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Briefing note for prospective OSPAP students for the academic year 2013-2014
The visa for the pre-registration year
Whether you will need a work visa in order to be allowed to take your pre-registration year at the end
of your OSPAP course depends on the type of UK visa you already possess, or could obtain, and
which you will use to study OSPAP at Aston University.
For example you may be in the UK, or planning to come to the UK, as a dependant spouse or with
another type of non-student visa. If you are in this situation please contact us for advice about using
that visa to study on OSPAP and the pre-registration year. It may well be straightforward.
However if you are going to be using a Tier 4 student visa for the OSPAP course, it is important to
understand the implications of holding a Tier 4 visa in connection with pre-registration. The UK
Government’s current immigration policies support international students who wish to study in the UK
whilst making it harder, in some cases, for graduates to remain in the UK for work reasons after
graduating.
Tier 4 student visa – switching to work visa for pre-registration
If you will be on the OSPAP course with a Tier 4 student visa, it may not be possible to stay in the UK
to do your pre-registration year. You are therefore advised to consider carefully the following
information before committing yourself to the course.
Tier 2 General (work visa) requires 70 points and a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from an
employer. Please see our web page
http://www1.aston.ac.uk/currentstudents/hub/issu/visaadvice/work/tier-2-general/
There are 3 facts of particular relevance to OSPAP Tier 4 students:
1. To gain the 20 points for earnings, you will need to earn at least £20,710 gross salary per
year (amount correct as of March 2013 but liable to change) during your pre-registration. This
salary reflects pre-registration pay in the National Health Service. Typical pre-registration
salaries in some of the community pharmacies, where the majority of pre-registration
vacancies occur, may well be less than £20,710. Therefore if you obtain a pre-registration job
in a community pharmacy, you may find your earnings do not reach the level required for the
necessary 20 points.
2. You will not be able to get the first 30 points automatically for completing your course,
because OSPAP is a diploma, not a degree. Alternatively you may be able to gain the 30
points if your employer completes the Resident Labour Market Test (RLMT). This is possible
although not very likely. Alternatively it may be possible to enrol on an Aston University
OSPAP MSc course in order to gain the 30 points for having completed a degree course. You
will need to apply and “switch” from Tier 4 to Tier 2 inside the UK to benefit from this. The
OSPAP MSc course will involve higher tuition fees than the OSPAP PG Diploma, and has a
restricted number of places for 2013-14. If you intend to apply for a Tier 4 visa to study, and
might be interested in an OSPAP MSc please contact Claire Hoban ([email protected],
0121 204 4161).
3. You will not be able to ‘switch’ (move) from Tier 4 to Tier 2 inside the UK unless you take the
MSc because OSPAP is a diploma, not a degree. If you choose to take the OSPAP Diploma
with a Tier 4 visa and decide not to take the MSc, you will need to leave the UK to apply for
Information checked and confirmed as correct on 11 March 2013. Please note that immigration
policy can change without notice.
Contact: Laura Bryan [email protected]
http://www1.aston.ac.uk/current-students/hub/issu/visaadvice/work/
Tier 2. In addition to requiring your employer to complete the RLMT, you will also then come
under the annual national limit on Certificates of Sponsorship (you will need a “restricted”
Certificate of Sponsorship).
You will see that most of this is quite positive. The UKBA has created the exemption that will give you
30 points automatically to help students to move from Tier 4 to Tier 2. In April 2012, as a result of
lobbying by Aston University other institutions and advisory bodies, the salary requirement was
reduced significantly for non-NHS pre-registration positions. However it is still higher than the typical
non-NHS offer, especially from small pharmacies.
How long does a Tier 2 visa last?
Tier 2 is usually issued for 3 years (unless your contract is for less than 3 years, which might be the
case for your one-year pre-registration training period) and it can be extended for a second 3 year
period giving you 6 years in total. You always need to have an employer sponsoring you and that
employer needs to have a Tier 2 licence. You will be able to apply to settle in the UK after 5 years and
providing you are earning a salary of at least £35,000 (level confirmed until April 2018).
How easy is it to find a pre-registration opportunity?
Realistically, each year it gets a little more difficult and the competition for pre-registration places
increases. It is our understanding that if you are keen to work in one of the more rural parts of the
country you will find it easier to find a placement than if you were looking in a large city.
Will I definitely be able to get Tier 2 for my pre-registration year?
It is possible to find a pre-registration placement that meets the requirements for Tier 2, despite this
visa route becoming more restrictive in general provided that you have completed the MSc. It is not
possible, however, for us to guarantee that in 4 years’ time you will be able to find a placement with
an employer who is prepared and able to sponsor you under Tier 2 and pay the appropriate salary.
You will need to read through the information carefully, contact us if you have any specific questions,
and make an educated decision.
Can I use Tier 5 Government Authorised Exchange?
You may be aware that there is currently another visa option for those who do not meet the Tier 2
requirements under the Tier 5 Government Authorised Exchange (GAE) route. However the
scheme will not be available for OSPAP students graduating after 2013. Pre-registration options
not available
Tier 1 Post Study Work - this scheme closed to new applicants in April 2012.
Tier 1 General this scheme closed to new applicants in April 2011.
Courses available for overseas pharmacists at Aston 2013-2014: Which to choose?
PG Diploma
MSc in pharmacy practice
Duration
9 months
September to June
12 months
September to September
Cost (2013-2014)
£10,500
£13,800
Information checked and confirmed as correct on 11 March 2013. Please note that immigration
policy can change without notice.
Contact: Laura Bryan [email protected]
http://www1.aston.ac.uk/current-students/hub/issu/visaadvice/work/
Can switch inside the UK
from Tier 4 to Tier 2?
No
Yes if meets other Tier 2
conditions
Need Resident Labour Market
Test for Tier 2?
Yes
No if meets other Tier 2
conditions
Can switch from Tier 4 to Tier
5?
No
No
Can start pre-reg in the
2014/15 cycle
Yes once you have been
awarded the PG Dip and have
applied for the visa
Yes once you have been
awarded the MSc and have
applied for the visa
Mode of study
Full time
Full time
Information checked and confirmed as correct on 11 March 2013. Please note that immigration
policy can change without notice.
Contact: Laura Bryan [email protected]
http://www1.aston.ac.uk/current-students/hub/issu/visaadvice/work/