Graduate Visa UK – Post Study Work Visa (PSW)

What is the UK Graduate Visa?

The Graduate Visa, also known as the ‘Graduate Route’ is a post-study work (PSW visa) route for international students who have finished their studies in the UK higher education system.

Graduate Visa holders can stay in the UK for at least 2 years, potentially 3 years depending on qualification, after they have successfully completed their course of study. The Graduate route replaced the Doctorate Extension Scheme.

The post-study work visa gives you the right to both live and work in the UK. The Graduate Visa cannot be extended but if you wish to remain in the UK after your visa expires you could be eligible to switch to another visa such as the Skilled Worker Visa instead.

Eligibility Requirements for the Graduate Visa UK

To be eligible for the UK Graduate Visa you must be able to meet a number of certain requirements. These include the following:

• You must currently be in the UK.
• You must hold a valid Student Visa or Tier 4 Student Visa. The visa must have been granted for the qualification that you have been granted, for the minimum period of time.
• You must have studied on an eligible course in the UK. You must also have been sponsored by an authorised higher education provider with a track record of compliance. The course must also have been eligible under the rules of the Graduate visa (see list below).
• You must have successfully completed your course. When applying for the Graduate visa, the sponsor must have also notified the Home Office that you have completed your course to the required standard. This means that you may have successfully completed the course mentioned on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) linked to your Student Visa, or completed a different course that you were authorised to switch to without having to apply for further permission as a student.
  • If the course duration was 12 months or less, you must have studied the full duration of that course while in the UK. If the duration of the course was more than 12 months, you must have studied that course while in the UK for at least 12 months.

Eligible courses include:

• Bachelor’s degrees
• Master’s degrees
• PhD or doctorates
• Law conversion courses that have been approved by the Solicitors Regulation Authority
• The Legal Practice Course in England and Wales, the Solicitors Course in Northern Ireland, or a Diploma in Professional Legal Practice in Scotland
• The Bar Practice Course in England and Wales, or the Bar Course in Northern Ireland
• Foundation programmes in medicine or dentistry
• Postgraduate Certificates in Education (PGCE)
• Postgraduate Diplomas in Education (PGDE)

When to Apply for a Graduate Visa UK?

If you wish to apply for a Graduate visa in the UK, you must do so before your current Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa expires. You will no longer be eligible to apply for a Graduate visa if your Student visa has expired and you are currently in the UK on any other type of visa.

However, applying for a Graduate visa too soon may raise questions regarding your intent and lead to a permanent visa refusal on your UK immigration record, so please time your visa application accordingly. Give us a call on +44 (0)333 414 9244 to speak with our UK immigration specialists if you are unsure how to.

You can apply for a Graduate visa even before you have formally graduated or received your graduation certificate. Once your UK education provider informs the Home Office that you have successfully completed the course for which you have initially been granted a Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa, you will be eligible to apply for a Graduate visa.

Usually, getting a decision on your Graduate visa application takes eight weeks. This timeline may increase if the Home Office asks you to provide additional documents, or if you need an appointment to submit your details. Your waiting period may also increase if the Home Office needs to verify your documents, or as a result of your personal circumstances (e.g. you have a criminal conviction in the UK).

You can stay in the UK while awaiting a decision on your Graduate visa application even if your current Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa expires during the waiting period.

Application Process: How to apply for Graduate visa in UK?

You must apply for the Graduate Visa before your Student Visa expires. You can apply as soon as your course provider has informed you that you have successfully completed your course of study and you do not need to wait until you have officially graduated.

Here’s a step-by-step process for submitting your UK Graduate visa application:

1. A Graduate visa application is an online process. Create an account with your email ID on the Home Office website to get started
2. Start with filling in the online application form. You can save your form and complete it later, if required
3. Prove your identity either by*:
   1. Using the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your identity document, or
   2. Having your biometric information (fingerprints and photo) taken at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point
4. Upload the scanned copies of your required documents
5. Pay the visa processing fees and the applicable immigration healthcare surcharge

(* Depending on your nationality as well as the type of your passport or resident permit, you will be advised which method is applicable to you when you apply.)

Once you have completed the application form and proven your identity you can expect to receive a decision about your Graduate Visa application within 8 weeks.

Required documents for Graduate Visa UK

When making your Graduate Visa application, there are a number of documents that you will need to provide, including:

• Valid passport or another travel document that shows your identity and nationality
• Your biometric residence permit (BRP), if you were given one when you applied for your Student or Tier 4 student visa or eVisa (if applicable)
• Your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) reference number from when you applied for your Student visa

If in the last 12 months a Government, a international scholarship agency or other sponsor has paid for your course fees or living costs then you will also be required to submit a letter from your scholarship or sponsorship provider alongside your application.

Graduate Visa Application Cost in UK

The application fee for the Graduate Visa is £880.

If you are applying for the visa with dependents, the graduate visa dependent cost per dependant is £880.

As well as the application fee you will also need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge, which costs £1035  per year. The IHS is a mandatory fee that will allow you to access the UK’s health service.

What you can and cannot do on Graduate visa in UK?

The Graduate route allows you to stay in the UK for 2 years (3 years if you have a PhD or other doctoral qualifications). While in the UK, visa holders can work in most jobs, be self-employed, look for work, travel freely in and out of the UK, volunteer and can continue to live with eligible family members.

You will not be able to apply for most benefits or the State Pension. You will also not be allowed to work as a professional sportsperson while in the UK on a Graduate visa.

You will also not be able to study with a Graduate visa, unless your course of study is ineligible for a Student visa. If you wish to continue studying in the UK, you must apply to extend your Student visa instead.

Can I Extend My Graduate Visa in the UK?

It is not possible to extend or renew a UK Graduate visa. Usually, a Graduate visa is approved for two years. For students holding a PhD or other doctoral level qualification, the visa will be valid for three years.

However, if you wish to remain in the UK after the expiry of your Graduate visa, you will have to switch to a different visa, e.g. a Skilled Worker visa, provided you meet the visa requirements.

Can my family members join me in the UK on Graduate visa?

If your partner and/or children want to stay with you as your dependants while you hold a Graduate Visa, then they must be already in the UK as dependants on your current Student Visa. The application fee for dependants on the Graduate route is £880.

Family members can not join you as your dependants from outside the UK while you are on the graduate route.

New dependants may be able to join you from outside the UK if you switch to a different visa, such as Skilled Worker visa.

Switching from a Graduate Visa to Other Visa in UK

The Graduate Visa cannot be extended, however, if you would like to continue living in the UK after your Graduate Visa expires, you could be eligible to switch to other types of UK visas such as the Skilled Worker Visa.

To be eligible for the Skilled Worker route you must have a job offer from a registered UK sponsor company, you will also need to meet other eligibility criteria like the minimum salary requirements. As a Skilled Worker, you will be able to live and work in the UK for up to 5 years, after which your visa can be extended or you could be eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain.

Other visas that you could be eligible for include:

• The Health and Care Visa – if you’re a medical professional who has been offered a job with the NHS.
• A partner visa – if you are married to, in a civil partnership with, or in a long-term relationship with a British citizen or settled person.

Graduate Visa Refusal

Applying for a UK visa can be challenging and it is possible your application could be rejected. Some of the most common reasons for a Graduate Visa refusal include the following:

• Applying from outside the UK (you must apply for this visa inside the UK)
• Failing to provide proof of your identity
• Not holding the correct immigration status
• Failing to submit the correct supporting documents
• Failing to respond to Home Office requests for further information

If your visa is refused, you may be eligible to apply for an administrative review. You must submit your request for administrative review within the given timelines in your refusal letter (usually 14 days).

The potential outcomes of an administrative review include:

• The review is successful and the Home Office withdraws their decision
• The decision is maintained for the original reasons given
• The decision is maintained but for different reasons

The best course of action could be to work with an experienced immigration lawyer to discuss your case and develop a course of action based on your circumstances. If you need support or advice with your case, contact our expert immigration lawyers today for further advice and support.

Graduate Visa to Settlement in the UK

A Graduate visa does not offer a direct settlement pathway (known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’ or ILR) to the UK. Once your Graduate visa expires, you will have to leave the country. However, you may be eligible to switch to a different UK work visa, provided you meet the specific requirements, if you wish to stay in the UK long term.

Certain of these UK work visas (e.g., the Skilled Worker visa, the Global Talent visa or the Innovator Founder visa) can lead to ILR in the UK for you and your accompanying eligible family members, if any.

Employer Guide: How to Hire a Graduate Visa Holder

For the UK-based employers, the Graduate visa option, introduced by the Home Office as part of its post-Brexit immigration reforms, offers multiple benefits, such as:

• Easy access to a highly skilled and culturally diversified workforce consisting of talented international students who have been trained in the UK
• A straightforward hiring process, involving less administrative work compared to other work immigration routes
• No sponsorship requirements
• No restrictions on the type of work that Graduate visa holders can undertake (i.e., they can be hired in any role and at any skill level unlike some of the other work visa categories)

Moreover, since the Graduate visa is valid for two (or three) years, it gives the employers a reasonable window to evaluate their Graduate visa holder employees and make informed decisions about employing them long term. However, if you decide to continue to employ a Graduate visa holder for more than two (or three) years, you will be required to sponsor them for a Skilled Worker visa.

Please also keep in mind that although the Graduate visa option allows for a straightforward hiring process, you must comply with all legal requirements, such as verifying the visa status of your potential Graduate visa holder employees before hiring them and keeping accurate records as part of the right-to-work checks.

Your HR and legal departments must also stay updated regarding any future changes in immigration laws and regulations impacting the employment of Graduate visa holders, to avoid legal issues.

How Can IAS Help?

At IAS our lawyers are trained in all aspects of UK government law and the UK’s immigration system, including the graduate route.

We can assist you with every step of the graduate route application process, from assessing whether you are eligible to apply, to helping you complete the application form accurately and gather all of your supporting documents. Our lawyers have a track record of success when it comes to UK visa applications, they will ensure that your application is completed to the highest standard.

For more information about the immigration services that our lawyers provide, get in touch with our team today on +44 (0)333 414 9244.