Graduate route (post study work visa)

Once the Graduate route visa is granted you can:

• Do any job, except work as a professional sportsman or coach
• Do any type of work including full time, part-time, temporary, contract, work experience or an internship
• Work for any employer, as this route does not require employer sponsorship
• Be self-employed, work free-lance, offer consultancy or contract work
• Open a business without the restrictions the Start-up visa presents, including endorsement, monitoring or the business succeeding
• You can undertake professional training such as teacher training or professional law training (this includes salaried training)

Those granted a Graduate visa will be able to work or look for work after their studies for 2 years. Those who have completed a PhD will be granted 3 years permission.

• This visa is unsponsored, meaning you will not need a job offer to apply for the route
• There are no minimum salary requirements and there is no cap on numbers
• Graduates on the route will be able to work flexibly, switch jobs and develop their career as required
• There are no maintenance fund requirements
• There is no English language requirement

Scholarships during your student permission

If you have a government scholarship for your Student permission you will need to gain permission to apply for the Graduate route visa.

Starting a business

If you open a business on the Graduate route visa and start trading, you will not be eligible for the Start-up visa so to continue your immigration permission and run your business in the UK you will need to check your eligibility under the separate Innovator route.

Dependants

You can only bring dependants with you under the Graduate Route visa if they were your dependants whilst you were on the Student or Tier 4 (General) student permission, with the exception of babies born in the UK since. Dependents would need to apply in the UK but may be allowed to apply outside the UK if there is a special reason.

If you have dependants that will need to apply with you under the Graduate route visa, please refer to pages 20-26 of the Home Office Graduate route visa guidance. 

Study restrictions

You cannot study a course on the Graduate route visa that would normally be sponsored under the Student route. You can study online, evening or recreational courses or any course at an education provider that does not sponsor student visas. You can study part-time undergraduate courses.

No extensions

The graduate route cannot be extended and you cannot apply for it again in the future, even if you complete more study. If you are interested in staying in the UK after the graduate route, see the 'After the Graduate route' options further down the page. 

• Your current visa must be a Student visa or Tier 4 (General) Student visa and you cannot switch to the Graduate Route from another route
• You cannot apply if you have been granted the Graduate Route visa before or if you have been granted a visa under the Doctorate Extension Scheme before.

• The qualification must be a UK degree or other eligible qualification (this includes a PGCE)
• The qualification must have been completed during current Student or Tier 4 (General) Student permission and it must also be the qualification for which the Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) was issued
• You can apply if the Home Office allowed you to change your course, if during the course the name changed or if the course is part of an integrated programme.

• Courses of 12 months or less must have been studied entirely while you were in the UK
• Courses of more than 12 months must have been studied whilst you were in the UK for at least 12 months
• There are COVID-19 concessions for meeting this requirement.

When?

Before you apply you must have finished your course of study, received official results and received confirmation that your results have been sent to the Home Office. We are aware of the results days and will work hard to get results sent as quickly as possible but you must not apply until the Home Office has received your results. 

Once you’ve applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents, you should get a decision on your visa within 8 weeks. You can stay in the UK while you wait for a decision.

While still on the Student route and waiting for the outcome of the Graduate route application, you can work according to the student route visa conditions.

Where?

You can only make an application whilst you are in the UK. 

How?

You will first complete an online application form which includes paying the relevant fees:

• The visa application fee is £715
• The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) is £624 per year of immigration permission so will be £1248 (2 years), or £1872 for PhD graduates (3 years)
• Your application fee will be automatically reduced by £55 if you’re a citizen of one of the following countries:

  Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden or Turkey.

If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss national with a passport that has a biometric chip, or you are a national from any country and you have a current BRP card, you will be able to use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your identity document on your phone. Once the visa is approved you will receive digital immigration status and will not receive a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). 

If this does not apply to you then you will need to use the online application form and make an appointment at a UKVCAS centre to enrol your biometrics. Once the visa is approved you will receive a new Biometric Residence ermit (BRP) and you will not have digital immigration status. 

When you apply you’ll 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

If you applied using the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your identity document on your phone and your application is successful you will receive an email confirming your digital status and this will include a PDF of your decision letter.

In order to view and prove your immigration status you will need to use the Home Office website to get a 'share code' and provide this to those concerned, such as an employer. 

Visa nationals will also receive a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). 

Only visa nationals will receive a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). 

If you were unable to use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app in the application, the BRP will be your proof of immigration status. 

Until the end of 2024, you'll still need to carry your physical documents when travelling.

However, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) have introduced a digital immigration system. You can now access an eVisa, an online record of your immigration status, which confirms your permissions to enter or stay in the UK.

In the future, you'll be able to use an eVisa to travel to the UK. You can find more information on accessing and using an eVisa on our dedicated eVisas page.

If your graduate visa application is refused, inform us immediately and send a copy of your decision letter in an email to immigrationadvice@bathspa.ac.uk so we can advise you of your options.

• Graduate route guidance
• Appendix Graduate

• You can switch to the Skilled Worker route for sponsored work
• You will be considered a “new entrant” whereby you will only need to meet 70% of the salary requirement
• If you find a job whilst on the Graduate route and then need to apply for the Skilled Worker route, you can stay in the same job providing it meets the criteria for this visa

• You will be able to switch into other routes including Spouse and Innovator
• You are also able to switch back to the Student route