UK Undergraduate Placement Year Regulations: Visa Requirements for Placement Years and Course Internships (Including US and Canada Comparisons)

When pursuing a bachelor's degree in the UK, many majors offer a version "with a placement year" (also commonly known as a sandwich year): typically, you work full-time at a company for a year before your final year, then return to school to complete your last year. For international students, the most pressing questions are: Can you do a full-time internship on a Student visa? Does the internship count towards your working hours limit? What is the maximum duration for an internship? This article explains everything based on the UK Immigration Rules and the Home Office's sponsor guidance for schools, and concludes with a comparison of undergraduate internship rules in the US and Canada.

1. Course Placements Are Not Subject to the 20-Hour Weekly Limit

Students on a Student visa enrolled in a degree program are generally limited to working a maximum of 20 hours per week during term time. However, according to Appendix Student of the UK Immigration Rules, paragraph ST 26.2, students can engage in work related to a placement that forms part of and is assessed as part of their course. This type of work is not subject to the 20-hour weekly working limit.

This is why a placement year allows for full-time work: it is not considered "part-time work," but rather an integral part of the course itself.

2. What Qualifies as a Valid Placement

According to Immigration Rules ST 17:

• It must be an essential and assessed part of the course (ST 17.2). Jobs you find on your own that are unrelated to your course do not count as course placements;
• For courses below degree level, the placement cannot exceed one-third of the total course length, and can only be sponsored by a school not on probation (ST 17.1, 17.2);
• For degree-level courses and above studied at higher education providers with a track record of compliance, the placement can be up to half of the total course length (ST 17.3). This half-length limit also applies to exchange programs at overseas institutions;
• For professions with statutory requirements (e.g., certain professions where a placement is mandatory to obtain qualification), the placement can follow the statutory requirements.

Take a four-year undergraduate degree with a placement year as an example: the one-year placement accounts for one-quarter of the entire course, which is within the half-length limit.

3. What to Keep in Mind During Your Placement

• Your school will continue to monitor your progress. According to the Home Office's sponsor guidance, schools must track and report on students undertaking course placements. You remain a student of the school during the placement and must maintain contact and complete assessment tasks as required by the school.
• The placement location does not count as a study location. The guidance explicitly states that the placement provider is not considered an approved temporary study location by the school, and study time at the placement provider cannot be counted as classroom study time.
• Confirm your course structure first. The placement year must be an official part of your enrolled course. If you decide to switch to a course with a placement year after enrollment, your course end date may be extended. You should check with your school's international student office to confirm whether your visa covers this and if you need to extend your visa.
• Work outside the placement is still subject to working hour limits. While course placements are not subject to the 20-hour limit, part-time work outside of the placement must still comply with the 20-hour per week rule during term time.

4. Undergraduate Internship Rules in the US and Canada

The commonality among these three countries is that the internship must be an integral part of the course itself, not a job you find on your own. The difference lies in the approval process: in the US, CPT is approved by the school's DSO; in the UK and Canada, it mainly depends on whether the course structure complies with the regulations. For more details, see our articles on How to Legally Intern While Pursuing a Master's in North America and Overview of Work Regulations for International Students.

5. Consider Internships When Choosing a School

• Check if the course offers a placement year option. For the same major, different universities, or even different program versions within the same university, may offer options with or without a placement year.
• Ask how the school helps you find a placement. Placement positions generally require you to apply on your own. You can clarify what support the school provides before enrollment.
• Calculate the total duration and costs. A course with a placement year adds an extra year, which will correspondingly increase your visa duration, Immigration Health Surcharge, and other fees.
• Consider your post-graduation plans. A one-year placement experience is highly beneficial for finding a job after graduation. If you wish to stay and work in the UK, you also need to understand the Graduate visa rules (18 months for applications from January 1, 2027). See our article on UK visas for details.

Conclusion

The UK's placement year is one of the most legitimate ways for international students to gain full-time work experience during their studies. The key is that it must be an official part of the course and within the prescribed duration limit. Factoring the placement into your course selection from the start is much safer than trying to figure it out after enrollment.

For resume and interview preparation when looking for your first internship, check out our article on How Undergraduates Can Land Their First Internship. If you want to learn more about Forbest's internship programs or need internship planning for your university applications, feel free to chat with our admissions counselors.

Verification Note: This article was verified in September 2026. The UK section is cross-referenced with the Immigration Rules Appendix Student (ST 17.1–17.3, ST 26) and the Home Office sponsor guidance (Sponsorship duties, paragraphs 2.35, 4.15, 4.51) on GOV.UK; the US CPT regulations are cross-referenced with the CPT page on the US Department of Homeland Security's "Study in the States"; the new Canadian curricular internship rules are cross-referenced with the curricular internship page on Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Policies are subject to change. For whether a specific course meets the regulations, please refer to the instructions from your school's international student office.

References:

• GOV.UK: Immigration Rules Appendix Student (ST 17, ST 26)
• GOV.UK: Student sponsor guidance – Sponsorship duties
• Study in the States: F-1 Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada: Work in a student work placement