Last updated: 3 Nov 2026 · Facts checked against official sources on 3 Nov 2026
General information, not legal advice. Rules change often – always confirm on gov.uk. For advice use an OISC-registered adviser or an SRA-regulated solicitor.
UK jobs & visas for international students – 2026
Plain-English, source-checked guidance for Indian and other international students in the UK: every visa route, sponsorship, 31 course areas, pay, sponsors and interview prep.
Compare visa routes Find your course Unlock everything – £3.50Key 2026 numbers
| Fact | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker general salary threshold | £41,700 | gov.uk |
| New-entrant minimum | £33,400 (70% of going rate) | gov.uk |
| Graduate visa | 2 yrs (apply by 31 Dec 2026), 18 months from 1 Jan 2027, PhD 3 yrs | gov.uk |
| Graduate visa fee | £937 | gov.uk |
| IHS | £1,035/yr (students £776) | gov.uk |
| Indian nationals – work visas granted (YE Jun 2026) | 47,009 (largest nationality) | Home Office |
What changed in October 2026 (checked 31 Oct 2026)
- 8 Oct 2026 (in force): most of Statement of changes HC 584 (laid 3 Sep 2026). For Skilled Workers: people confirmed as victims of modern slavery (positive Conclusive Grounds decision) may work for any employer for the rest of their permission (new SW 18.3). No change to the £41,700 threshold, going rates or the eligible occupation lists.
- 29 Oct 2026 (in force): Minister of Religion and Religious Worker changes from HC 584.
- 30 Nov 2026 (laid, not yet in force): Student maintenance rises from £1,529 to £1,570/month (London) and £1,171 to £1,203/month (elsewhere), up to 9 months.
- Reminder: Skilled Worker English level has been B2 for new applicants since 8 Jan 2026.
Announced in Budget 2026 (28 Oct 2026) — proposed, NOT yet law. No Statement of Changes has been laid yet. Do not plan on these until gov.uk confirms:
- Salary rules “from spring 2027”: occupation going rates cut from the median to the 25th percentile; general threshold re-based on 2026 wage data (no new figure given); annual updates; one single new-entrant discount; PhD discount removed.
- HPI widened to graduates of the top 150 global institutions, with a larger cap. Announced, not yet law. The current official list is the 2026 list (published 1 Nov 2026, 82 universities, roughly the top 80; no Indian universities).
- Graduate visa kept at 2 years for graduates of “high-compliance universities with strong labour market outcomes”. No list of those universities published yet.
- Up to 6 months to find a new job for the highest-skilled sponsored workers (2027).
Announced 2 Nov 2026 — earned settlement (consultation response). NOT yet law. No Statement of Changes has put this into the Immigration Rules yet. Current ILR rules on gov.uk still apply until then. Sources: Home Office news, consultation outcome, Home Secretary statement.
- Default qualifying period for settlement would rise from 5 years to 10 years.
- Faster paths (still announced only): highest earners (over about £125,000) as little as 3 years; earners over £50,271 and many doctors, nurses and teachers 5 years.
- Care workers who met visa conditions and earned at least £25,000 a year: 5 years (transitional deal).
- Immigration-rule breaches: at least 20 years. Small-boat / clandestine arrivals: longer waits (up to 30 years in the announcement).
- Four non-negotiable bars for everyone: spotless criminal record, high English (A-level EFL equivalent), no taxpayer debt, sustained National Insurance contributions.
- Existing settled status stays. British-citizen family, BN(O) and armed-forces pathways kept. Next step is detailed rules and an impact assessment before implementation.
Sources: HC 584, explanatory memorandum, Budget 2026, earned settlement news, consultation outcome.
🔍 What most Instagram, YouTube & blog guides don’t tell you
Lesser-known details taken directly from official documents (Immigration Rules, Home Office sponsor guidance, gov.uk), checked 31 Oct 2026. Not from social media.
- Your employer pays a hidden extra tax to hire you: the Immigration Skills Charge. For a CoS assigned from 16 Dec 2025 a large sponsor pays £1,320 for the first 12 months plus £660 for each further 6 months (small/charitable sponsors £480 + £240). A 5-year CoS therefore costs a large employer £6,600 in ISC alone, before the £525 CoS fee. This is a big reason employers hesitate on graduate hires. Source: Home Office sponsor guidance Part 2 (paras S5.3–S5.4)
- Only the first 48 hours a week count toward the salary threshold. Example in the Rules: 60 hours at £15/hour counts as £37,440 a year, not £46,800 – so long hours cannot 'top up' a low hourly rate. Source: Immigration Rules, Appendix Skilled Worker (SW 14.3)
- The new-entrant discount (70% of going rate, min £33,400) only lasts while your total UK stay on it is 4 years or less – and time already spent on a Graduate visa counts towards those 4 years. Spending the full Graduate visa period job-hunting can reduce your later discounted time. Source: gov.uk
- There are two kinds of CoS. 'Defined' CoS are for Skilled Workers applying from outside the UK and must be requested one at a time. 'Undefined' CoS (for in-UK switchers, e.g. from Student or Graduate) come from the employer's annual allocation. If your employer's allocation is used up, they must request more – a common hidden delay. Source: Home Office sponsor guidance Part 2 (S2.8–S2.10)
- The sponsor register CSV has two columns most people ignore: 'Route' (an employer can be licensed only for e.g. Scale-up or Global Business Mobility, not Skilled Worker) and 'Type & Rating'. In the 30 Oct 2026 file, 102 rows were 'Worker (B rating)' and 97 were 'UK Expansion Worker: Provisional'. Source: gov.uk
- For Skilled Worker ILR you must not have spent more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12 months, and time spent as someone's dependant does not count towards your own 5 years. Source: gov.uk
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Sources
- Home Office sponsor guidance Part 2 – Sponsor_guidance-part-2-sponsor-a-worker-10-26-v1.0.pdf — checked 31 Oct 2026
- Immigration Rules, Appendix Skilled Worker – immigration-rules-appendix-skilled-worker — checked 31 Oct 2026
- gov.uk – when-you-can-be-paid-less — checked 31 Oct 2026
- Home Office sponsor guidance Part 2 – Sponsor_guidance-part-2-sponsor-a-worker-10-26-v1.0.pdf — checked 31 Oct 2026
- gov.uk – register-of-licensed-sponsors-workers — checked 31 Oct 2026
- gov.uk – time-uk — checked 31 Oct 2026
- Skilled Worker – your job — checked 31 Oct 2026
- Graduate visa — checked 31 Oct 2026
- IHS — checked 31 Oct 2026
- Immigration statistics — checked 31 Oct 2026