On 1 July 2021, the Home Office launched the new Graduate Route visa for international students who complete eligible degree courses in the UK. The visa allows you to take up almost any employment opportunities you can find in the UK. There are no restrictions on the employer, salary level, or position you take, as long as you are not employed as a professional sportsperson.
The Graduate visa allows you to remain in the UK after completing your course to undertake employment. In order to be eligible, you must successfully complete your course and remain in the UK whilst making your Graduate Route application.
Depending on the course you completed, the Graduate visa will allow you to stay in the UK for two or three years to undertake employment.
To apply via the Graduate route, you must:
Successful completion means you completed your undergraduate or postgraduate degree course, and your degree award has been confirmed by a university award board.
If you owe fees to the University, your award will not yet be confirmed, so it is very important to clear any debts before completing your degree.
The application fee for the Graduate visa is £700 for most applicants. Citizens of the following countries are eligible for a £55 reduction in the application fee.
Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, or Turkey.
Applicants will also need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).
If you become employed in a position in public healthcare, you may be eligible to claim for a refund for the healthcare surcharge.
If you came to the UK with dependents on your Student visa or Tier 4 (General), your dependents can apply to remain in the UK as dependents on your Graduate visa. Dependants are your civil partner, husband, wife, or unmarried partner and/or children.
Your partner must have been a dependent on your previous study visa in order to apply as a dependent of your Graduate visa. You can show that your dependent is your partner by providing evidence of the following.
Unless your child was born in the UK whilst you were studying on your previous visa, your child must have been a dependent on your pervious visa in order to be a dependent on your Graduate visa. You will need to provide evidence of your relationship, such as a birth certificate, adoption certificate, or legal guardian documentation.
Children over 18 must live with you unless they:
Evidence of your child’s address will be required with the application. Your dependents will need to make separate applications.
You should only make an application to the Graduate visa once our UKVI Compliance Team have confirmed you can proceed. The University is required to report your successful completion of your course to UKVI before you apply.
You will need the following documents to make your Graduate visa application:
If you do not successfully complete your course within the period given on your visa, you may not be able to apply for the Graduate visa if you are required to sit reassessments from your home country.
The Graduate visa can only be obtained once even if you study in the UK again.
Contact the UKVI Compliance Team: ukvi.compliance@canterbury.ac.uk