Students who have studied bachelor, master, or doctorate degrees in the UK can switch to skilled worker visas and dependent family members can stay together in the UK.

Requirements to switch to Skilled Worker

To switch from a student visa to a skilled worker visa, the applicant must meet the following conditions:

If you are currently staying on a visitor visa, a short-term student visa, a seasonal worker visa, or a domestic worker visa, you cannot switch to a skilled worker visa.
There must be an organisation to sponsor the skilled worker visa, and the sponsor should be registered and must be an A-Level sponsor.
You should have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship for the job you are planning to do and the job must be at the appropriate level of skill
The salary level for the job created must be above the minimum threshold
Applicants must be competent in the English language to at least CEFR level B1 (equivalent to IELTS 4.0)
You must have enough funds to support yourself without relying on public funds.
If required, you must provide a criminal record certificate and a tuberculosis certificate.

If you are staying in the UK on a student visa and have been in the UK for more than 12 months at the date of application, you will meet financial requirements and there is no need to prove your funds. Therefore, most students applying to switch are exempt from submitting additional financial evidence. In addition, tuberculosis tests and criminal record certificates are not required if you switch to a skilled worker visa inside the UK.

How old do I need to be to switch from a student visa to a skilled worker visa?

There is no upper age limit for switching from a student visa to a skilled worker visa. However, you must be over 18 years of age or older on the date of application for a skilled worker visa.

Can I be a new entrant?

If the applicant for a skilled worker visa is under the age of 26, you are automatically considered as a new entrant.

In addition, if all of the following conditions apply, you can be considered a new entrant.

Your most recent visa was a Student,
That Student visa expired less than 2 years before the date of application; and
If you have studied either a UK bachelor's degree or a UK master's degree on a student visa, a UK PhD or other doctoral qualification or a Postgraduate Certificate in Education or a Professional Graduate Diploma of Education and
If you have completed the above-mentioned course (or three months before the scheduled completion) or you are studying PhD and completed at least 12 months of study in the UK towards the PhD

There are also few other ways to qualify as a new entrant:

If the most recent permission was as a Tier 1 Graduate entrepreneur) visa,
Those jobs are in a postdoctoral position in any occupation of chemical scientists, biologists and biochemists, physicists, social and humanities scientists or natural and social science professionals not elsewhere classified.
You are also classified as a new entrant if our job code is higher education teaching professionals
If your job offer is in a UK regulated profession and you are working towards a recognized professional qualification for that profession;
If you are working towards full registration or chartered status with the relevant professional body for the job you are being sponsored for;

Are there any advantages in applying for a skilled worker visa when being considered a new entrant?

Employers seeking to recruit under the Skilled Worker route must ordinarily pay their skilled workers a salary that equals or exceeds both a general salary threshold of £25,600 and 100% of the ‘going rate’ for the occupation, whichever is higher.

However, a new entrant can be paid a salary that equals or exceeds both £20,480 per year and 70% of the going rate for the occupation. This makes it easier for employers to offer a job and significantly lower figure and will permit new entrants to be paid a lower salary.

How long can I get permission to stay on a Skilled Worker visa?

Once the skilled worker visa is granted, the migrant worker will be permitted to stay until 14 days after the end date of their Certificate of Sponsorship. If you apply as a new entrant, the maximum grant period will be 4 years. You can continue to extend as a Skilled Worker, but cannot qualify will need to meet the relevant salary requirement without relying on the lower ‘new entrant’ salary threshold.

Travelling outside the UK

If you wish to travel abroad without applying for another visa after you complete your study, you may face problems when re-entering the UK. Upon arrival, the immigration officer may request evidence of switching to another visa while the Tier 4 or student visa is valid or applying for a visa for another study. After you have submitted your skilled worker application, you should not travel abroad until you have received a decision and a new BRP.

Can I settle as a Skilled Worker?

Once you switch to a skilled worker and spend 5 years, you will be eligible to apply for settlement. Since you cannot combine your time in the UK on Tier 4 or Student route and skilled worker route, you must have spent a continuous period of 5 years in the UK on this basis.