Graduate Visa
The Graduate Visa was devised partly in response to concerns about the position of overseas students in the UK after the country’s withdrawal from the EU. This new route came into effect on 1st July 2021. It permits international students who have completed an eligible UK degree to remain in the UK for two years after completing it to work or seek work. For students who have obtained doctorates, the period of leave to stay is three years. Eligible degrees are explained below.
Eligibility Requirements
Seven conditions must be met by any student applying for a graduate visa.
– You have completed a UK degree or eligible course.
– Your course was taken at a Higher Education institution with student sponsor status and a clean compliance record.
– You studied with permission under a Student visa for the relevant UK qualification and a specified minimum period.
– You are applying from within the UK.
– At the time of applying, you have valid leave to stay as a Student or Tier 4 Student.
– You have not previously held permission to study in the UK under the Doctorate Extension Scheme or via the Graduate route.
– You are not excluded on any grounds under which you are considered unsuitable.
Eligible Courses
A prerequisite of an application to extend your stay in the UK via the Graduate Immigration Route is that you have studied and been awarded a degree at either bachelor’s or postgraduate level. Alternatively, you will be eligible to apply if you have completed a professional course which required study at a level equivalent to a bachelor’s or postgraduate level in a profession regulated by UK law, such as healthcare, education and social care.
A further ground for eligibility arises if you have been sponsored as a Student Union Sabbatical Officer after you have completed an eligible qualification within your most recent grant of permission to study in the UK.
Employment Under a Graduate Visa
The graduate visa scheme aims to allow overseas students who have graduated in the UK to remain in the country and look for work.
– They are permitted to work as employees or in a self-employed capacity.
– They are barred from working in the sports industry.
– They may find work at any skill level.
– There is no requirement for a minimum salary.
– They are free to change jobs as they wish.
Duration of Leave to Stay
Successful applicants who have fulfilled all the qualifying criteria will be granted permission to remain in the UK, look for work, or take up a job already offered. At the bachelor’s and master’s levels, the permission lasts for two years. At the doctoral level, the permission lasts for three years.
Family and Dependents
Any family members or dependents who have accompanied you to the UK under your previous visa can apply to extend their stay at the same time as you make your application under the graduate visa scheme. This does not apply, however, to any new dependents not included under the earlier visa. The only exception to this limitation is a dependent child born in the UK while an earlier student or graduate visa was in force.
Extensions
There is no mechanism in the graduate visa scheme to extend your stay when the visa expires. However, several other visa options for your degree and work experience may qualify you. Switching to one of these options is relatively simple.