A Student visa holder can work for you within the limits set by their visa. These limits are a condition of their permission, so you need to check and record them.
How many hours they can work
A student on a full-time course at degree level or above can work up to 20 hours a week during term time.
A student on a full-time course below degree level can work up to 10 hours a week during term time.
Some students cannot work at all, for example those on part-time courses. Check their eVisa conditions.
Outside term time, during official university vacations, they can work full-time.
The weekly limit is a hard limit, not an average. Keep a weekly record of hours, and ask the student for their term dates or a letter from their university.
Work they cannot do
A Student visa holder cannot be self-employed, work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach, or work as an entertainer. They also cannot fill a permanent full-time vacancy. The exception is a student on a degree-level course who has applied for a Skilled Worker visa while holding Student permission. They can start in a permanent full-time role up to 3 months before their course ends, while that application is pending.
Right to work checks
Carry out a right to work check using their share code before they start. Their check will show the date their permission ends. If they have a pending application, appeal or administrative review, use the Employer Checking Service instead.
When they apply for a Graduate or Skilled Worker visa
If they apply for a new visa before their Student visa expires, their right to work continues on the same conditions while the application is decided. If you want to sponsor them, see Switching from Student Visa to Skilled Worker Visa.
What evidence you need to keep
You do not need to evidence the student's academic engagement or attendance; that is the university's responsibility as their visa sponsor. You need to carry out a right to work check, check the work conditions on their eVisa, obtain and keep a copy of their term and vacation dates for the period you employ them, and make sure they do not work more than permitted.
A university's published term dates are generally acceptable, but if the course follows its own academic year (nursing, healthcare and education courses often do) or the student is resitting a thesis, ask for a letter confirming when their course finishes. Once the course is completed they are no longer in term time and can work full time until their visa expires.
During term time the 20 hour limit runs Monday to Sunday, so for bank staff keep a weekly record of hours.
A Student visa cannot be extended to buy time before sponsorship. If the student applies for a further visa before their current one expires, their status and right to work continue on the same conditions while it is decided.
Government guidance: Immigration Rules Appendix Student