Post-study work rights, country by country

Post-study work rights are often the deciding factor for a family choosing between countries. The window varies widely, from a year to several. This table compares the post-study work rights for every destination we track in detail, drawn from the same brochure data behind each country page.

Country	Post-study work rights
United Kingdom	The Graduate Route currently offers 2 years of post-study work (3 years for PhD graduates), reducing from January 2027 to 18 months for bachelor's and taught master's graduates. Students may work up to 20 hours a week during term time and full-time in holidays, and can later switch to a Skilled Worker visa with a qualifying job offer.
United States	F-1 students can work 20 hours a week on campus during term, use CPT for internships during study, and access OPT for 12 months of post-study work in their field, plus an additional 24 months under STEM OPT for STEM graduates (36 months total).
Canada	The Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) offers up to 3 years of post-study work, with master's graduates getting 3 years; Express Entry provides a route towards permanent residence. Students may work up to 24 hours a week off-campus during study terms, and co-op programmes offer paid work placements during study.
Australia	The Temporary Graduate (485) visa offers 2–3 years of post-study work, longer for research and regional study, with a Regional Bonus giving additional post-study time for regional study, and Skilled Migration providing a pathway towards permanent residence. Students may work up to 48 hours per fortnight during study and full-time during breaks.
New Zealand	Students work 20 hours a week in term, then graduates can access a Post-Study Work Visa of up to 3 years (open work rights for eligible graduates), a new Short-term Graduate Visa of 6 months (from Nov 2026, for lower-level qualifications), and a points-based Skilled Migrant residence route.
Ireland	The Third Level Graduate Scheme allows students to stay to seek work for 12 months (Level 8) or 24 months (Level 9/10), with a Critical Skills Permit available as a fast-track route for in-demand roles. Students may work 20 hours a week in term time and 40 hours during holidays.
Germany	Graduates get an 18-month job-seeker permit to find work after graduation. The EU Blue Card route applies from €45,934/yr (shortage roles) or €50,700/yr (standard) under 2026 thresholds, and Blue Card holders can qualify for permanent residence in as little as 21–33 months. During study, international students may work 140 full or 280 half days per year (about 20 hours a week).
Netherlands	Non-EU students may work part-time with a permit during study (16 hours/week, or full-time in summer, per the GAC brochure), and graduates can stay on a 1-year Orientation Year (zoekjaar) visa to search for work, with a fast, employer-sponsored Highly Skilled Migrant work permit available and a Dutch degree recognised across the EU.
Finland	Graduates can obtain a 2-year Post-Study Permit (residence permit to seek work after study). Students may work up to about 30 hours a week during study.
Sweden	Graduates can obtain a 1-year Post-Study Permit (residence permit to seek work after study). Sweden sets no fixed weekly hour cap on student work during study, provided studies come first.
Norway	Graduates can obtain a 1-year Post-Study Permit (residence permit to seek work after study), with a route to convert to a work permit once employed. Students may work up to 20 hours a week during term time with a work permit.
Denmark	Students may work 20 hours a week (full-time in June-August). Graduates can stay on an establishment card for up to 3 years to seek and take work, with skilled-route permits for shortage and higher-paid roles.
France	Master's graduates can access a 24-month stay-back permit (APS) to find work or start a business, with a Talent Passport route offering a multi-year residence permit for qualified graduates and professionals; students may work up to 964 hours per year (about 20 hours a week) alongside their studies.
Italy	Graduates can access a 12-month job-search permit to look for work or start a business, with the option to convert the student permit to a work permit once employed; students may work up to 20 hours a week (around 1,040 hours a year) alongside studies.
Spain	Students may work up to 30 hours a week. Graduates can use a 12-24 month job-search visa to stay and find work or start a business.
Switzerland	Students may work 15 hours a week during term time, and graduates get a 6-month job-search stay to find work with the labour-market test waived for Swiss graduates; hospitality programmes (GAC route) build in paid internship placements.
Austria	Graduates can obtain a 12-month Post-Study Permit (residence permit to seek work after study), and the Red-White-Red Card offers a points-based skilled work and residence route. Non-EU students may work up to 20 hours a week with a work permit during study.
Belgium	Graduates can use a 12-month search year to find work after study.
Portugal	Graduates can use a job-seeker residence pathway to find work after study.
Czech Republic	Students may work alongside study. Graduates can extend their residence for up to 9 months to seek work, with an Employee Card as a combined work-and-residence route.
Poland	Graduates can access a post-study permit (about 9 months) to look for work, with a route to convert to a work permit once they have a qualifying job offer; from July 2026, students can work without a permit only if their university is on the government's approved list, otherwise a work permit is required.
Hungary	Graduates can access a 9-month post-study permit to seek work, with a route to convert to a work permit once employed; students may work up to 24 hours a week during term time.
Singapore	Public-university students may work 16 hours a week (permitted at approved autonomous universities), and graduates get a Long-Term Visit Pass of 12 months to seek work; the main graduate work route is the Employment Pass (S$5,600+ salary), with the S Pass as a mid-skilled route.
Malaysia	Students may work up to 20 hours a week during breaks and holidays over 7 days. Graduates can apply for a 12-month Graduate Pass after study.
South Korea	Students may work around 20 hours a week with permission and adequate grades. Graduates can use the D-10 job-seeking visa for up to 1 year to find work after graduation.
Japan	Students may work 28 hours a week with a work-outside-status permit; graduates get up to 1 year to job-hunt under a Designated Activities (Job-Hunting) visa, with a skilled Work Visa route via Engineer/Specialist in Humanities status.
UAE	Graduates get a 12-month post-study grace period to find work, plus a self-sponsored Green Visa (5 years) and a GPA-based Golden Visa (10 years) for outstanding graduates; part-time work during study is permitted with university/free-zone approval.
Cyprus	Students may work 20 hours a week after 6 months in eligible sectors. Graduates can apply for an employer-sponsored work permit once employed.
Malta	Students may work 20 hours a week after 13 weeks of study. Graduates can apply for a work permit once employed, with a Single Permit combining work and residence.