If you are eligible for the Graduate visa, you will be granted two years to remain in UK after your studies to work or look for work, or three years for PhD level students.
The Graduate visa is not guaranteed to students. It has various eligibility requirements, including that students have their award confirmed whilst in the UK on a valid Tier 4/Student Route visa. This means students who have resits to undertake in the last four months of their visa ("grace period"), may not be able to meet the requirement of obtaining their eligible award whilst in the UK on a Student visa, depending on the date of the assessment board.
If you have any questions about when your award is expected to be confirmed, you should contact your course staff.
Following your award being confirmed to you, the VISA team will then notify the Home Office of your completion, and you will receive an email to notify you when this happens, at which point you can go ahead and apply for the Graduate visa.
Please note: Students with outstanding tuition fee debt will not be eligible for the Graduate Route Visa. All outstanding debt must be cleared prior to the VISA Team reporting your completion to the Home Office.
Who is eligible to apply for the Graduate visa?
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The Graduate visa has various eligibility requirements, including that students have their award confirmed whilst in the UK on a valid Tier 4/Student Route visa. This means students who have resits to undertake in the last four months of their visa ("grace period"), may not be able to meet the requirement of obtaining their eligible award whilst in the UK on a Student visa, depending on the date of the assessment board.
You can apply for a Graduate visa if all of the following are true:
you’re in the UK on a valid Tier 4/Student Route visa when you apply you obtain your confirmed award whilst in the UK on a valid Tier 4/Student route visa you successfully obtained your eligible award and this has been confirmed to the Home Office by GCU VISA team prior to your application you meet the qualification requirement including obtaining an eligible award (the award level for which your CAS was assigned) you meet all other eligibility criteria as outlined by the UKVI Students with outstanding tuition fee debt will not be eligible for the Graduate Route Visa. All outstanding debt must be cleared prior to the VISA Team reporting your completion to the Home Office.
If you’re not eligible for a Graduate visa, you may be eligible for another type of visa to stay in the UK .
How long can I stay in the UK on a Graduate visa?
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A Graduate visa lasts for two 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.
You cannot extend your Graduate visa. However, you may be able to switch to a different visa, for example, a Skilled Worker visa .
Check if you can apply for another type of visa to stay in the UK .
How do I apply for the Graduate visa if I am eligible?
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Once you have obtained an email from the VISA team confirming your eligible award has been confirmed to the UKVI, you must apply for the Graduate visa online .
Your partner and children can also apply to stay in the UK if they are eligible.
Note: You must not apply until you have received confirmation that GCU has notified the Home Office of your award.
When should I apply for the Graduate visa?
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You must apply before your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa expires.
You can apply once GCU has notified the Home Office of your award being confirmed.
How long does it take to get a decision?
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Once you’ve applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents, you’ll usually get a decision on your visa within eight weeks.
You can stay in the UK while you wait for a decision.
How much does the Graduate visa cost?
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When you apply for a Graduate visa, you’ll need to:
pay the £822 application fee* Immigration Health Surcharge: £1035.00 per year You’ll be told how much you need to pay when you apply.
Note : All costs are subject to change and will be confirmed at the point of application. Current up to date costs are available on the UK government website .
What if I work in public sector healthcare?
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If you’re a doctor or nurse, or you work in health or adult social care, check if you’re eligible to apply for the Health and Care Worker visa instead. It’s cheaper to apply for and you do not need to pay the annual immigration health surcharge.
If you get a job in public sector healthcare after you have paid the healthcare surcharge, find out if you can get a refund.
What can I do/cannot do while on the Graduate visa?
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With a Graduate visa you can:
You cannot:
apply for most benefits (public funds ), or the state pension work as a professional sportsperson If your application is successful, you’ll get a full list of what you can and cannot do with a Graduate visa.
Studying with a Graduate visa 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.
What is the Qualification requirement?
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In order to be eligible for the Graduate Visa you need to obtain an award in the UK for an eligible qualification. This means you need obtain the award to the level that your CAS was assigned.
Students exiting with a Post Graduate Diploma or Post Graduate Certificate are not eligible for the Graduate Visa.
Students on Undergraduate Programmes must also complete their full course including any Honours year if their CAS was assigned for this.
Where can I find more information?
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The Home Office published a guide on 1 July 2021 to provide students with information on the Graduate visa.
You can also review the UKVI website for further information or the UKVI Graduate visa guidance for more detailed guidance.
