UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) has quietly issued version 15.0 of its Student and Child Student case-worker advice on 16 October 2026, but the 18-page change note has important operational ramifications for institutions and corporate internship programs. The most striking is the convergence with the post-Brexit replacement arrangements for Erasmus+. Students coming under Erasmus+ (and similar Turing Scheme arrangements) can now study part-time at any level permitted, and conduct a wider range of ‘supplementary work’ – including paid research help – without violating the usual 20-hour weekly limit. This guidance also removes all references to Biometric Residence Permits and confirms the transition to eVisas in full for Student route approvals issued after 31 October 2024.
“So sponsors need to make sure new international students create UKVI accounts and link their passport data well before travel. And financial rules change too: from 30 November 2026 students will be able to offset a bigger proportion of prepaid accommodation costs (now £2,200, up from £1,334) against their maintenance need. Sponsors who are writing Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) letters should promptly modify template language to reflect the increased deductible. The message is obvious for global mobility teams: evaluate all secondments under the Student route, including Erasmus+ interns in corporate R&D hubs, to take advantage of more generous work allowances and avoid inadvertently falling foul of non-compliance under the new eVisa regime.