graduate route application form

Graduate Route

Graduate Route information session 

The UKCISA webinar on the new Graduate Route is now live on their website. The webinar covers eligibility, applications and work options under the Graduate Route, followed by a Q&A.  

You can view the recording of the webinar at this link. What is the Graduate route visa?

Am I eligible for the Graduate Route? 

• How do I apply for the Graduate route?

Can my family members apply with me?

• When do I have to return to the UK if I want to apply for the Graduate route in 2022 or beyond? 
• When is my course completion reported to UKVI ?

I have deferred my dissertation; will I still be eligible for the Graduate visa?

• When can I start working on the Graduate route visa? 
• Can I study on the Graduate route visa? 

What is the Gradute route visa?

The Graduate route is a visa available to international students who have successfully completed a degree at undergraduate level or above at a UCL and who have a valid Tier 4 or Student visa at the time of application. The Graduate Route has replaced the Doctorate Extension Scheme visa. 

Most successful applicants will be eligible for a two-year visa, however  PhD graduates will be eligible for a three-year visa.

To meet the requirements of the Graduate route students will need to:

• have successfully completed an eligible course at UCL
• apply after UCL has reported your course completion to the Home Office (you will receive an email from UCL when this is reported)
• have a valid Student or Tier 4 visa at the time of application
• only apply for this visa inside the UK
• have held had a Student/Tier 4 Visa for at least 12 months if studying a course longer than 12 months or for the full duration of your course if the course is 12 months or less. ( please see exceptions below for those graduating in 2021 )

If, in the last 12 months before the date of your application, you have been awarded a scholarship or sponsorship by a Government or international scholarship agency covering both fees and living costs for study in the UK, you must provide written consent to the application from that Government or agency.

If you are currently sponsored on the Doctorate Extension Scheme you will not be eligible to apply for the Graduate Route.  

  How do I apply for the Graduate route?

You must not apply until UCL has reported your course completion to UKVI.   When UCL reports your course completion to UKVI, you will receive an email from UCL confirming this. You must not apply for the Graduate Route until you receive this email, as applying too early may result in a refusal. 

The Graduate route will require a new visa application, which will only be possible from inside the UK. It will include the payment of a visa fee of £822 and the Immigration Health Surcharge at the full rate of £776 per year.

Students will also need to know the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) they used for their most recent Student (or Tier 4) application in order to apply for the Graduate route. Details of your CAS can be found on your Portico account.  

The Graduate Route application form has been designed to be straightforward and simple. You can find further information on how to apply using the IDV app and what kind of status you will recieve once your application is approved at  pages 4 - 6 of this guidance document . 

Further information about the new visa route can also be found on the  Home Office website . 

As part of the scheme UCL is required to report to UKVI that students have been awarded their degree. Once UCL has done this will you be eligible to apply for the Graduate Route. Our team will be contacting all students via email to notify them once we have reported this to UKVI. You have up until the expiry of your current Tier 4/Student Visa to submit your Graduate Route application.

Dependent family members will be permitted on the Graduate route, provided those family members are in the UK and they hold a valid permission as dependants of the main applicant on the Student/Tier 4 route. New dependants will not be permitted, except where a dependent child was born in the UK during a period of Student or Graduate permission.

Your dependant partner will need to provide evidence to show that your relationship is genuine and subsisting. For example, at least 6 different documents from different sources demonstrating that you have lived together at the same address since your last visa was issued.

When do I have to return to the UK if I want to apply for the Graduate route in 2022 and beyond?  

Students who began a course of 12 months or less in 2020 or 2021 who have already applied for their student visa and travelled to the UK on that visa , will be able to apply for the Graduate Route visa if they re-enter the UK before the end date of their visa.

If your course started at any time, and  is longer than 12 months in duration ,  any time that you spend outside the UK distance learning between 24 January 2020 and 30 June 2022  will not prevent you meeting the Graduate route  eligibility  requirements.  In these circumstances, you must return to the UK and apply for the Graduate route before your Student visa/Tier 4 visa expires.   For example , you are an undergraduate student with a Tier 4/Student visa who entered the UK to start their programme in September 2019.  You then spent time outside the UK distance learning between 24 January 2020 and 30 June 2022 and intend to successfully complete your course in June 2022.  To be eligible for the Graduate route, you must return to the UK and submit your application before your Student visa/Tier 4 visa expires. 

If you hold a visa type other than  a Student/Tier4 visa and you have been studying via distance learning overseas from the beginning of your programme, you will need to apply for a Student Visa from overseas before returning to the UK to be eligible for the Graduate Route in 2021.

If you hold a visa type other than a Student/Tier4 visa and you have been studying from inside the UK either in person or via distance learning, in most cases you will need to complete 12 months of study on a Student visa to be eligible for the Graduate Route scheme.

To contact the Student Immigration Advice Team, please  open an enquiry via askUCL . 

When is my course completion reported to UKVI?

We are only be able to submit a notification to UKVI that you have been awarded your degree once your marks have been ratified by UCL’s Exam Boards and noted on our systems. UCL will therefore be running regular reports to ensure that your award is picked up and reported as quickly as possible but please see below for the expected timings of our reports to UKVI for the coming year:

• For Undergraduate students, we expect to start submitting these notifications from mid-July.
• For Undergraduate students who are required to submit work during the late summer assessment period, we expect to start submitting these notifications in mid-September.
• For Postgraduate Taught programmes with a June end date we expect to start submitting these notifications from mid-July.
• For students enrolled on a PGCE or LLM programme, we expect to start submitting these notifications from mid-August.
• For all other Postgraduate Taught students we expect to be able to start submitting these notifications from early December.   
• Postgraduate Research students are awarded their degree on the 28 th of each month . We expect to submit a notification of award to UKVI within 7 working days of the award being noted on the system.

UCL is not able to provide further Student visa sponsorship to those who have deferred their dissertation.  If you have used your visa wrap-up period for repeats or deferrals, it is likely that your Student visa will expire before the Exam Board meets to confer your award. 

If your academic department is able to confer your award before your Student visa expires, we can report your eligibility for the Graduate visa on this basis.  However please note this is a decision for your academic department and may not be possible.

If you are not eligible to apply for the Graduate visa, there are other post-study work visa routes available . 

When can I start working on the Graduate route visa?

You made your most recent Student application before 6 April 2022 You must wait for a decision on your Graduate application before you can start:

• a permanent full-time job
• self-employment
• work as an entertainer.

You made your Student application on or after 6 April 2022 You can start a full-time permanent job after making your Graduate route application. But you must wait for a decision before you start self-employment or work as an entertainer.

You must not work as a professional sportsperson with Graduate permission. The date on which you applied for Student or Graduate permission makes no difference.

Can I study on the Graduate route visa?

The rules  state that you cannot study any course which could in theory be sponsored under the Student route .  

Examples of permitted study would therefore include:

• Part-time undergraduate course
• English language courses
• Some professional courses
• Online study
• Evening classes
• Recreational courses

If you are unsure whether you can study a specific course under the Graduate route, please contact the Student Immigration Compliance Team on askUCL . 

Further information about the new visa route can be found on the  Home Office website  and the UKCISA website . 

Applying for a Graduate Route Visa

In this section.

• Eligibility Criteria
• Working with a Graduate Route Visa
• Studying with a Graduate Route Visa

The Graduate Route visa is a work visa route for graduates who have a degree or other relevant qualifications from an approved UK Higher Education provider.  It is like the old Tier 1 Post-Study Work route visa that ended in 2012.  Most successful applicants will be granted two years.  PhD graduates will be granted three years.

You must have received official confirmation of your final award before you complete and submit the online Graduate Route visa application.  You will receive an email from the University of Sunderland’s Student Administration team confirming when your final award has been reported to the Home Office.  This is when you can begin your Graduate Route visa application. 

The  online application form is available on the Home Office website.  The application fee will be £822 per applicant.  You will pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) at £624 per year per applicant.

Applications can only be submitted in the UK. There will be no provision to apply from outside the UK. Your deadline to complete and submit your online Graduate Route visa application form is your current Tier 4 or Student visa expiry date.

Once you submit your visa application, you should not travel outside the UK until you have received your application decision. Your application will automatically be withdrawn if you leave the UK.

Your application does not need university sponsorship or endorsement from an employer.

International Student Support will not offer a 1:1 application service for the Graduate Route Visa. This visa route is not sponsored or endorsed by the University of Sunderland, unlike your previous Tier 4 and/or Student Route visa and is therefore an independent application. We will support with queries on eligibility requirements and provide information to help prepare you for the application process if required, which will be delivered via the  Compass enquiry management portal.

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Graduate route (post-study work)

The Graduate Route allows students who have completed a b achelor's or m aster ' s degree to stay for up to two years to work at any skill level, or to look for work. Those who have completed a PhD will be granted permission for three years. 

Please read our detailed guidance in the sections below to help you understand the eligibility criteria and how and when to apply.

The Immigration Compliance Team at Queen Mary deal with the administrative side of reporting successful completion to UKVI. If you have any questions about how this works, you can contact them on:  [email protected]    

Eligibility

International students who successfully complete an undergraduate degree or postgraduate degree at Queen Mary with Student immigration permission at the time of application would be eligible to apply for the Graduate Route.

If you complete a course with a lower award than the one stated on your CAS, such as a Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma, you would not be eligible for the Graduate visa (exception for those leaving an integrated Masters course with a Bachelors award). These awards are not eligible qualifications for the visa route. 

We understand that certain programmes (normally leading to postgraduate taught awards) allow for the award of credit where a module is failed, subject to certain conditions. This is known as ‘condoned failure’. If despite the condoned failure, it is confirmed that you will be awarded the qualification you were studying for, you may still be eligible for the Graduate Route.

Normally if your total course length is 12 months or shorter, you should spend the full duration of your course in the UK with Student immigration permission, if your course is longer than 12 months you should spend at least 12 months in the UK with Student immigration permission ( but note the concession in 2021 ' Study in the UK (including Covid-19 concessions) ' ).

Absences from the UK

The Graduate Route information on the   Gov website   states the following about absences and provides an example relating to leaving the UK after you have arrived. It says:

"Studying your course in the UK means that you were in the UK when your education provider needed you to be there – for example, to go to lectures or meet with a tutor."

And provides the following example:

"If you were taking a 1 year master’s degree, but left the UK during term breaks or on weekends, that would still count as studying in the UK for 1 year."

Students who are on official vacation (no study required) eg: in summer

If you are in a period where you have no study activity scheduled (eg: over the summer if you are an undergraduate student who has successfully completed one academic year and will start the next academic year in September), then you are considered to be out of term time and you are officially in a vacation period. Absence from the UK during that official vacation period should not affect your eligibility for the Graduate Route.

Students who are not on official vacation (eg: dissertation / other study periods)

We understand from verbal discussions with UKVI that short periods of absence from the UK (other than during official vacations and weekends) should not impact on your eligibility for the Graduate Route as long as you remain engaged in your studies and QMUL continues sponsorship (your CAS). 

However, unless the Home Office provide clarity and certainty in written form (ideally in the immigration rules, in the guidance or in published concessions to the rules), there will be an element of risk in terms of eligibility for the Graduate Route if you choose to undertake a period of study activity/ do your dissertation / project while outside the UK or if you take a period of authorised absence in a required study period – even if you are permitted to do so by your school and QMUL continue to sponsor you for your student visa.

QMUL along with other organisations continues to lobby for clarity and certainty on this issue and we will update these webpages if and when there is any update.

One time only eligibility

You will only be eligible to apply for the Graduate Route visa once, even if you undertake more than one eligible course in the UK. Therefore, if you are planning to do an undergraduate and postgraduate course in the UK, think about when the best time would be to apply depending on your career plans. 

When & where to apply

You will only meet the eligibility criteria for the qualification , after the exam board for your programme has taken place , and your results have been officially confirmed. You must have  successfully completed  your course and your successful completion reported to UKVI to be eligible.  

Successful completion of your studies is when you have completed your programme and the Queen Mary programme boards have confirmed your award of qualification. Programme boards normally take place at Queen Mary one to two months after the end date of your course, however this may vary between Schools and Institutes  

The Immigration Compliance Team at Queen Mary will report your successful completion to UKVI and inform you by email when this has been done. You can only apply after this.  

Do not apply before you have received confirmation from the Immigration Compliance Team at Queen Mary that they have reported your successful completion of studies to UKVI.     

You must apply before your current Student immigration permission expires, or on the day it expires at the very latest.  

For further information about when to apply for the Graduate Route you can listen to our podcast  'When to apply for the Graduate Route' .  

Please note you can only in the UK . There is no provision to apply in any other country other than the UK.

How to apply

You will need to apply using an  online application form  which you can complete on your phone, laptop, PC or other device.  

The Graduate Route visa is  not  automatic and requires you to make an application.  

To make an application, you need to first check that you meet all of the eligibility requirements.  

Read the  Graduate Route guidance  

Once you have checked you meet all the eligibility requirements, you should follow all the steps to make a successful application. The Graduate Route Application Process is outlined on the  UK Government website: Graduate Route .  

The application process has a number of steps that include:  

• Proving your identity and nationality (in most cases by using the UK Immigration: ID Check app)  
• Completing the online application form (you will need to reference your studies and the conf o i rmation of acceptance for studies ( CAS ) issued for your studies in this section)  
• Paying the Immigration Health Surcharge, Visa Application Fee and submitting the application online  
• Submitting any documents in support of your application (if relevant)  
• Awaiting the decision of your application (this can take up to eight weeks)  
• Carefully read the  instructions about using the app  before starting your application.   

How much does it cost?

The application fee is £822 , and the Immigration Health Surcharge is £1,035 per year of permission granted. Your eligible dependants will also have to pay an application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge.   

Previously sponsored by government or international scholarship agency 

If you were sponsored by a government or international organisation for your studies or were sponsored during the 12 months before you make your application for the Graduate Route, then you will need to provide a letter of consent from your sponsor. The letter of consent should say that your sponsor agrees to you remaining in the UK. This is required if the scholarship covered both tuition fees and living expenses.   

As Queen Mary is not a government or international scholarship agency, you will not require a letter of consent if you have been sponsored by Queen Mary.   

We are aware that the visa application form currently asks you to provide a letter of consent if you have previously been sponsored by any official financial sponsor . , however ,  this is not in accordance with the Immigration Rules which only requires the letter of consent if you were sponsored by a government or international scholarship agency. If you previously received a scholarship from Queen Mary, you can write a cover letter to submit with your supporting documents to explain that a letter of consent is not required because you were not sponsored by a government or international scholarship agency.  

If you were sponsored by a government or international organisation for either your tuition fees or living expenses, or both, then please check if the terms and conditions of your sponsorship permit you to stay in the UK on completion of your course.   

If you made your Student visa application before 6 April 2022 y ou will be able to work in line with the Graduate Route conditions once your Graduate Route visa has been issued.   Until then, you should work in line with your Student conditions . This means that you should not work in a permanent job until your Graduate Route visa has been issued. This is different to full-time work, which you are permitted to undertake under your Student conditions after the end date of your course.     

If you are a part-time student, you are not permitted to work until your Graduate Route permission is issued.  

Once your Graduate Route visa has been issued, you can undertake most work, including employment and self-employment and you can also be looking for work. It is also permitted to start your own business. You are not permitted to work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach.

If you make your Student application on or after 6 April 2022, you will be able to start employment which is not usually allowed, including in a permanent job (with no end date) between making your Graduate route application and receiving a decision on it. However, you will not be allowed to start self-employment or work as an entertainer until you are granted Graduate permission.  

You are not permitted to work as a professional sportsperson even after you have been granted Graduate permission. The date on which you applied for Student or Graduate permission makes no difference.   

Existing dependants can extend, but you cannot bring new dependants under the Graduate Route.

Deadline to enter the UK – Covid concessions 

UKVI have confirmed that students will normally be expected to undertake their studies in the UK to be eligible for the Graduate route. However, there is a concession at this time, to allow students to remain eligible for the Route even if they have spent some time studying outside the UK as a result of the pandemic.   

Students who started a 12 month course in 2020 or Spring 2021  

Students who began a course of 12 months or less in 2020 or Spring 2021 via distance learning, and who had not previously entered the UK to study that course would be able to make a Graduate application if they made a successful Student visa application and arrived in the UK by 27 September 2021, or before their visa expired if this were sooner.   

If you already came to the UK under your current Student route permission but then you switched to distance learning from home, you just need to return to the UK before the end date of your Student permission in order to be eligible to apply for the Graduate Route.   

Students who start a 12 month course in Autumn 2021 or Spring 2022  

Students who begin a course of 12 months or less in Autumn 2021 or Spring 2022 via distance learning from overseas must enter the UK no later than 30 June 2022, and complete that course of study with permission as a Student to be eligible for the Graduate Route  

Students who started a course at any time that is longer than 12 months:   

Students sponsored for a course lasting longer than 12 months will not be prevented from being eligible for the Graduate route as a result of any distance learning that took place either in the UK or overseas between the period of 24 January 2020 and 27 September 2021, or overseas between 27 September 2021 and 30 June 2022. Remember that you must be in the UK with Student immigration permission at the time of application. If your Student visa expires before 30 June 2022, you must enter the UK before your visa expires rather than 30 June 2022.   

In all cases, you must meet all other eligibility criteria of the route in order to be able to apply.  

PhD students

PhD students will be eligible to apply after they have been awarded their PhD, and received the confirmation from the Immigration Compliance Team that they have successfully completed. They will be granted three years to stay and work in the UK.   

Support in looking for, and applying for, jobs

The Careers and Enterprise Service at Queen Mary can provide a range of support in helping you to find work or apply for a job or further study, including feedback on your job application, practice interviews, advice on making career choices and support with looking for work. See the  Careers and Enterprise website  for further details and follow their  blog  for useful information and case studies.   

You can watch recorded webinars on the  Careers and Enterprise Service web pages .   

You can access Queen Mary's Careers and Enterprise Service for two years after you graduate.   

Whilst your application is pending

Your previous Student conditions continue whilst you are waiting for a decision on your Graduate Route application, if you submit (pay for) your Graduate Route application by the date that your Student visa expires  at the very latest . Even if your application is still pending after the date that your Student visa expires, you are still in the UK legally as long as you have submitted your Graduate Route application before that date.  

If you travel outside the UK before you receive a decision on your application, your application will be automatically withdrawn.  

Resits and eligibility

As long as it is confirmed that you have successfully completed your course while you still hold valid Student immigration permission, you will be in time to apply for the Graduate Route (subject to meeting all of the other qualifying criteria).  

  If you are an Undergraduate student who has resits during the late summer resit period, we understand that your results should be released in September following the August resit and this should be before your student visa expires.   

If you are a Postgraduate Taught student who has to resit exams, or you need to resubmit your dissertation, you may only be eligible for the Graduate Route if the resit/resubmission takes place AND official results are released before your Student immigration permission expires.

Resits / reassessments in a defined assessment period

If you are undertaking an exam or submitting work in the relevant re-sit period, the university will consider sponsorship of your Student Visa (issuing a CAS) for the applicable re-sit period only. Your visa should cover the re-sit period. The Home Office should permit you to stay in the UK for up to another four months (depending), allowing your work to be marked and the following applicable board to consider your eligibility for an award.

When applying for a new student visa, you should be issued with additional time based on the overall length of your course (and not just for the new sponsorship period). Please see our website pages entitled Student Visa "Check your Visa"

Can I undertake a re-sit outside of the re-sit period?

If your School or Institute schedules a different submission or assessment date (e.g., an earlier date), QMUL will not be able to sponsor your Student Visa as it is not within the formal re-sit period. This usually means that you will not be eligible for the Graduate Visa. Your School or Institute may be trying to help you by allowing you to submit earlier, but if it is not possible for your work to be marked and your degree to be awarded before your current immigration permission expires, you would not be eligible for the Graduate Visa.

Can I apply for an extension?

Where there are relevant extenuating circumstances, your School or Institute may agree to grant you a short extension, provided it would still be possible for your work to be marked in time to be considered at the degree board and before your current student visa expires. However, your School or Institute should carefully consider whether they have the resources to support such a request.

If it will not be possible to mark your work in time and the extenuating circumstances are sufficient, you may be able to apply for a first-sit instead. You should then submit your work during the next applicable re-sit period and you may request a CAS for that period.

Please see the Immigration Compliance pages of the QMUL website for information on requesting a CAS to extend your student visa.

For further information about the exceptional circumstances in which you request a CAS for a dissertation resubmission after your visa expiry date, see our guidance   on r esitting a project or dissertation .

Interruption of study and eligibility for the Graduate Route visa

The university can only sponsor Student Visas for those undertaking exams or re-submitting work during these formal re-sit periods. In some cases this may mean that it will be possible for you to extend your student visa in the UK, but in other cases you may need to apply for a new student visa in your home country in order to return to the UK for the resit period.

For example, if you will be re-sitting out of attendance in order to complete your studies and there is a substantial gap between the expiry date of your current student visa and the assessment period, you may need to apply for a new student visa from outside the UK.  You should seek advice on this.

Even if there is a break in your studies and time in the UK as a result of this, you may still meet the Graduate Route requirement for study in the UK (minimum time required to be in the UK) because all the periods of student visa that you have held should count toward this requirement.

The Graduate Route caseworker guidance states " For the purposes of assessing the Study in the UK requirement, the caseworker must consider all periods of Student permission which were granted to study the eligible qualification that the applicant subsequently successfully completed. This means that an applicant who was unable to complete their studies in one period of Student permission, for reasons such as maternity leave or sickness, and who consequently deferred their studies and completed the course of studies at a later date with Student permission, will have all those periods counted."

When your visa is issued

If your application is successful, you will get either:  

• a biometric residence permit  - if you gave your biometric information at a visa application centre or you are a visa national.   
• a digital immigration status which you can view and prove online  - if you used the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app and are a non-visa national. If you get a digital immigration status, you will not receive a BRP card.  

You will be able to generate a share code to prove your right to work in the UK.   

Part-time Students and eligibility

Students on part-time courses with Student permission at the time of application will be eligible for the Graduate Route, provided they meet all of the  other eligibility criteria.  

Please note, the  UKCISA information confirms  that you cannot start work until your Graduate Route permission is granted.  

If you need individual advice

Contact the UKCISA Student advice line

The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA)

For detailed information including money and fees, travelling in and outside the UK and starting work

Further advice

Find out how to look for a regulated immigration adviser.

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• International students
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Graduate Route visa

The new Graduate Route will open for applications on 1 July 2021.

The new route will allow international students to remain in the UK for two years after they have completed their studies.

International students must have completed an eligible degree programme at a UK higher education provider, with a track record of compliance with the government’s immigration requirements to apply to the Graduate route.

Students on the Graduate Route will be able to work or look for work after their studies for a maximum period of 2 years, or 3 years for Doctoral students.

The visa is not extendable and does not count towards settlement but graduates will be able to switch into the Skilled Worker route once they have found a suitable job.

Key Points:

• The Graduate Route will be available to international students who have a valid student visa at the time of application and have successfully completed a degree at undergraduate level or above at a Higher Education Provider with a track record of compliance.
• Successful applicants on this route will be able to stay and work, or look for work, in the UK at any skill level for a maximum period of two years if they have successfully completed an undergraduate or master’s degree. PhD graduates will be able to stay for three years. Graduates will be able to switch into the skilled worker route once they have found a suitable job.
• Applicants who began their studies in Autumn 2020 will now have until 27 September 2021 to enter the UK (updated from 21 June 2021) in order to be eligible for the Graduate route. Students who began their studies in January or February 2021 will need to be in the UK by 27 September 2021. 
• The Graduate route will require a new visa application, which will only be possible from inside the UK. It will include the payment of a visa fee of £700 and the Immigration Health Surcharge at the full rate of £624 per year. Students will also need to know the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) they used for their most recent Student (or Tier 4) application in order to apply for the Graduate route.
• Those who graduate and whose leave expires before the route is introduced will not be eligible.

Find out more

• Graduate Route fact sheet  (GOV.UK)
• Working After Studies  (UCISA)
• International Student Support Latest news

Contact us 

Current students: [email protected]  

Prospective students: [email protected]

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The Graduate Route (Post-study work)

The Graduate route is open to Tier 4 and Student visa holders who meet the requirements to enable them to work in the UK after successfully completing a relevant course in the UK.

What are the eligibility requirements?

Qualification requirement

You must have successfully completed a relevant qualification: a UK bachelor’s degree, a UK postgraduate degree, a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) or one of the other qualifications listed in paragraph GR 5.2 of Appendix Graduate  of the UK's Immigration Rules.  Successful course completion and notification to the Home Office

Successful completion

You must have successfully completed the course for which your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) was assigned (except in the case of an approved course transfer). Successfully completed means you have been assessed by the University and have been or will be awarded a relevant qualification (as above). 

Please note that if you graduate with a lower qualification, you may not be eligible to apply for the Graduate route.

Home Office notification

The University must notify the Home Office before you apply for the Graduate route that you have successfully completed your course. If you apply for the Graduate route before your results are published and before the University has notified the Home Office that you have been successfully completed your course, it would be correctly refused under paragraph GR 3.1 of Appendix Graduate of the UK's Immigration Rules. The University will endeavour to notify the Home Office promptly and the University's International Student Advisory Team will email students to inform them once this has been done.

Please  do not  apply for the Graduate route until you have received an email from the International Student Advisory Team confirming the Home Office has been notified.

If you do not receive confirmation from the International Student Advisory Team that the Home Office has been notified of your successful course completion one month after the official publication of your results or before your visa expires, please email [email protected] . 

Immigration status and study in the UK requirement

Immigration status:  At the time you apply for the Graduate route, you must hold valid immigration permission as a “Tier 4 Student” or “Student”. You cannot switch to the Graduate route visa from any other immigration category. 

The study in the UK rules are different depending on the length of your course. Courses of 12 months or less: If you are studying a course of 12 months or less, you must have studied the whole course physically in the UK as a “Tier 4 Student” or “Student”. Courses of more than 12 months: If you are studying a course of more than 12 months, you must have studied at least 12 months of the course physically in the UK as a “Tier 4 Student” or “Student”.

If a course lasting longer than 12 months was completed using a combination of immigration routes, then you must have spent the minimum required time as a Student or Tier 4 migrant in the most recent period of permission.

Important additional information

All course related work must be undertaken from within the UK. This includes writing and submitting your written coursework/dissertation and sitting exams, even if they are online. Your visa sponsorship may be affected if your are found to be studying from overseas during term-time.

Travel outside the UK for short trips during weekends and official University vacation periods should not affect your eligibility. Travel during term-time is not permitted, but if essential, authorisation should be sought from your school. However, you will need to consider your eligibility because you must declare all travel in your Graduate Route visa application, and you must be honest with your answers. 

Therefore, our advice is that you should not travel outside the UK during term-time to safeguard your Student visa status and Graduate Route eligibility. 

University processes which can affect your eligibility

Extensions to coursework and re-sit exams 

The University may not be able to provide you with further Student visa sponsorship to cover an extension to your course, for example in the case of extensions to coursework/dissertation deadlines or for re-sit examinations. Under the UK’s Immigration Rules, further visa sponsorship can only be provided in specific circumstances and is therefore not guaranteed. If your work/exam results are not going to be assessed by an examination board until after your Student visa expires you will not be eligible for the Graduate route. If you are being offered an extension to your coursework/dissertation deadline or have re-sit examinations, please contact the International Student Advisory Team for further advice. 

Please be aware if there is an outstanding debt on your university account which prevents your final results from being published, this will prevent the University from reporting your successful completion for the Graduate route to UKVI. Therefore, please ensure you have paid your tuition fees in full and that you have settled any outstanding debts with the University in good time before the publication of results.  

Where and when should I apply?

You can only apply for the Graduate route from inside the UK. There is no provision to apply from outside the UK.

After you have received confirmation from the International Student Advisory Team (by email) that the University has notified the Home Office of your successful course completion (as per the 'successful completion and notification to the Home Office section above)

You must apply before your Tier 4/Student immigration permission (visa) expires.

When someone applies to extend their immigration permission from within the UK, they must submit the application in-time i.e. before their Tier 4/Student permission expires.

Whilst an immigration application is pending with the Home Office, the applicant will continue to have permission to be in the UK until their application is decided. The period between the expiry of the Tier 4/Student permission and the new permission being granted is know as  3C leave . 3C leave is an extension of your immigration permission (and the conditions of that immigration permission) whilst the application is being processed.

Application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)

The application fee is £822 per applicant.

You will pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) per applicant at £1035 per year of permission that you are applying for. That is 3 years for PhD graduates, 2 years for others.

2 years will cost £2,070 3 years will cost £3,105

Documents you will need to apply

When you apply you will need to provide:

• a valid passport or other travel document that shows your identity and nationality • your biometric residence permit (BRP), if you were given one when you applied for your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa • your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) reference number from when you applied for your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa. When we email to confirm we have notified the Home Office that you have successfully completed your course, we will state the CAS reference number that has been reported against. If you do not think the correct CAS number has been reported against, please email [email protected].

There is no maintenance (money) or English language requirement.

Other documents you might need:

Students who have been sponsored (for both tuition fees and living costs) by a government or international scholarship agency, will need a letter of consent from the sponsor to stay in the UK under this route.

You should check the terms and conditions of any scholarships/sponserships you were awarded, because you may have agreed to return to your home country for a period of time when accepting the award.

Please note that the Chevening website states that its scholars cannot apply for the Graduate route. 

Can I apply for the Graduate route visa and stay in the UK at the end of my course? | Chevening

Application Process

The Graduate route application process has been designed to be straightforward and simple. As part of your application, you will need to prove your identity, complete an online application form , and provide your documents (valid passport (or travel document) and previous BRP card (if applicable). 

Applicants will be able to submit biometrics through the UK Immigration: ID Check’ app. If you cannot scan your passport or BRP with the app, you will be asked to provide your fingerprints and have a photograph taken at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point.

Applications will take approximately 8 weeks to be processed, but you should not travel until the outcome of the application. This is because travelling outside the Common Travel Area automatically withdraws your application.

Receiving the outcome

You will receive the decision via email, and you will be granted the relevant amount of permission from the date of decision. PhD graduate will be granted 3 years of immigration permission under the route and other graduates 2 years. 

If you have verified your identity using the app, as soon as you get notification of the decision on your Graduate route application, you will be able to view your immigration status digitally (eVisa) and prove your rights in the UK.

You will use your UKVI account credentials to sign into the online View and Prove service on GOV.UK , which is where you can access your eVisa.

" Visa nationals " will receive a Biometric Residence Permit to show when re-entering the UK after travel. For further information, please see pages 4-5 in the Home Office’s Graduate route guidance .

Eligibility for dependants is restricted to those who are already in the UK as Student dependants of the main applicant, except for babies born in the UK during the current grant of Tier 4/Student permission. 

If they are not already in the UK as a dependant and you are permitted to bring dependants to the UK, there is no deadline for them to join you on the Student route in the UK, other than your current Tier 4 or Student visa expiry date. 

Dependants do not have to apply at the same time as the main applicant for the Graduate route, but they must apply for the Graduate route from within the UK and before the expiry of their Student dependant visa. 

Your Graduate route dependant will have the same work conditions as you.

Please see gov.uk for more details.

Conditions and working under the Graduate route

If you are granted permission under the Graduate route, you will be able to stay and work full or part-time, or look for work, at any skill level whether employed or self-employment, except as a professional sportsperson or coach. You do not require an employer to sponsor you.

Whilst your application is pending, if you submitted your application before your permission expired, then you will be able to work under your Tier 4/Student conditions. This means if you were studying full-time you can work full-time after your course end date, but you cannot fill a permanent full-time position; or be self-employed or engage in business activity, work as a professional sportsperson (including as a sports coach) or work as an entertainer. 

However, i f you applied for your current Student visa on or after 6 April 2022 you will be able to begin working full time in a position that fills a permanent vacancy, providing you have successfully completed your course and have made a valid application to the Graduate route.

If you were studying part-time, you must wait until you have been issued permission under the Graduate route before you start to work.

You cannot study any course that can be sponsored under the Student route as this is a study condition that is restricted under the Graduate route.

Public funds

You will have ‘no recourse to public funds’. This means you will not have access to public funds in the UK. Find out more.

If your application is successful, you will get a full list of what you can and cannot do with a Graduate visa.

Remaining in the UK after the Graduate permission expires

Need more help.

Further information on visa and Immigration

Student Experience: Immigration & Compliance

Graduate route work visa, section 1: purpose and contents of this page:.

This page has been made to provide guidance on the Graduate Route under the Immigration Rules.

Please see our Step-by-Step Application Guide and read our information on when to apply carefully if you are considering making an application.

Please ensure you have carefully read the guidance provided for your situation BEFORE you contact Student Immigration.

Section 2: What is the Graduate Route? What can I do with this visa?

The Graduate Route is an unsponsored, post study work visa.

Successful applicants will receive a 2 year visa (for those who have completed a Bachelors or Masters degree), or a 3 year visa (for those who have completed a PhD).

You can only apply for the Graduate Route visa once . Therefore, if you are considering further studies in the UK, you may wish to postpone applying for the Graduate Route visa until you have completed all the desired academic studies.

This scheme doesn't lead to settlement (permanent residency in the UK).

Therefore, if your aim is to remain in the UK longer term, holding this visa will give you a period of 2 or 3 years (depending on your level of study) to look for and secure a job which attracts Skilled Worker sponsorship , at which point you can switch to the work visa. You may also be able to switch to a Start Up visa if you are interested in setting up your own business.

Working on a Graduate Route Visa:

Graduates on this route can work flexibly, switch jobs and develop their career as required.

This includes self-employment, voluntary work, part-time, full-time, permanent, fixed term or casual contracts, but not work as a professional sportsperson.

There are no minimum salary requirements or minimum number of hours you can work for this route.

If you current hold a Student Visa sponsored by Warwick, you have certain work rights attached to this . In most cases, you remain subject to your Student Visa Work Conditions until a Graduate Route Visa is granted.

The exception to this is where:

• You applied for your current Student Visa on or after 6 April 2022 and;
• You have made a valid application for a Graduate Route Visa before the expiry date of your Student Visa , having successfully completed your course and;
• A decision has not been made on the Graduate Route application, or where a decision has been made, any Administrative review against a refusal of that application has not been finally determined

If all of the above apply, you may start employment in a full-time permanent vacancy, even though this would not otherwise be permitted with a Student Visa.

Studying on a Graduate Route Visa:

Graduates on the route can only study courses that cannot be sponsored under the Student Route.

Examples of the type of study which may be permitted under this route can be:

• Part-time undergraduate course
• Some English language courses
• Some professional courses
• Any study at a college or university that is not a Student route visa sponsor
• Online study
• Evening classes
• Recreational courses

The restrictions on study do not apply to Dependants of Graduate Route Visa holders, with the exception of working as a professional sportsperson or studying as a doctor/dentist in training.

You must check with any course provider in advance whether you have the Right to Study on a course with them using a Graduate Visa. This is not possible for the majority of courses at Warwick.

Section 3: Who is the Graduate Route for?

This route is for a Warwick Student in the UK who wants to work, or look for work, following the successful completion of an eligible course of study at Warwick on at Bachelor’s degree-level or above. Your degree must be awarded by the University of Warwick.

You must meet the eligibility criteria for this route, including having held a Student Visa (including a Tier 4 Visa) for 12 months or more. If you studied the majority of your course under a different visa category, e.g., a dependant visa, please check with us about your eligibility.

You must meet the application requirements..

Alternatives to the Graduate Route:

If you have secured a job offer which lasts for 2 years or longer and your employer is a able to sponsor you with a Skilled Worker visa, in most cases a Skilled Worker visa is a better option than the Graduate Route visa as it leads to settlement (permanent residency in the UK). However, Skilled Worker visas are tied to an employer and job which means you need to switch visa if you wish to switch job. The Graduate Route visa is an unsponsored route and so you are free to change jobs whilst holding this visa.

Dependants:

If your dependant(s) are already in the UK and hold a dependant visa linked to your Student Visa, and you and your dependant(s) meet the application requirements, then they can apply under the Graduate Route.

You will not be able to add any new dependant(s) to your Graduate Route application, if they were not dependant(s) on your current Student Visa, unless they are children born in the UK during your current Student Visa.

Please see the Dependant requirements section below.

Section 4: Where can I apply for the Graduate Route Visa?

Section 5: when do i apply for the graduate route visa.

You MUST NOT make a Graduate Route Visa Application until you have received an email notification from the University of Warwick specifically confirming you can apply , as well as having met the other application requirements. If you make an application sooner: It will be refused by the UKVI AND You will not receive a refund of your application fee AND You will need to declare the refusal on all future UK visa applications

An example of the email the University will send you to confirm that a report has been made to the UKVI can be found below. It will specifically reference the Graduate Route Visa :

You will not receive the above email until after your degree has been officially ratified by the University Senate: This will be significantly LATER than the "course end date" on your CAS/student record This may be significantly AFTER your academic department provisionally confirms your results to you

Graduates who are completing their degree normally (e.g. without a period of Academic Extension and after being considered by the normal Exam Board for their cohort), can normally expect reports to be sent to the UKVI as follows:

*Students in Academic Extension (Masters and PhD students) must verify with their Academic Department whether their degree will be conferred by the University Senate before their Student Visa Expiry Date. If it may not and they still wish to remain eligible for the Graduate Route Visa, such students must make a Student Visa Extension application whilst they still have an academic reason to do so (work still to submit).

The above table is a guide   only . In most cases, it will not be to your advantage to apply for a Graduate Route visa significantly prior to your current visa expiry date. However, if you believe your Student Visa will expire before a report to the UKVI is sent, then please see the information on this page about what to do next .

You must apply on or before your current Student visa expiry date (however, we do not recommend that you apply on the day your visa expires in case you experience technical issues).

Please also see our step-by-step guide to help you complete the application form successfully.

Section 6: What are the application requirements for the Graduate Route Visa?

You must meet the following 3 requirements to apply under this route:

However, there is no requirement to show you have a certain amount of money (known as the 'maintenance requirement').

Successful completion requirement:

You must have last been sponsored by a Student sponsor which is a higher education provider with a track record of compliance on the date of application.

The University of Warwick is a higher education provider with a track record of compliance .

You must have successfully completed the course of study which was undertaken during your last grant of permission to study on the Student route – in other words, the course for which your most recent CAS was assigned.

This means that you must have achieved the award for which your last Student Visa, sponsored by the University of Warwick, was granted, unless one of the following applies:

• You have been permitted to change your course of study and did not need to make new visa application
• You were originally assigned a CAS for a 4-year integrated Masters’ course or PhD and are completing that course early to exit with a lower qualification (this qualification must still be a full degree: Bachelors, Masters or PhD)

If you have changed course and obtained a new Student visa you will still be eligible if you successfully complete the course on your new CAS.

Your Student Visa sponsor must have notified the Home Office, by the date of your application under the Graduate Route, that you have successfully completed the course of study that your Student Visa was issued for.

The University of Warwick will send a report to the UKVI to confirm that you have successfully completed your course of study once your award has been conferred by the University Senate. You will receive a copy of this report by email. You must not make a Graduate Route visa application until you have received this report , or your application will be refused.

Qualification requirement:

You will meet the qualification requirement if you have successfully completed a course of study for which you have been or will be awarded a UK Bachelor’s degree, a UK postgraduate degree (Master's or Doctorate degree), or successfully completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) or Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE).

If the name of your course of study was changed by the Student sponsor, but the course content remained the same, or if an integral and assessed work placement or permitted study abroad programme was added, this will not prevent you from being able to meet the qualification requirement.

The qualification must have been gained during the last grant of permission to study as a Student, or in the period of permission immediately before your last grant of permission, if the last grant of permission was to undertake a role as a Student Union Sabbatical Officer.

You will not be eligible to apply if you are awarded a lower qualification, unless the lower qualification is a full degree (e.g. a Bachelors Degree). E.g. you will not be eligible if you exit with a PG Cert, PG Diploma or PG Award upon course completion.

Please note, if you decide to challenge the decision of a lower award or academic fail via the University Appeals process, you cannot apply to extend your Student Visa to cover this period. This means that if the outcome of the Appeal is after the date your Student Visa has expired, you will not be able to apply to the Graduate route even if you meet the qualification requirement.

Study in the UK requirement:

You must hold a Student Visa sponsored by the University of Warwick for a minimum length of time :

• At least 12 months or
• The length of your course

whichever is shorter .

You can count :

• The extra time your visa is valid before and after your course
• The time during your course you have spent in the UK

You cannot count :

• Any time during your course (between your CAS course start date and CAS course end date) that you spent outside of the UK

If you were granted more than 1 Student Visa for your course (for example because you took a period of Temporary Withdrawal, or had an Academic Extension), you can count the relevant time on all of those visas.

• Student X is studying a 1-year Masters course and applied for a Student Visa before they started their course.
• The course start date of their course was 25 September 2023, and the course end date on their CAS was 24 September 2024 (the course is 12 months and 1 day long)
• They spent 2 months outside of the UK during their CAS course dates, having received approval from their academic department to do so.
• Student X's Warwick-sponsored Student Visa was granted for a total of 17 months (12 months for the course, plus 1 month before the course starts, plus 4 months after the course ends)

Student X meets the Study in the UK requirement , because the length of their Student Visa (discounting the 2 months they spent outside of the UK during their course), is more than 12 months.

Section 7: What are the Dependent(s) application requirements under the Graduate Route?

To apply as a Dependant under the Graduate Route, your dependant(s) must already be your dependant on your current Student Visa, and meet the following requirements:

Relationship requirement for dependent partner of a Graduate :

The relationship between the applicant and their partner must be genuine and subsisting.

The applicant and their partner must intend to live together throughout the applicant’s stay in the UK.

The applicant must not intend to stay in the UK beyond any permission granted to their partner.

Relationship requirement for dependent child of a Graduate:

The applicant must be a child of a parent who has, or is at the same time being granted permission as:

(a) a Graduate;

(b) the partner of a Graduate.

Each of the applicant’s parents must either be applying at the same time as the applicant, or have permission to be in the UK (other than as a visitor) unless:

(a) the parent with permission as a Student or Graduate or as the partner of a Student or Graduate is the sole surviving parent;

(b) the parent with permission as a Student or Graduate or as the partner of a Student or Graduate has sole responsibility for the child’s upbringing;

(c) the decision maker is satisfied that there are serious and compelling reasons to grant the child permission to stay with the parent who is applying for permission as a Graduate or as partner of a Graduate.

If the applicant is a child who is born in the UK to a Student or Graduate, or their partner the applicant must provide a full UK birth certificate showing the names of both parents. A child born in the UK must already have permission as the dependent child of the student, unless they were born within the main applicant's last grant of student visa.

If the applicant is aged under 18 on the date of application there must be suitable arrangements for the child’s care and accommodation in the UK which must comply with relevant UK legislation and regulations.

The child must be under the age of 18 at the date of application, unless they were last granted permission as a dependent child of a parent (P) who has or is applying for permission to stay as a Graduate or a dependent partner of a Graduate (regardless of the route under which the parent (P) had permission at the time the child’s last permission was granted).

If the child is aged 16 or over on the date of application, they must not be leading an independent life.

Section 8: How do I apply, what does it cost, and what documents do I need?

You cannot apply for the Graduate Route until you have received specific email confirmation from the University that your successful completion has been reported to the UKVI . Once you have received the above confirmation from the University, and you have met the application requirements, you will need to do the following to make your application:

• You must complete and submit your application via the online GOV.UK form. A link to this will be provided in your confirmation email from the University. Take a look at our step-by-step guide to help you do this.
• You must pay the relevant Immigration Health Surcharge  Link opens in a new window
• You must pay the application fee Link opens in a new window .
• You must provide any required Biometric Data for all applicants.
• You must provide a clear scan or photo of all applicant's passport or other travel document as proof of nationality and identity.
• You must provide a clear scan or photo of your current valid and in date Student Visa BRP, as well as the BRPs of any dependant applicants, if applicable.
• If any applicants subject to the Police Registration Condition, they must provide an up to date and valid Police Registration Certificate.
• If, within the previous 12 months of the application date, any applicant was sponsored by their Government or an international scholarship agency covering both fees and living costs for study in the UK, they must provide written consent to the application from that Government or agency. This does not apply if your scholarship was awarded by the University of Warwick.
• If your dependents are applying, they may be required to provide additional documents to meet the relationship requirements.

Please note:

You can not apply under the Graduate Route if you have previously been granted Permission to Stay in the UK under the Doctorate Extension Scheme or under the Graduate Route.

The Home Office also provides detailed information on its own webpages regarding making an application , and using the UK Immigration ID Check App .

Section 9: I have received my Graduate Route Visa, what do I need to do now?

Once you have submitted your application, paid your fees and provided your Biometric Data for each applicant, the UKVI will assess your application and provide you with an application decision within 8 weeks.

You must not leave the UK until you receive your new BRP card if you are a Visa National . If you are not a Visa National , you must not leave the UK until you receive notification of the decision.

If successful, you should receive confirmation of your new visa. Most applicants will receive a "Digital Status", however, if you are a Visa National, you cannot travel and re-enter the UK without a BRP card. If you obtain a new passport whilst you have a Graduate Visa, you must update this using your UKVI account.

This is an 'unsponsored route', which means the University is no longer your sponsor and you do not need to provide the University with a copy of your new visa.

Whilst holding a Graduate route visa, if you wish to study a further course in the UK which can be sponsored under the Student visa (for example, a Master's degree), you may switch back to a Student visa. However, you can only apply for the Graduate Route visa once. Therefore, if you are considering further studies in the UK, you may wish to postpone applying for the Graduate Route visa until you have completed all the desired academic studies.

Section 10: If you have further queries and useful links:

If, after reading the guidance above, and you are still unsure of what you should do next, please contact Student Immigration to discuss your situation via the following methods:

• Online Contact form
• Book a Help Desk Appointment

Please click on the following links for more information

UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA):

• UKCISA - international student advice and guidance - Graduate route

University of Warwick:

• Recruiting international students - Employer Guidance
• Warwick | Student Immigration | I am a Student | Visa Portal | Right to Study / Visa that allow study at Warwick

UK Government:

• GOV.UK | Find an immigration adviser
• Graduate visa: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Other contacts:

• Central England Law Centre
• UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA)
• Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA)
• The Law Society

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The Graduate route: information for international students

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