The Graduate Visa gives you permission to stay in the UK for 2 years after successfully completing your MSc course in the UK with us and for 3 years after successfully completing your PhD or DrPH course with us.
The Graduate visa cannot be extended. However, you may be able to switch to a different visa, for example a Skilled Worker visa .
Please visit The Graduate immigration route for further details.
Eligibility
You can apply for a Graduate visa if all the following are true:
- you are in the UK
- your current visa is a student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa
- you studied an eligible course for a minimum period of time with your student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa
- you have successfully completed that course
Getting a decision
Once you have applied online, proved your identity, and provided your documents, you’ll usually get a decision on your visa within 8 weeks.
You can stay in the UK while you wait for a decision.
You must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. Your application will be withdrawn if you do.
- How do I apply for the Graduate Route Visa?
The UKVI is now accepting the Graduate visa applications, the application must only be submitted from within the UK once you have successfully completed the eligible course your most recent CAS was issued for. Please note you can only submit the application from within the UK if your current visa is a student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa.
You must apply online.
Your partner and children can also apply to stay in the UK if they are eligible.
Students will also need to know the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) they used for their most recent Student (or Tier 4) application in order to apply for the Graduate route.
Contact the Student Visa Team at visa-enquiries@lshtm.ac.uk to check when you can apply, please do not apply until you have contacted us.
- Will there be a fee for the Graduate visa?
When you apply for a Graduate visa, you will need to:
- pay the £822 application fee
- pay the healthcare surcharge - this is usually £1,035 for each year you will be in the UK
- Will I need to apply if I already have a Student Visa (Tier 4)?
Yes, you will need to apply for a separate Graduate Route visa before your Student Visa (Tier 4) expires. As part of your application, you will need to prove your identity and provide your documents.
Your application may take longer if you need an appointment to do this. You will find out if you need one when you start your application.- Will the Graduate visa replace the doctorate extension scheme for students?
Yes, the Graduate Route will replace the Doctorate Extension Scheme for PhD students who graduate from summer 2021. This is good news for PhD/DrPH visa holders as the new option provides a much more generous post-study work period (three years rather than one) and a simpler application process.
- What will this mean for EU students?
The Graduate Route will be available to students on Student Visa. EU and EEA students arriving in the UK to study from 1 January 2021 or after will require a visa. The Graduate Route will therefore be available to EU and EEA students as well as other international students on a Student Visa (Tier 4).
If you or your family are from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
The deadline to apply was 30 June 2021 for most people. You can still apply if either:
- you have a later deadline - for example, you’re joining a family member in the UK
- you have ‘reasonable grounds’ for being unable to apply by 30 June 2021 - for example, you had an illness or were the victim of domestic abuse
- What will happen if I don't find a job after my degree?
You don't need to be in work to qualify for the Graduate Route and periods of unemployment won't have any impact on the length of your post-study work visa.
- What will happen when my Graduate visa expires?
The Graduate visa cannot be extended, at the end of the two-year period after a master's or three-year period after a PhD/DrPH degree, you will need to leave the UK or apply for a different visa, such as a Tier 2 General work visa. The Tier 2 visa requires you to have an employment offer with a minimum skill and salary level, but your time on the Graduate Route should make it much easier to work towards this.
- Will the Graduate route require a new application?
The Graduate route will require a new visa application, which will only be possible from inside the UK.
You must apply online
- What can I do with a Graduate visa?
With a Graduate visa you can:
- work in most jobs
- look for work
- be self-employed
- continue living in the UK with your partner and children if they’re eligible
- do voluntary work
- travel abroad and return to the UK
If your application is successful, you will get a full list of what you can and cannot do with a Graduate visa.
- What can I NOT do with a Graduate visa?
You cannot:
- apply for most benefits (public funds), or the State Pension
- work as a professional sportsperson
If your application is successful, you will get a full list of what you can and cannot do with a Graduate visa.
- Can I study with a Graduate visa?
You can only study with a Graduate visa if your chosen course is not eligible for a Student visa.
- What documents will I need to apply?
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
Your CAS reference number was sent to you by us to apply for the Tier 4 / student visa. If you cannot find it, please contact us at visa-enquiries@lshtm.ac.uk
Other documents you might need
Depending on your circumstances, you might be asked to provide:
- proof of your relationship with your partner and children if they’re applying with you
- a letter from your scholarship or sponsorship provider approving your application, if they paid for your course fees or living costs in the last 12 months
If your documents are not in English or Welsh you’ll also need to provide a certified translation.
- How do I prove my identity and provide supporting documents?
As part of your application, you will need to prove your identity.
If you are from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you usually do this by scanning your passport with the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app.
If you are not from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you usually do this by scanning your biometric residence permit (BRP).
You will need to sign into an existing UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account or create a new one.
If you cannot scan your passport or BRP with the app, you will be asked to get your fingerprints and photograph taken at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point.
You will be told what you need to do when you apply.
If you do need an appointment, the centre may need to keep your passport and documents while they process your application.
- Will universities be expected to act as sponsors for those students on the Graduate route after they have graduated?
Individuals applying to the Graduate route will not need a sponsor. Student sponsors will not need to fulfil any sponsorship duties for their students once they switch onto the Graduate route and students will not need a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to apply under this route. However, students sponsors will need to notify the Home Office that a student has successfully completed their course.
- Will this route count towards settlement?
The route is non-extendable and does not count towards settlement. However, graduates who find an appropriate job and meet the requirements will be able to apply to work routes, including the Skilled Worker, which is a route to settlement.