International Students: Uk Citizenship Application Process Explained

The UK is a popular destination for international students, with many choosing to remain in the country after their studies. While a student visa does not allow you to change your status to a permanent resident, there are other routes to British citizenship for international students. One option is to apply for a Graduate Visa, which allows you to gain the necessary skills and experience to obtain a Skilled Worker Visa. Alternatively, if you are from the EEA or Switzerland, you can seek to become a permanent resident after your Tier 2 visa expires. For those who have lived in the UK for five years or more, it is possible to apply for British citizenship.

Can international students apply for UK citizenship?

Student visas and citizenship

International students on a Tier 2 visa who wish to remain in the UK after their studies have a few options. One option is to apply for a Skilled Worker Visa, formerly known as a Tier 2 (General) work permit. This visa is valid for five years and requires a job offer from a UK-based company with a valid sponsorship licence. Graduates under 26 enter the job market as "new entrants" with lower salary requirements for this visa.

Another option is to apply for a Graduate Visa, which allows graduates to gain the necessary skills and experience to obtain a Skilled Worker Visa. This visa is also valid for five years. With a little planning, international students can settle permanently and become British citizens after completing their education in the UK. The Graduate Route, introduced on 1 July 2021, allows graduates to apply for a two-year unsponsored visa for Bachelor's and Master's degrees and a three-year visa for Ph.D. completion.

It is important to note that there is no specific law that makes international students eligible for British citizenship. A student visa does not allow a person to change their civil status to a regular UK resident. The minimum time required to apply for UK citizenship is five years, and a student visa is typically valid for only four years. However, it is possible to extend a student visa to continue current studies or start a new course if the new course meets academic progression requirements.

Additionally, international students from the EEA, Switzerland, or the UK's qualified persons may be eligible to seek permanent residence in the UK. To be considered a "qualified person," an individual must be self-sufficient, self-employed, a student, or a job seeker. After obtaining permanent residence, an individual can then apply for British citizenship.

Extending a student visa

International students on a Student visa in the UK may be able to extend their visa to stay longer and continue their course or study a new course. This includes those who currently have a Tier 4 (General) student visa. To extend your visa, you must meet certain requirements. Firstly, you must have an unconditional offer of a place on a course with a licensed student sponsor, which is shown by your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). Secondly, you must demonstrate that your studies will be at a higher academic level than your current course, unless you are applying for the first time to a new institution to complete a course you started at an institution that lost its student sponsorship license. If you are doing a master's degree or above, you may need to apply for the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate.

The application fee for extending a student visa is £490, and you will need to prove your identity as part of your application. You will usually receive a decision within 8 weeks, but you may be able to pay more to get a faster decision. If your application is successful, you will receive an eVisa. It is important to note that your partner or children will need to apply separately to extend their visas, either at the same time as you or at any time before their current visas expire.

If you are under 18 and want to study at an independent school in the UK, you may be eligible for a Child Student visa. This visa has replaced the Tier 4 (General) student visa. The earliest you can apply for this visa is 6 months before your course starts, and you will typically receive a decision within 3 weeks. Your new course must begin within 28 days of your current visa expiring. The length of your visa will depend on the length of your course and the nature of your studies.

After completing your studies, you may be able to apply for a Graduate visa to stay in the UK for at least 2 years. During this time, you can gain the necessary skills and experience to obtain a Skilled Worker visa, which is valid for 5 years. To qualify for a Skilled Worker visa, you must meet certain requirements, including having a job offer from a UK-based company with a valid sponsorship license and meeting the minimum salary requirements.

Permanent residence vs citizenship

International students can seek permanent residence or citizenship in the UK. However, there are differences between the two.

Permanent Residence

Permanent residence gives international students the right to travel in and out of the UK without needing a visa each time. Permanent residents can work and study in the UK. To be eligible for permanent residence in the UK, international students must have resided in the country for five years continuously, in accordance with the Citizens' Directive (2004/38/EC). This time can include time spent in the UK as a student, as long as the student has resided in the UK in accordance with the directive and has met the criteria laid out.

Citizenship

Citizenship, on the other hand, gives individuals the full rights and benefits of UK nationals. To become a British citizen, an individual must usually have lived in the UK for 12 months after getting settled status. International students from the EU, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein who started living in the UK by 31 December 2020 (or their family members) can apply for citizenship if they have lived in the UK for five years in a row and have been working, studying, or self-sufficient during that time.

Applying for Citizenship with a Student Visa

There are no specific law regulations that make international students eligible for British citizenship. A student visa does not allow individuals to change their civil status as a regular resident of the UK. However, once an international student has completed their degree, they may be able to switch to another type of visa and remain in the UK for longer. For example, graduates can apply for a Skilled Worker Visa, formerly known as a Tier 2 (General) work permit, to remain in the UK after graduation.

Citizenship eligibility

International students can apply for British citizenship after completing their education in the UK. However, there are no specific law regulations that make international students eligible for citizenship. The process can be long and stressful, but with planning, it is achievable.

To apply for citizenship, you must usually have lived in the UK for 12 months after getting settled status. You may be able to apply for citizenship if you meet all the following criteria:

• You are from the EU, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein and started living in the UK by 31st December 2020, or you are a family member of someone from these places.
• You have lived in the UK for five years in a row, during which you have been working, studying, or are self-sufficient.
• You are a Chagossian descendant (a direct descendant of someone born in British Indian Ocean Territory).

If you are from the EEA and Switzerland and have been living in the UK for over five years, you can apply for citizenship. If you are not from these places, you need to check for the possibility of switching your visa type after your student visa expires.

If you have indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, this counts as permission to stay. You can usually apply for ILR after living in the UK for five years. To apply for citizenship with ILR, you must have lived in the UK for 12 months after getting it.

With the introduction of the Graduate Route from 1st July 2021, international students can apply for a two-year unsponsored visa after completing a Bachelor's or Master's degree, or a three-year visa for a Ph.D. in the UK. This allows graduates to gain the necessary skills and experience to obtain a Skilled Worker visa, which is valid for another five years.

Applying for citizenship

International students can settle permanently and become British citizens after completing their education in the UK, but it is a long and sometimes stressful process.

Student visas

International students can apply for a Child Student Visa if they are 16 or 17 years old and wish to study at an independent school in the UK. This visa gives access to the UK's National Health Service (NHS) throughout their stay. Applications can be made six months before the course starts, and a decision can be expected within three weeks. The length of the visa depends on the nature of the studies. It may be possible to extend the visa to continue the same course or start a new one, but applicants will need to show that the course meets academic progression requirements. A visitor visa allows students to study at an accredited institution for up to six months or take 'recreational courses' at any institution for up to 30 days.

Graduate visas

The Graduate Route, introduced on 1 July 2021, allows international students to apply for a two-year unsponsored visa after completing a Bachelor's or Master's degree, or a three-year visa after a PhD. This gives graduates the opportunity to gain the necessary skills and experience to obtain a Skilled Worker visa. This employer-sponsored visa is valid for five years. Graduates under 26 will enter the job market as "new entrants" with lower salary requirements for a Skilled Worker visa.

Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)

To apply for citizenship with ILR, applicants must usually have lived in the UK for 12 months after getting it. Applicants may be eligible for ILR after living in the UK for five years.

Settled status

To apply for citizenship with settled status, applicants must usually have lived in the UK for 12 months after getting it. Applicants may be able to apply for settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. The deadline for most people was 30 June 2021, but it may still be possible to apply if there are 'reasonable grounds' for missing the deadline.

Frequently asked questions