How to Effectively Use Your Graduate Visa and Plan for Job Applications?

The UK Graduate visa is an immigration route that allows international students who have graduated from a UK university to stay and work in the UK for two years (or three years if they have a doctoral degree). The visa is unsponsored, meaning you do not need a job offer to apply.

To be eligible for the UK Graduate visa, you must:

• Have completed a degree at undergraduate level or above (or one of the limited numbers of professional qualifications at degree level or above) at a Higher Education Provider with a track record of compliance.
• Have a valid Tier 4 or Student visa at the time of application.
• Have completed the entirety of your course in the UK as a student, apart from permitted study abroad programmes or remote study due to COVID-19.
• You can apply for the UK Graduate visa online. You will need to provide your passport, your biometric residence permit (BRP) if you have one, and your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) reference number.

If your application is successful, you will be granted a UK Graduate visa for two years (or three years if you have a doctoral degree). Your visa will start from the day your application is approved.

During your time on the UK Graduate visa, you can work flexibly, do full-time or part-time jobs, internships, volunteering work, switch jobs, and develop your career in the UK.

The limitations of a Graduate Visa:

• The visa is time limited. You must leave the UK or switch to another visa before it expires.
• You cannot apply for most benefits (public funds) or the State Pension.
• You cannot work as a professional sportsperson.

If you want to settle in the UK:

Another often neglected limitation of this visa is the two or three years you spend on work using your Graduate visa do not count towards five years of continuous stay for settlement. In other words, if you started your job right after graduation on a Skilled Worker visa, you would normally be able to obtain Indefinite Leave to Remain (settlement) in the UK after five years. If you work for two years on a Graduate visa and then switch to a Skilled Worker visa, you will still need to work for another five years from the day you switch to obtain Indefinite Leave to Remain (settlement).

However, time spent on a Graduate visa does contribute towards applications made under Long Residency. This means that if you spend a total of 10 years in the UK, the time you spent on the Graduate visa will be eligible for continuous stay in an ILR application.

If you want to settle in the UK sooner, it is also important to strategically plan your job applications.

Plan Your Applications:

Due to the time restriction of a Graduate visa, you must plan your time well ahead to secure a permanent job with visa sponsorship.

Timing:

If you are a master's student starting in September 2023 or an undergraduate student graduating in Summer 2024 and are not planning to apply for a Graduate Visa, your priority should be directly applying for jobs that sponsor a Skilled Worker visa. The employment must start after your course end date in 2024 or 2025, whatever date is shown on your CAS, as you will not be allowed to work full-time during your term. Some employers have already started hiring for 2024 Autumn positions with Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. In order to apply, please click here and type 2024.

If you are certain that you will apply for a Graduate Visa after your studies, you can apply for jobs that sponsor a Skilled Worker visa as well as other jobs that accept Graduate Visa holders. This approach will give you wider options.

If you are graduating this year and have not secured a job yet, it is recommended to apply for the Graduate visa right before your student visa expiry date, as this will give you more time to look for jobs. Some employers, like PwC, accept applicants on a valid student visa but do not accept applicants on a Graduate visa. Therefore, you should only apply for a graduate visa if you cannot find a job before your student visa expires.

Right to Work:

Many graduates have this frustration about the Graduate visa when it comes to answering the right to work question. While the Graduate visa gives you the right to work in the UK for two or three years, you will not have a permanent right to work. If you are currently on or will be on a Graduate visa, there are several different scenarios.

If the employer asks, "Will you need sponsorship now or in the future":

You should say "yes" because you will likely need visa sponsorship after the Graduate visa expires.

If the employer asks, "Do you have an existing right to work in the UK?":

You can say "yes" and provide your Graduate Visa detail or tell them that you will apply for a Graduate visa that gives you the right to work.

If the employer only asks, "Do you need visa sponsorship":

You should say "yes" if you are applying for a permanent job. You can say "no" if you are applying for any other type of work which will not continue beyond your Graduate visa expiry date. For example, if you are applying for a Graduate Scheme that lasts only a year.

The bottom line here is understanding the duration of your employment and whether your Graduate visa will be able to cover the duration. If it cannot, then you will need visa sponsorship.

Additional details about the Graduate visa:

• You can apply for the visa up to 6 months before your current visa expires.
• You must be in the UK when you apply for the visa.
• The visa application fee is £700.
• You will need to have health insurance for the duration of your visa.