Graduate Route

Where to apply
 
You must be in the UK to apply for this visa, and you must apply before your current Student Route visa expires.
 
You can apply direct via the GOV.UK website.
 
When to apply
 
You may submit your Graduate Route application any time from the date the university confirms that you have successfully completed your course, up until the expiry of your current Student Route permission. You must also apply for the Graduate Route visa before your Student Route visa expires.
 
If you apply within this period, your existing Student Route immigration permission will automatically continue while UKVI considers your Graduate Route application, even if your original visa end date passes during that time. This automatic continuation of leave is known as section 3C leave under UK immigration law.
 
It is very important that you receive the confirmation report email from the UKVI Enquiries team ([email protected]) BEFORE you submit an in-time GR application. 
 
How to apply

You must submit your Graduate Route application online (Graduate visa: Apply - GOV.UK). During the process, you will be required to use the UK Immigration: ID Check app to scan your biometric residence permit (BRP) or passport.
 
If you cannot scan your passport or BRP with the app, you’ll be asked to get your fingerprints and photograph taken at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point. You’ll be told what you need to do when you apply.
 
When you are ready to proceed, you will need to pay both the application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).
 
The application fee is £937 per person, and the IHS is charged at £1,035 for each year of permission granted under the route.
 
Once you have applied you will not be able to leave the UK until UKVI have granted your visa and you have your new digital status. Please do not make travel plans until you have applied and received the grant from UKVI.

You cannot apply to the scheme if you have previously held a Graduate Route visa or Doctorate Extension Scheme visa. You can only apply for and be granted the Graduate Route visa once.
 
There is nothing in the current rules to prevent those who have previously held a Tier 1 (Post Study Work) route applying to the Graduate route. If this changes we will update the information on this page.
 
When you apply, you must have already successfully completed a ‘relevant qualification’. This must be either:

• an Undergraduate degree
• a Master's degree
• a PhD or other doctoral qualification

or one of these qualifications listed in paragraph GR 5.2 of Appendix Graduate of the Immigration Rules:

• a law conversion course validated by the Joint Academic Stage Board in England and Wales
• the Legal Practice Course 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. The Graduate route caseworker guidance (page 9) explains that "Professional roles that have reserved activities include (but are not limited to) medical doctors, architects, lawyers, teachers, and nurses." See also Case Study 1 on pages 9-10 of the guidance.

The qualification must have been awarded by a Higher Education provider which is listed in listed on the Register of Student Sponsors as a Student Sponsor - Track Record. The University of South Wales is on this list and meets the criteria.

The Graduate route has a “Study in the UK” requirement for all courses.
 
For courses of less than 12 months you must have been in the UK studying for the full length of the course.
 
For courses of 12 months or longer you must have been studying in the UK for at least 12 months.

The Home Office have confirmed there is no requirement to show a specific level of Maintenance (money in a bank account) for the Graduate Route. You will not need to provide any financial documents or evidence with your application.

If you had an official sponsor, Government or scholarship agency,  paying your living costs and tuition fees within the 12-month period before you apply for the Graduate Route then you must provide a letter from the sponsor showing they provide consent to the application and to your stay in the UK.
 
Paragraph GR 1.5 of Appendix Graduate states that consent is required if a government or international scholarship agency scholarship or sponsorship covers both fees and living costs (though not necessarily in full).
If you only had a partial scholarship which covered living costs only or tuition fees only, the Immigration Rules do not require this letter from your sponsor.
 
Similarly, if your sponsor was a University, international company, independent school or other type of financial sponsor, you are also exempt from providing the consent letter.
However, you should check that your sponsor is happy for you to stay in the UK and that your stay does not breach the terms of your sponsorship or scholarship to the UK.

There are some limited exceptions to having completed the course on your CAS:

• If your CAS was assigned for an integrated programme, and you successfully completed an undergraduate or postgraduate degree as part of that programme, you can use that degree as the relevant qualification. This is only for degrees, not for other types of course.
• If the immigration rules allowed you to switch to a different course without applying for new Student Route permission, you can use that new course as the relevant qualification.
• If the University of South Wales changed the name of your course without changing the content
• If an assessed work placement or study abroad programme was added to your course
• If you hold Student permission to work as a Student Union Sabbatical Officer, your relevant qualification can be granted in the previous period of Student Route permission.

You need the following documents:

• Your current passport
• Your BRP card
• Your CAS number – The University will email this to you once your course completion has been reported to UKVI.  Do not apply until you have had this email.
• If your full tuition fees and living costs have been paid by a government and/or an international scholarship agency, you must provide a letter showing the financial sponsor's consent to this application under the Graduate route.  See our sponsor information section for more information.

You can also check if you need any other documents on the gov.uk website.

While you are waiting for UKVI to make a decision on your application, you can continue to work under the same conditions as your Student Route permission as you will be covered by Section 3C leave.
 
You may be able to start working in the UK whilst your Graduate route application is pending if your Student permission was sponsored by a higher education provider with a track record of compliance. If your Graduate route application is still pending in these circumstances, you are able to start work (this can be a full-time permanent vacancy). However, you must still wait for the decision on your Graduate route application if you are planning work as an entertainer, or you plan to be self-employed. 
The Immigration Rules permit you to fill a permanent full-time vacancy according to Appendix Student (paragraph ST 26.6). Employers may not be aware of this rule, and your right to work share code will not explain this rule to them. You may need to explain this particular allowance to a prospective employer.
 
Once your Graduate Route visa is granted you can undertake employed or self-employed work at any level, but you cannot work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach.

The Home Office have confirmed that there is restricted study on the Graduate Route. You can only study with a Graduate visa if your chosen course is not eligible for a Student visa. If your course is eligible for a Student visa, you can extend your Student visa instead.

You may need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate if you’re studying or researching sensitive topics.

Your education provider will be able to confirm your right to study, so please check with them before starting your course if your Graduate Route Visa will allow you to legally study in the UK.