Graduate Immigration Route

For your application to be valid, you must:

• make your application in the UK; and
• have valid Student or Tier 4 immigration permission at the time of application; and
• have permission from your home government or an international scholarship agency if they have paid for both your tuition fees and living costs in the last 12 months. This is a validity requirement.

For you to be eligible:

• you should have successfully completed a full Bachelors or Postgraduate degree (e.g. Masters or PhD) or one of the other specific alternative qualifications confirmed by UKVI (see Eligible qualifications). Most non-degree awarding qualifications, such as Certificates or Diplomas, are not eligible for the Graduate route; and
• the University must have notified UKVI that you have successfully completed your course before you submit your immigration application, and
• you should have successfully completed your course during your most recent period of Tier 4 or Student permission (There is an exception for sabbatical officers who can rely on their previous period of student permission)
• you must have not previously been granted permission under the Graduate Immigration Route or the Doctorate Extension scheme, and
• you must also have completed a relevant period of study in the UK with the relevant immigration permission (see Study in UK and remote learning)

To be eligible to apply for the Graduate Route you must successfully complete a full Bachelors or Postgraduate degree (e.g. UG, Masters, PhD) or one of the additional relevant qualifications below:

• a law conversion course validated by the Joint Academic Stage Board in England and Wales
• the Legal Practice Course in England and Wales
• the Bar Practice Course in England and Wales
• 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 a UK public authority.

If you are not studying for a qualification stated above at City then you will not be eligible for the Graduate Route.

There is a requirement that students have undertaken a ‘relevant period’ of study in the UK.

If your course is longer than 12 months, you must have spent at least 12 months studying your course inside the UK with Tier 4 or Student permission; or

If the length of your course is 12 months or less, you must have spent the full duration of your course studying inside the UK with Tier 4 or Student permission.

Remote Learning and Covid 19 concessions

Due to the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, many international students will have started their courses learning remotely outside of the UK. However remote learning for Tier 4/Student visa holders ended on 30 June 2022 and all students with a Tier 4/Student visa should have now returned to the UK to continue their studies.

The application fee has increased to £822 from 4 October 2023.

You will also need to pay £2070 for the Immigration Healthcare Surcharge upfront at the time of the application. It is the same cost for any dependants (Child dependants pay £776 IHS fee per year).

A PhD graduate will pay a total of £1035 x three = £3105

A UG or PG graduate will pay a total of £822 + 2070 = £2892

The IHS fee is non- refundable should you decide to leave the UK before the end of your immigration permission or switch into another immigration category.

Please note that you will not need to show evidence that you hold a certain amount of money in order to apply for the Graduate route. However, you should carefully consider how you will support yourself in the UK and meet your living costs, for example if you do not find work straightaway.

The application process is slightly different to what you experienced when you applied for your student visa, and for most applicants it will be entirely digital.

You will need to sign into an existing UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account, or create a new one.

As part of the application you will need to prove your identity, to do this you will need to download the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app.

This will require you to use a phone or other device that is compatible with the app. Most android phones and iPhones (series 7 onwards) will be compatible. If your phone does not have the required NFC settings, it is possible to use someone else's device, as no records will be stored on the phone. It may be possible to arrange to use a device via the Visa Advice team if you are having difficulties with this.

If you are from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you usually do this by scanning your passport with the app. If you are not from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you usually do this by scanning your biometric residence permit (BRP).

If you cannot scan your passport or BRP with the app, you will be asked to arrange an appointment to have your fingerprints and photograph taken at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVACS) service point.

You will also be subject to identity, criminality and security checks

You will need to have your Certificate of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number that you used for your current Student or Tier 4 visa (you do not need to request a new one). Your CAS number will be included in the email from the university confirming your successful completion with UKVI.

You should only make the application after you have been notified by email that the University has confirmed your successful completion with UKVI. If you make the application beforehand it may be refused.

Make a Graduate Visa application

The University will not be able to offer 1:1 Graduate Route application checks. The visa advice team will answer general questions around eligibility and provide information to assist you with the application process if required.

You should not travel outside of the UK or the Common Travel Area (CTA) whilst your application is being processed by UKVI. If you do leave the CTA this will automatically lead to the withdrawal of your application.

Please note that most applicants will only receive a digital record of their immigration status or evisa. Visa nationals will still receive a Biometric Residence permit.

You will use your UKVI account credentials to sign into the online View and Prove service on GOV.UK, which is where you can access your eVisa.

View and prove your immigration status

To sign in to view your eVisa, you will need:

• Details of your passport or the BRP that you used to apply
• Your date of birth
• Access to the mobile number or email address you used when you applied – you will then be sent a code for signing in.

If you have updated your identity document or sign in details (email address or phone number) in your account since applying, you will need to use the updated details to sign in instead.

You can view your eVisa on any device, such as a mobile, tablet or laptop

Signing into the View and Prove service allows you to:

• View your eVisa and check what rights you have in the UK, for example the right to work
• Prove your status to others, such as employers, landlords or education providers, by generating a ‘share code’ which gives them time limited access to relevant data
• Update some of your personal details, for example your passport number or email address. You can update your details through the ‘update your UK Visas and Immigration account details’ service or by using the ‘update details’ function in the View and Prove service.

You will still be eligible for the Graduate Visa if:

• you are studying a relevant qualification; and
• changed programme before you completed your studies; and
• successfully complete the course you have changed to within the validity of your Student permission

You should have been advised by the visa advice team at the time that you changed programme.

If you complete your course with a different or lower award than expected you may no longer be eligible.

You cannot extend permission under the Graduate Route and you can only have it once.

For example, you cannot complete your Masters, apply for Graduate Route, then return to University to do a PhD and then apply again for Graduate Route in the future.

Think about when would be the best time for you to hold the permission.

It will be possible to switch into other immigration routes (e.g. the Skilled Worker Route) if you find a skilled job with an employer who holds a sponsor licence.

For further information about other post study work options, visit our Skilled worker visa page.

The Graduate Route is not a direct route to settlement (unlike the Skilled Worker visa).

Time spent on the route can count towards a continuous period of lawful residence, if you spend 10 years continuously resident in the UK and meet the other requirements for an application for indefinite permission to stay in the UK based on long residence.

We cannot advise you on this type of application and you will need to seek specialist immigration advice.

It will be possible to switch into other immigration routes, for example the Skilled worker route if you find a skilled job with an employer who could sponsor you. For further information about other post study work visa options, visit our Skilled worker visa page.

If you applied for your last Student visa on or after 6th April 2022 your Student visa work conditions allow you to start a permanent full-time vacancy after you have applied and while you are waiting for a decision on your Graduate Route application.

If you applied before then your student work conditions only allow you to take a temporary offer of full-time work (not a full-time permanent role) until your Graduate Route application is approved.