UK Visa Options for Education Abroad Internships

Effective December 31, 2008, the BUNAC Blue Card is no longer available for pure internship programs in the United Kingdom. While the UK government and the U.S. Dept. of State are in negotiations to create a visa option for internships under the Tier 5: Youth Mobility scheme in the future, there is currently no visa option for pure internships that do not involve study. For programs with a work placement/internship component that previously utilized the BUNAC Blue Card, the institution may need to carefully examine whether the program will fit within the requirements of the Tier 4: Student Visa.

Internship Under the Tier 4: Student Visa

If a student is undertaking any internship, regardless of whether academic credit is earned and regardless of whether it is paid or unpaid, the student must obtain a Tier 4 Student Visa/prior entry clearance. The student may not apply at the UK border to enter as a Student Visitor, and may be denied entry if s/he attempts to enter without a Student Visa/prior entry clearance. However, the Tier 4 Student Visa requires that the student spend at least 50% of the program in study, limiting the internship/work placement to 50% or less of the program.

The UK Border Agency "Students Under the Points Based System - (Tier 4) Statement of Intent" explains the requirement in more detail at page 12 (italics added for emphasis):

Courses with Work Placements

Work Placements
40. Due to the risk of abuse of current sandwich courses, with courses being offered which involve very little study and extensive periods in work, stricter requirements will be placed on such courses under the points system to ensure the student route is not used for disguised employment.

41. Students in the General Student sub-category will be allowed to undertake work placements as part of their course. However, the work place component of the course must be no more than 50% of the total course.

42. There will be no separate sub-category for such students as it is recognised that some students only choose to do such courses after their arrival in the UK and most of the controls we will apply to these courses will apply to the education provider rather than the individual student.

Internships
43. We also recognise that significant numbers of overseas students who are enrolled on degree courses overseas currently come to the UK to undertake part of their course plus an internship. Such students benefit from this experience and are low risk; they will already have a proven track record in their studies and have every incentive to leave the UK at the end of their programme to complete their course overseas.

44. We want to continue to encourage such exchanges under the points system. Such students will be permitted to undertake internships in the UK as ‘General Students’ provided they are studying a full time course overseas that is recognised as being at UK degree level by NARIC; they study, as part of the overseas qualification, with a UKBA Licensed Sponsor for a minimum of 50% of the total time they spend in the UK and they work, as part of the overseas qualification, with an employer in the UK for a maximum of 50% of the total time they spend in the UK. Some study in the UK will be required for such students to prevent this route being exploited as one for pure employment.

45. Education providers will remain responsible for their students while they undertake work placements and they must continue to comply with all their sponsor’s duties.

46. Education providers offering courses with work-placements to international students which do not meet the above criteria will have their Licence revoked.

Entitlement to Work
47. We recognise that students can gain further valuable experience from their time in the UK if they are permitted to engage in temporary work outside their course of study. Such an entitlement is currently provided to students and, in support of the Prime Minister’s Initiative, will continue to be permitted to those with ‘General Student’ visas.

48. The student’s visa will show that they have permission to work whilst in the UK and, as now, they will be permitted to work part-time during term time and full time during vacations. (Students will not have to seek approval from UKBA before they commence such employment).