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The Graduate route enables international students to stay in the UK to work or look for work after the successful completion of their studies for 2 years, or 3 years for PhD students.
Graduates can undertake any work in the UK, including paid and unpaid employment, self-employment and engaging in business or any professional activity. Successful Graduate route applicants cannot take employment as a professional sportsperson or coach.
There are no minimum salary requirements for the Graduate route.
Study is permitted, except when a student sponsor and course would meet conditions of the student route. For example, if the applicant wanted to study undergraduate, graduate or post graduate courses, this would not be allowed. The Graduate route does not require sponsorship from any organisation, and you cannot extend your Graduate visa.
You will need to meet all the following requirements to make a valid application for the Graduate route visa:
- Hold a current, valid student route visa.
- Have studied and successfully completed a bachelor’s or master’s degree, or PhD at UCA.
- Have studied for a qualifying period in the UK on a student route visa. (See Who qualifies and who doesn’t?)
- Provide written consent if financially sponsored by a government or international scholarship agency in the 12 months before the date of this application, from the government or agency (if required).
- Apply from the UK within the validity of your current student visa.
Please note: the Graduate visa is not a route to settlement.
For the purpose of applying for the Graduate visa you are considered to have successfully completed your degree once you have received your final results and official notification from UCA.
You need to have completed the degree for which your Tier 4/Student visa was granted, unless it is a change permitted under UKVI policy. You will need to have completed the entirety of your course in the UK as a student, apart from permitted study abroad programs or remote study due to COVID-19, for which specific concessions have been agreed.
Attending your graduation ceremony is not a requirement for the Graduate route application.
Who doesn't qualify
If you do not complete all required assessments (such as a final submission, resit or exam) by the original end date of your visa - or have any unpaid or outstanding fees - you may not have your award confirmed by the board of examiners. In this situation you should contact Campus Registry at Canterbury, Epsom or Farnham as you may not be eligible to apply under the Graduate route in these circumstances.
Foundation courses, graduate diplomas and other non-degree awarding qualifications are not eligible.
When applying for the Graduate route you will need to consider how much time you spent in the UK to complete your studies and if it meets the minimum study in the UK requirement.
If your course was more than 12 months you should have studied in the UK for at least 12 months. If the course was 12 months or less you must have studied in the UK for the duration of the course.
In some cases, students may not have been able to complete their studies in one period of student permission. This may be because of compelling or compassionate circumstances, for example sickness or maternity leave. Because of this, students may need to interrupt their chosen course of study and complete at a later date, with the appropriate UCA permission. Each of these study periods would count toward their minimum time in the UK. If they collectively met the minimum 12 months in the UK study period the student could make a Graduate route application.
PhD students
If a PhD student started the course in the UK, but subsequently went abroad to conduct research as part of their qualification, the student may have their sponsorship withdrawn or may not be granted sponsorship for the overseas portion of their course.
If the student subsequently returned to the UK to successfully complete their qualification (for example to conduct additional research or write up a thesis) and the total length of time studying in the UK meets the minimum requirement, the student would qualify to apply for the Graduate route.
When you have completed your course you will need to wait until you have received email confirmation from the UCA Visa Advice Team.
The email will confirm that UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) have been notified of your successful course completion.
Once this stage has been completed and you have been notified you will be able to apply for the Graduate route visa online.
Dependents (the applicant's partner or children) can apply to stay as dependants on a Graduate visa if they were considered as dependants during the applicant's Student/Tier 4 visa.
Children born in the UK during a Student/Tier 4 visa can also apply.
Other types of dependants are not permitted on this route.
The current application fee for a Graduate visa is £822. There is an additional healthcare surcharge (usually £1,035 per year you are in the UK). Currently a two-year Graduate route visa would have a healthcare surcharge of £2,070.
Calculate Immigration Health Surcharge
You may be eligible for a refund if you get a job in public sector healthcare after you have paid the healthcare surcharge.
When you make your application, 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
- Your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) reference number from when you applied for your student visa
The CAS reference number is issued when you are initially offered a place on your course and before you applied for your Student visa.
You might be asked to provide:
- Proof of your relationship with your partner or children if they’re applying with you
- A letter from your scholarship or sponsorship provider approving your application (if they paid for both your course fees and living costs in the last 12 months)
To make an application you will need to create a UK Visas and Immigration account on the Gov.uk website. You will then be able to start your online application for a Graduate visa. You can save and continue with your application at a later time.
UKVI will need to verify your nationality and identity. You can submit a scan of your BRP or passport using the UK Immigration: ID Check’ app. If you are unable to use the ID app to scan your passport or BRP you will need to visit a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point for fingerprinting and photographing.
Once you submit your application you must not travel outside the UK and common travel area (Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man). If you decide to travel, your application will be withdrawn automatically.
Once you’ve applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents, you’ll usually get a decision on your visa within eight weeks.
If your application is approved you will be notified by UKVI and you’ll be able to prove your right to live and work in the UK. You may also receive a BRP (biometric residence permit) to prove your status.
You can request UKVI to cancel your application, but your fee will only be refunded if UKVI has not started processing your application.