the next day (in this scenario, a Saturday). Students
should confirm with their sponsor what the term end date is and verify this with their
employer as part of the right to work checking process when considering working full-
time hours. This will allow employers to ensure students are not in breach of their visa
conditions.

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Students are not permitted to fill a permanent full-time vacancy unless they are working
as a Student Union Sabbatical Officer or applying to switch into the Skilled Worker or
Graduate routes during their study. The Immigration Rules allow students with valid
applications for these routes to take up permanent, full-time vacancies either up to
three months prior to the course completion date for the Skilled Worker route, or once
they have successfully completed their course of study for the Graduate route.

Students are not permitted to work as an entertainer or professional sportsperson.
Students are also not permitted to be self-employed unless they have made an in-time
application for the Innovator Founder route, supported by an endorsement from an
Innovator Founder endorsing body, and that application remains outstanding.

For students who have limited permission to work during term-times, employers must
also obtain, copy and retain details of their academic term and vacation times covering
the duration of their period of study in the UK for which they will be employed.

The dates should be provided by the sponsoring education provider, either directly or
indirectly if the student is providing a letter or email which they have received from
their sponsoring education provider, setting out the required details.

It is for the employer to determine if the information provided is sufficient, whether
received from the sponsoring education provider directly or via the student. For
instance, where information showing course dates on the education provider’s website
differs from that in any letter received, the employer may wish to seek further
clarification.

More information about student work entitlements is available in the Student route
caseworker guidance and section 6 of the Student sponsorship duties guidance.

What this provision means

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Relevance to Signicat: 3/3 · detailed summary (L4) Status: ok · Stored artifact; current recipe verification unavailable

Employers must verify student work conditions, check eVisas or passport endorsements, and retain academic term and vacation dates.

A student who has been granted permission to be in the UK will have an eVisa. Employers can do a check by using the online service to determine whether the student is permitted to work and what restrictions apply.
Alternatively, they may have an endorsement in their passport which states whether they are permitted to work and the number of hours of work permitted during term time, for example,10 hours or 20 hours a week.
For students who have limited permission to work during term-times, employers must also obtain, copy and retain details of their academic term and vacation times covering the duration of their period of study in the UK for which they will be employed.
Employers must verify whether an international student is permitted to work and what restrictions apply, using the online service for students with an eVisa or checking an endorsement in their passport. For students with limited permission to work during term-times, employers must obtain, copy and retain details of academic term and vacation times covering the duration of the study period for which they are employed, provided directly or indirectly by the sponsoring education provider. Students are prohibited from filling permanent full-time vacancies, working as entertainers or professional sportspeople, or engaging in self-employment.
checks.right_to_workidentity_proofing.documentretention.archiveevidence.audit_trail

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Instrument tier unavailable

Change history as published

Final employer RTW guidance added for 1 October, · 2026-10-01T08:30:15Z

Updated DRAFT: Employer’s guide to right to work checks. · 2026-09-11T11:06:55Z

The guidance has been updated. · 2026-07-16T13:45:35Z

Updated Welsh version of guidance. · 2025-07-31T16:20:26Z

An accessible version of the guidance has been added. · 2025-07-10T12:10:44Z

This guide has been updated throughout. The most significant updates are a simplification of the content, a revision of terminology and further clarification that expired physical Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) are not acceptable proof of right to work. · 2025-06-26T09:27:22Z

Updated the employers' guide to right to work checks. A full list of changes can be found in the guidance. · 2025-02-12T12:58:39Z

Added Welsh version of guidance. · 2024-12-23T16:21:21Z

Added an accessible version. · 2024-11-13T15:28:00Z

Employer's guide to right to work checks has been updated. · 2024-09-23T11:39:40Z

An accessible version of this guidance has been added. · 2024-07-02T08:34:56Z

This guidance has been updated throughout. A full list of changes is on page 7. · 2024-06-21T08:30:03Z

Accessible version updated. · 2024-02-09T09:18:10Z

Guidance updated, changes are detailed on page 6. · 2024-02-08T16:18:08Z

Guidance updated, changes include removing the requirement for employers to verify a digital Certificate of Application (CoA) with the Home Office Employer Checking Service (ECS) when conducting a right to work online check involving an outstanding EU Settlement Scheme application made on or after 1 July 2021. Also the removal of reference to Immigration Enforcement 28-day notices in respect of EEA citizens and their non-EEA family members which are no longer in use. · 2023-10-18T16:39:14Z

The adjustments to right to work checks introduced on 30 March 2020 as part of the response to COVID-19 ended on 30 September 2022. · 2023-03-28T09:05:48Z

Updated to the latest version of the guidance. · 2023-02-28T16:47:10Z

Updated information for employers carrying out right to work checks from 1 October. · 2022-09-27T13:26:25Z

Added accessible version of employer's guide to right to work checks: 6 April 2022 and Ukrainian nationals and right to work checks. · 2022-04-27T09:46:34Z

New Ukrainian nationals and right to work checks guide added. · 2022-04-12T16:00:06Z

Added new version of right to work checks: an employer's guide, which came into force on 6 April 2022. A summary of the changes can be found in the guide. · 2022-04-06T13:20:57Z

Added draft version of guidance which will come into force on 6 April 2022. · 2022-03-11T16:20:10Z

Added web version of the employer's guide. · 2022-02-15T08:09:53Z

Update on the use of BRP/Cs to prove right to work. Guidance for employers and Identity Service Providers (IDSPs) regarding the use of digital identity verification. · 2022-01-17T16:20:42Z

Updated guide to highlight changes for EEA Citizens and non-EEA family members without lawful immigration status after 30 June 2021, and added Annex E describing changes for biometric card holders. · 2021-12-17T10:18:18Z

Changes to the way those with outstanding applications to the EUSS evidence their right to work and changes to the lists of acceptable documents: a) removal of duplication from list B, group 1, no.5; b) amendment to list B, group 2, no.2 c) addition at list B, group 2, no.5. Extension to the COVID-19 temporary adjusted right to work checking process. · 2021-08-31T12:07:50Z

Guidance updated with changes to the acceptable document list. Amendments also made to the section on ‘Outstanding UK EU Settlement Scheme applications made up to and including 30 June 2021’ and ‘EEA citizens without lawful immigration status after 30 June’. · 2021-07-02T15:42:07Z

Guidance updated with changes to the way EEA citizens evidence their right to work. · 2021-06-18T14:13:30Z

Updated to provide further guidance for employers on right to work checks for EEA and Swiss nationals during the grace period (1 January to 30 June 2021). · 2021-03-17T00:15:02Z

Updated guidance includes information on right to work checks for EEA and Swiss nationals during the grace period (1 January to 30 June 2021). · 2020-12-21T11:41:36Z

Because of coronavirus (COVID-19) there are temporary changes to the way you can check documents. Added a link to guidance about the adjusted process. · 2020-04-06T11:50:05Z

Updated to add 28 January 2019 edition · 2019-01-28T09:02:15Z

Attached updated guidance. · 2018-06-29T10:23:57Z

Updated guidance. · 2017-08-16T15:00:22Z

Updated guidance. · 2016-07-12T10:11:57Z

Updated guidance on right to work checks. · 2015-05-12T15:50:18Z

Updated guide · 2014-12-22T16:13:05Z

Updated right to work document · 2014-12-17T00:00:01Z

added link to new online employer checking service form · 2014-11-24T16:08:21Z

Updated guidance, 28/07/2014. · 2014-07-29T15:55:07Z

First published. · 2014-05-15T23:00:00Z

Pending effects amendments not yet applied to this text

No captured pending effects.

Provenance

Every claim the system makes about this text is traceable to these identifiers.

Instrument
uk:govuk/right-to-work-employers-guide
Part
Students
Version
47492d45c85668bb5f9c734b…
Content hash
sha256 6947dd1995729e4b6c616d38…
Source
gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-work-checks-employers-guide