The study must have been with a higher education provider with a track record of compliance.
An application for Graduate visa is made in accordance with requirements as set out in Appendix Graduate of the Immigration Rules. An application for Graduate visa can only be made from inside the UK and there is no option to apply for Graduate visa from outside the UK. Also, Graduate visa application can only be made whilst the applicant has leave to enter or remain as Student and once the student has switched into some other visa category, it will no longer be possible to qualify for Graduate route visa.
A Graduate visa gives you permission to stay in the UK for at least 2 years after successfully completing a course in the UK. If you have completed a PhD course, you will be granted leave to remain as a Graduate for 3 years. The Graduate route is an unsponsored route. The Graduate route itself is not a route to settlement i.e. it does not lead to ILR
Eligibility Requirements For Graduate Route Visa Application
An applicant applying for switching from Student visa to Graduate route visa must meet the following requirements of Appendix Graduate of the Immigration Rules to be successful in the application:
The applicant must submit a valid application from inside the UK for switching into Graduate route visa;
The applicant must have, or have last had, permission as Student / Tier 4 General Student;
The applicant must meet the points requirement;
The applicant must meet the requirement of successfully completing the course of study;
The applicant must meet the qualification requirement;
The applicant must meet study in the UK requirement;
The applicant must not have been previously granted permission under the Doctorate Extension Scheme (DES) or as a Graduate
If the applicant has in the 12 months before the date of application been awarded a scholarship or sponsorship by a Government or 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;
The applicant must not fall for refusal under Part 9: grounds for refusal.
The applicant must not be:
in the UK in breach of immigration laws, except that where paragraph 39E applies, that period of overstaying will be disregarded; or;
on immigration bail.
The applicant 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 applicant must have successfully completed the course of study which was undertaken during their last grant of permission to study on the Student route (where the applicant was allowed to change their course of study without applying for further permission as a Student, this requirement only applies to the course to which they changed); The student sponsor must have notified the Home Office, by the date of Graduate route application, that the applicant has successfully completed the relevant course of study.
The applicant will meet the qualification requirement if they have successfully completed a course of study for which they have been or will be awarded a UK bachelor’s degree, a UK postgraduate degree, or successfully completed a relevant qualification listed below.
A relevant qualification is one of the following:
a law conversion course validated by the Joint Academic Stage Board in England and Wales;
the Legal Practice Course (LPC) 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;
a foundation programme in Medicine or Dentistry;
a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) or Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE);
a professional course requiring study at UK bachelor’s degree level or above in a profession with reserved activities that is regulated by UK law or UK public authority.
If the name of the applicant’s 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 the applicant being able to meet the qualification requirement.
The qualification must have been gained during the last grant of permission to study as a Student / Tier 4 General Student, or in the period of permission immediately before the applicant’s last grant of permission, if the last grant of permission was to undertake a role as a Student Union Sabbatical Officer
Total Length Of Course | Relevant period of Student permission granted during which all study took place in the UK(apart from permitted study abroad programmes) |
---|---|
12 months or less | Full duration |
Longer than 12 months | At least 12 months |
Type of Qualification | Period Granted |
---|---|
PhD or other doctoral qualification | 3 years |
All other qualifications | 2 years |
If you do not want to use our full service to cover all the work on your application for switching into graduate visa, our graduate visa solicitors will be happy to provide a wide range of one-off legal services for your application for switching into graduate visa. Various one-off services for your application for switching into graduate visa are as listed below:
Immigration Advice and Consultation Service
Immigration Documents Checking Service
Application Form Completion Services
Preparing Cover Letter For Immigration Application
Uploading Supporting Documents Online
Our work visa solicitors will charge a fixed fee ranging from £800 to £1,500 (no VAT) for your application for switching into Graduate route visa UK. The agreed fixed will depend on the complexity of the application and the volume of work involved in the application for switching into Graduate visa UK. You can get a fixed fee quote online for your application to the Home Office UKVI for switching into Graduate visa. Our fixed fee for your application to switch into Graduate visa does not cover any disbursements e.g. UKVI fee for the application for switching into Graduate visa and the applicant has to separately pay the Home office UKVI fees for the application.
You can apply to switch from a Student visa to a Graduate route visa, formerly known as a PSW visa, upon successful completion of an eligible course of study in the UK at a bachelor’s degree level or above. The study must have been with a higher education provider with a track record of compliance
No, you cannot apply for Graduate visa through Priority or Super Priority Service as the Home Office UKVI do not offer the fast track service for Graduate visa application.
No, you cannot apply for a Graduate visa from outside the UK because the Home Office UKVI Immigration Rules only allow such applications to be made from inside the UK.
Yes, time spent in the UK under the Graduate visa will be counted towards the 10 years of residence required to apply for ILR under the 10 years of residence category.
Yes, you can switch from a Graduate visa to a Skilled Worker visa from inside the UK if you are offered a skilled job by a UKVI-approved licence-holding employer/sponsor.
A Graduate visa gives you permission to stay in the UK for at least 2 years after successfully completing a course in the UK. A graduate route visa is also known as a study Work (PSW) visa in the UK.
You can apply for a Graduate visa if all of the following are true:
you are in the UK
your current visa is a Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa
you studied a UK bachelor’s degree, postgraduate degree or other eligible course for a minimum period of time with your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa
your education provider (such as your university or college) has told the Home Office you’ve successfully completed your course
A Graduate visa lasts for 2 years. If you have a PhD or other doctoral qualification, it will last for three years.
Your visa will start from the day your application is approved.
A sponsor must be:
18 years or older
A British citizen or settled person in the UK
A refugee or a person with humanitarian protection in the UK
A person with limited leave under Appendix EU (according to paragraph GEN.1.3.(d) of
the Immigration Rules)
You must apply before your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa expires. You can apply after your education provider (such as your university or college) has told the Home Office that you’ve successfully completed the course you took with your Student or Tier 4 (General) student visa. You do not have to wait until you have graduated or have been given a certificate.
Once you have applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents, you will usually get a decision on your Graduate visa within 8 weeks. The Home Office UKVI does not offer fast-track visa service for a Graduate visa in the UK, and an application can only be submitted through standard service.
When you apply for a Graduate visa, you will need to:
pay the £822 application fee for a Graduate visa
pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) which is £1035 for each year
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