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Opinion | The struggles of the international student: Finding a job in the UK after graduation

Photo by Brigette Lee

By Brigette Lee, Third Year, Law

Brigette Lee paints a vivid picture of the harrowing difficulties faced by international students as they attempt to secure a job in the UK, following their graduation, under a complex and often unfriendly system.

International students comprised 35 percent of the student population for the University of Bristol in 2023 and 2024 and the UK government sponsored 446,924 study visas in the year ending March 2024. Fellow international students are no doubt familiar with the stress of visas – applying for them, waiting for decisions, and fretting over the strict conditions, but in this article, I will be focusing more specifically on work visas.  

To start, an international student’s only option to work in the UK after graduation is through the graduate visa. Currently, its application fee stands at a whopping upfront cost of £2,892. There is, of course, the possibility for a potential employer to sponsor one’s visa, but many know that companies are reluctant to do so, especially for entry-level positions. 

On the second day of the Employer Showcase last year, Student Circus hosted a presentation called ‘simplifying the job search for international students’ in which the presenter bluntly stated that many employers immediately reject applicants who declare that they would require visa sponsorship; some job descriptions even discourage applications right off the bat. In light of this, students may feel like they have to come up with the money themselves (which the student visa hampers, in light of the 20-hour weekly work limit and the ban on self-employment), rely even further on their parent’s financial support and suffer from the resulting guilt, or even lie at the application stage in the hopes of later convincing companies of their value and potential during the interview stage. 

Moreover, the presentation outlined how employers may hesitate to hire international students because they may be unable to ‘assimilate’ into English work culture. As you may expect, I left this presentation feeling frustrated and unwanted, thinking I was better off returning to my home country to work after graduation. 

But it gets worse. Even if a lucky student secures both a role and a graduate visa, their status to remain lasts for only two years and cannot be renewed. A graduate would either have to return home or switch to another visa, including the controversially recently revised skilled worker visa that now requires a minimum annual salary of £38,700. 

This change adds further complications and stress for students as they may feel pressured to apply for positions in well-paid industries (like commercial law, banking, and consulting), positions with the potential for quick salary progressions, or any position that offers a sponsorship just to stay in the country. For some, this may mean applying to roles unrelated to their degree and passions which puts them at a further disadvantage in their applications and can impact their morale and motivation. 

Speaking of disadvantages, international students are unable to participate in work experience schemes during scheduled term time (i.e., winter/spring) because of the 20-hour work limit and would either have to apply for highly competitive summer schemes, or apply with less experience than their British counterparts. To add, the visa’s strict attendance rules which require students to check in for university contact hours at least once every week may also mean that international students have less time to perfect their applications. 

When coupled with an impending fear of deportation after two years and a heavy weight of responsibility to either repay loans or make one’s parents’ hefty education investment worth it, it is unsurprising that many international students can feel burdened, overwhelmed, anxious to succeed quickly, and depressed. Upon returning home, students may also feel like they have failed and disappointed themselves and/or their parents.

Thus, make sure to check on your international friends who are braving the gruelling UK job markets. As hard as job searching has been as of late, I can assure you that it has been harder for them.

I want to thank Liz Durughian and Sean Low for their insights that helped shape this article.

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