Yes. International students are allowed to set up businesses in the UK, provided they meet certain legal requirements.
For example, you must be resident in the UK for at least three months before setting up a new company.
You also need to register with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) within 28 days of starting work or running any business activities.
If you are an international student looking to start a business in the United Kingdom, then you might need to consider starting your own company.
The government has introduced new laws to encourage entrepreneurship among young people. These laws could provide more opportunities for those who want to set up their own businesses.
Starting a business is always a challenge, but if you have the determination, you should be able to get started.
You can also use StartUpUK to find information about the different types of companies that are needed in the UK.
You can learn about the legal requirements to establish a company and the steps to complete this process.
Student visa work rules in UK
The student visa worker must have a valid visa for the duration of their stay in the United Kingdom. They cannot be employed by an employer who does not hold a Tier 2 sponsor license.
Students can only apply for a student visa if they plan to remain in the United Kingdom after completion of their studies.
Student visa holders in UK, Can work only as part-time employees only. A student visa holder may work on a temporary basis while studying in the UK.
However, he/she will not be eligible for employment rights such as sick pay, holiday entitlement etc. The student visa holder can only work under his/her sponsoring organisation’s terms and conditions.
In addition, the student visa holder cannot take paid leave from his/her job during study period.
Permissible work under the student visa, includes:
- Work as part of a course or study programme
- Teaching English language courses
- Working on research projects
- Volunteering
- Interning
- Applying for jobs through recruitment agencies
- Taking paid employment while studying abroad
- Supporting yourself financially during your time away from home
- Studying towards qualifications such as degrees, diplomas or certificates
- Doing voluntary work
- Looking for work
- Learning skills
- Training
- Traveling around Europe
What is allowed and what isn’t allowed when it comes to student visas?
In UK, A student visa allows students to live and study in another country for a period. Professional immigration advice that helps them understand how to make sure that they do not break any law.
A student visa holder can work in the UK only if he/she holds one of these documents:
Tier 1 General Visa
This type of visa permits entry into the UK for short term visits. It is issued to applicants who wish to visit the UK for less than six months.
Tier 2 • General Visitor Visa
This type of visa permits entry to the UK for longer stays. Students with this kind of visa can enter the UK for periods ranging between 6 months and 3 years.
Tier 5 Student Visa
This type of visa enables foreign nationals to come to the UK to undertake higher education at universities and colleges.
Tier 4 Work Permit
This permit gives permission to employers to employ workers temporarily.
Tier 8 Indefinite Leave To Remain
This document provides permanent residence status to individuals who have been living legally in the UK for five continuous years.
Other visa classification and visa categories in UK
Visa options in UK, are available depending upon the purpose of travel. For example, there are different types of visitor visas which include:
Tourist visas, working holidays visas, family reunion visas, transit visas, multiple entries visas, single entry visas, long term visas, student visas, investor visas, humanitarian visas, diplomatic passports, and so forth.
UK has also introduced some new visa categories like e2 visa, spv visa and vc visa.
There also alternative visa options such as:
- Start-up Visa
Start-up visa and Innovator visa are two new innovative ways by government to encourage entrepreneurs to set up their businesses in the UK.
Start-ups get an opportunity to stay in the UK for three years after setting up their company. They need to invest £200,000 in order to qualify for the scheme.
The Innovators visa is designed specifically for those people who want to establish themselves in the UK but don’t meet the requirements for other visas. This visa category was launched in April 2016.
- Innovator Visa
This type of visa application are made on behalf of self employed persons who intend to settle permanently in the UK. The applicant must be able to prove his ability to support himself and his dependents.
Eligibility criteria for innovator visa includes:
• Applicant should be aged 18 years old or above;
• He / she needs to hold valid passport;
• His / her spouse and children under 21 years old will be eligible for settled status once the person gets approved for the visa;
- Entrepreneur visa
This alternative visa options can help you to find out more about entrepreneur visa. Entrepreneurship is defined as “the process of creating something from nothing”.
If you plan to create your own startup then it would be beneficial for you to apply for entrepreneur visa. You may ask yourself why?
Because, when you apply for entrepreneur visa, you will receive all the benefits offered by Tier 2 visa without having to pay anything extra.
You can read more information regarding entrepreneur visa here.
- Study work visa
This type of a visa application paperwork that are required before applying for study work visa. It helps applicants to know what documents they need to provide while submitting their applications.
It is important to note that if you do not submit these documents with your application form then you might face problems during immigration clearance.
- Talent visas
This type of visa application are for business organisation that are looking for highly skilled workers. If you have been selected among the candidates then you will be given this kind of visa.
- Start-up visa applications
This startup visa scheme are aimed at helping young individuals to launch their startups. Start-up visa allows them to remain in the country for 3 years.
They need to make investment of £150,000 into their companies. After completing the period of 3 years, they can extend their stay in the UK for another year.
A successful start-up visa application in UK, Can help your business grow!
UK has become one of the best countries where foreign investors come to develop their business. There are many reasons behind this fact.
One reason could be because there are no restrictions imposed on foreigners coming to the United Kingdom.
Another reason could be due to the high quality education system which makes Britain attractive for overseas students.
However, there are some things that you need to consider before starting any business in the UK. These include:
- Taxation
- Business activity
- income through employment
- investment funding requirement
How long can you stay for after your studies have finished?
You can stay for up to three months (or until you get a job) after graduation. After that, you need to pay back the money you borrowed from the government.
Is there any limit as to how many hours per week you can be employed?
There are no limits on working hours in most developed countries. In fact, it may be beneficial for employers if employees work longer hours, as they tend to be happier and more productive when they’re not at home.
Do I need permission from my university if I want to start up a side hustle while studying abroad?
No. You don’t need permission from your university to work on your own projects or start up a business.
But you should be aware of what rules and regulations apply when working outside of campus. Some education institutions.
What happens if I fail to meet the requirements set out above?
The first thing that you need to understand about student visas is that failure to comply with the conditions mentioned above does not mean that you automatically lose your right to enter the UK.
In order to avoid losing your rights, you must inform the Home Office within 14 days of receiving notice of refusal.
A Wife, a mum and a Tutor! I am the Lead Editor at TheTutor.Link & also the Head Tutor there. I love teaching seeing young minds flourish. I also love blogging and sharing my experience on the world wide web.