Your visa status on a UK CV
One line under your contact details: the visa you hold, when it ends and any limit on your hours. Three examples, and where the form asks again.
Yes, if it helps the reader: one line under your contact details, giving the visa you hold, when it ends and any limit on your hours. It belongs with the UK CV format, in Applications.
One line, under your contact details
Put it where a recruiter reads first. Manchester’s guidance on talking to employers about your visa (opens careers.manchester.ac.uk) says the heading or contact details.
Mention the type of visa you hold (or are eligible to apply for), its expiration date, and any relevant work restrictions if applicable.
That gives the line three parts: the visa, the date, and any limit. Write each in words, in one line, and stop.
More on what to leave outLess on what to leave out
Leave out reference numbers and the story of how you came to hold the visa. The line is a status, not an explanation, and the detail belongs in the form or in a conversation once someone is interested. The three examples below are for fictional people, one for each common case: a student, a graduate on the Graduate visa, and someone who needs no sponsorship at all.
On a Student visa, give the full-time date
On a Student visa, the useful date is when you can start full time. Term-time work on a degree-level Student visa is limited to 20 hours a week, and an employer wants to know when that stops.
On a Student visa
Example CV header for a fictional student on a Student visa
Casey Marlowe
London
casey.marlowe@example.com
+44 7700 900417
linkedin.com/in/example
Right to work: Student visa, with limited hours in term time; available for full-time work from July 2027
- The header carries contact details only; the visa line sits just below, where a recruiter reads first.
- Name the visa and its work limits in words. The application form asks for detail; answer that truthfully.
- The full-time date answers the employer's real question: how long you can work before sponsorship comes up.
Give the limit in words. For the form, Warwick’s careers service (opens warwick.ac.uk) sets the standard.
It’s your duty to respond truthfully and adapt responses to match your personal situation.
More on the Graduate visaLess on the Graduate visa
If you mean to apply for a Graduate visa, the Manchester guidance covers that too: it includes a visa you are eligible to apply for. A phrase such as “intend to apply for the Graduate visa” is enough, if it is true. The timing is set by the rules: for the Graduate visa, you apply from inside the UK before your Student visa ends, once your university has told the Home Office you have finished your course.
On a Graduate visa, give the end month
On a Graduate visa, the end month is the line. A Graduate visa applied for on or before 31 December 2026 usually lasts 2 years. For applications made on or after 1 January 2027, it is scheduled to last 18 months.
On a Graduate visa
Example CV header for a fictional graduate on a Graduate visa
Robin Ashdown
Manchester
robin.ashdown@example.com
+44 7700 900582
linkedin.com/in/example
Right to work: Graduate visa, valid to November 2028; no sponsorship needed until then
- Visa type and end month, in the header: the two facts careers services suggest putting first.
- The end month tells an employer how long you can work for them without sponsoring you.
- Write the month your visa actually ends. Never round it up or blur it.
That month is what the employer is asking about: how long you can work before it would need to sponsor you.
Never misrepresent your visa status or provide false information to potential employers.
Write the month on your visa, not a rounded version of it. For planning the months themselves, see job hunting on a Graduate visa.
More on what the end month tells an employerLess on what the end month tells an employer
The example adds “no sponsorship needed until then”, the part a recruiter scanning quickly looks for. Warwick explains that visa questions tell an employer whether it will need to sponsor you, and for how long you can work without sponsorship. A Graduate visa cannot be extended, but you may switch to a Skilled Worker visa from inside the UK. That line is accurate for as long as the visa runs, and it says nothing about afterwards, which you can discuss in person.
No sponsorship needed? Say so plainly
If you need no sponsorship, say so in one line. Oxford’s careers service leaves nationality off a CV unless you want to show a right to work in the country, which is exactly this case.
No sponsorship needed
Example CV header for a fictional graduate who needs no sponsorship
Jules Harwood
Leeds
jules.harwood@example.com
+44 7700 900236
linkedin.com/in/example
Right to work: full right to work in the UK; no sponsorship needed
- No nationality in the header: it is left off unless it shows a right to work.
- State the right plainly. Every new hire proves it before starting, so the line must be true.
You do not need to explain why. The line is a statement you will be asked to back, before your first day.
You’ll need to prove your right to work in the UK to your employer before you start working for them.
More on proving itLess on proving it
Gov.uk says how you prove your right to work depends on your nationality and the kind of permission you hold. The employer tells you what it needs to see, and checks it before you start. A line on the CV that matches what you will later show saves both of you a difficult conversation.
The application form asks again
Whatever your CV says, the form asks again. Manchester notes that applications may ask “Do you have the right to work in the UK?”, because the employer may have to sponsor a visa.
| Where the question appears | What it usually asks |
|---|---|
| The CV header | Nothing: you choose to say it |
| The online application form | Right to work, and whether you need sponsorship |
| Before an offer becomes a start | Proof of your right to work |
Large employers build it into the form. PwC UK asks applicants who need sponsorship for the type of visa they require.
Barclays is required by law to confirm that you have the Legal Right to Work
The last row is the law: gov.uk’s page for employers (opens gov.uk) says they must check an applicant’s right to work before employing them.
More on the employer's sideLess on the employer's side
Gov.uk also bars an employer from treating applicants differently by origin, so the question is routine and every applicant gets it. So the CV line and the form answer should match. Warwick’s advice for the form is the advice for the CV: answer truthfully, for your own situation.
Ask about sponsorship plainly once you are talking to a person. For what to say on an assessment day, see inside a UK assessment centre.
This week
- Write your right-to-work line and put it under your contact details
- Check the end date on your visa, and use that month
- Draft a two-sentence answer to the form question on sponsorship
Sources
- GOV.UK: Term-time work limit for degree-level students 20 hours per week during term-time (full- time employment permitted outside of term-time) Checked
- GOV.UK: When to apply for a Graduate visa You must apply before your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa expires. Checked
- GOV.UK: Switching from a Graduate visa to Skilled Worker You cannot extend your Graduate visa. However, you may be able to switch to a different visa, for example a Skilled Worker visa. Checked
- GOV.UK: Graduate visa length (applications on or before 31 December 2026) 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026 Checked
- GOV.UK: Graduate visa length (applications on or after 1 January 2027) 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027 Checked
- GOV.UK: Graduate visa length after a PhD or other doctorate If you have a PhD or other doctoral qualification, it will last for 3 years. Checked
- University of Manchester Careers Service: Talking to employers about your visa Include your visa status on your CV. You can typically add this information to the heading or your contact details section. Mention the type of visa you hold (or are eligible to apply for), its expiration date, and any relevant work restrictions if applicable.Never misrepresent your visa status or provide false information to potential employers. Read
- University of Warwick Careers: Job applications (international students) The questions are asked by employers to ascertain whether they will need to sponsor you, how many hours or for how long you will be able to work with them without requiring sponsorship.Answer responsibly: It’s your duty to respond truthfully and adapt responses to match your personal situation. Read
- University of Manchester Careers Service: Do I have the right to work in the UK? As an international student/graduate, you may be asked on job applications the question “Do you have the right to work in the UK?” This question is asked by employers because they may have to sponsor a visa for a new employee. Read
- University of Oxford Careers Service: CVs Nationality, unless you want to show that you do have the Right to Work in the country in question Read
- GOV.UK: Prove your right to work to an employer You’ll need to prove your right to work in the UK to your employer before you start working for them. How you do this depends on your nationality and what kind of permission you have to work in the UK. Read
- GOV.UK: Checking a job applicant's right to work You must check that a job applicant is allowed to work for you in the UK before you employ them. ... You must not discriminate against anyone because of where they’re from. Read
- PwC UK: Assessment and selection process (Early Careers) provide us with details on the type of visa you require if you require visa sponsorship Read
- Barclays: 2027 Marketing Analyst Summer Internship Programme London Barclays is required by law to confirm that you have the Legal Right to Work in any role that you apply for. Read
This page is about the UK job hunt and is not immigration advice. For your own situation, speak to a regulated immigration adviser or an immigration solicitor, and check the current rules on gov.uk.
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