UKCISA - international student advice and guidance

Graduate route ("Post-study work")

Last modified: 12 August 2021

The Graduate route is a new work route for those who have a degree or other relevant qualification from an approved UK Higher Education provider. Applications opened on 1 July 2021. Your application does not need sponsorship or any endorsement by an employer or by your university. It is similar to the old Tier 1 Post-Study Work route that ended in 2012.

The key requirement is that when you apply you have a UK degree or other relevant qualification that you received during your current period of Tier 4 or Student permission. See below for full details.

Most successful applicants can stay for two years under the Graduate route. PhD graduates can stay for three years.

The following detailed information on the Graduate route is based on information published or updated by the Home Office on 1 July 2021:

The Graduate route is only open to those who have successfully completed their course and who have valid Student or Tier 4 permission when they apply on or after 1 July 2021. In their fact sheet about the route, the Home Office says that

[Most ineligible] students will have had no expectation of benefitting from such a route when they applied to study in the UK. They will also be able to apply to a number of other routes, for example Skilled Worker, Start Up, Innovator or Global Talent, among others.

This page has detailed information about the Skilled Worker route, the Start Up and Innovator routes and about Other Options.

On 29 June 2021 we ran a Facebook Live student event about the Graduate route. You can stream a video of the event on our Facebook page or you can watch it below via Vimeo.

There have already been some important updates since we recorded the webinar:

1 July 2021
The Home Office confirmed that those whose Student permission has expired, but who have a valid exceptional assurance, will be able to switch into the Graduate route. This is confirmed on page 11 of the Graduate route caseworker guidance, published on 1 July 2021. See the full information below in "Current immigration status ("visa"), including exceptional assurance".

2 July 2021
The Home Office announced that for students on course of 12 months or more, the period of distance learning that will be disregarded for the purposes of meeting the Study in the UK requirement has been extended to 6 April 2022. They also announced a deadline for students to enter the UK who start a course by distance learning in autumn 2021 or spring 2022. See the full information about both these matters below in "Study in the UK, including Covid-19 concessions".

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Qualification

When you apply, you must have already successfully completed a relevant course.

Your sponsor institution will notify the Home Office of your qualification. You can check with them when exactly this will be done. If you apply before your Sponsor has notified the Home Office, the Graduate route caseworker guidance confirms (page 8) that your application will not be refused but that the caseworker needs to check with your Sponsor before proceeding with your application. We advise you wait and apply after you know your Sponsor has made the notification.

The relevant course must be either

an undergraduate degree
a Masters degree
a PhD degree 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.

Normally you must have completed this course during your current period of Tier 4 or Student permission and it must be the same course for which your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) was assigned. There are some exceptions:

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 you were allowed to switch to a different course without applying for new Tier 4 or Student permission, you can use that new course as the relevant qualification.
If the course provider changed the name of your course without changing the content, or if they added an assessed work placement or study abroad programme, this does not stop you meeting the qualification requirement
If your last period of Tier 4 or Student permission was granted to work as a Student Union Sabbatical Officer, a qualification that was gained during a previous recent period of Student or Tier 4 permission is normally acceptable. See the next section for details about this.

If you are not sure whether your qualification is eligible, check directly with your Student route sponsor.

There is no requirement to have started the relevant course in any specific year. The first government press release about the Graduate route on 10 September 2019 said that eligibility "includes students who start courses in 2020-21 at undergraduate level or above". This was initially misunderstood by some to mean that only those starting in 2020 or later were eligible, but that was never the case nor the intention. It was specifically clarified in Times Higher Education on 17 September 2019 that 2021 graduates of relevant courses, who have Student or Tier 4 permission when they apply, are eligible regardless of the course start date.

Current immigration status ("visa"), including exceptional assurance

When you apply you must have valid permission as a Student. Paragraph 6.2 of the Immigration Rules explains that "Student" means someone with permission under Tier 4 or under the Student route. Your Student permission must be sponsored by a Higher Education provider which is listed in listed on the Register of Student Sponsors as a "Student Sponsor - Track Record".

The Graduate Route caseworker guidance confirms on page 4 that you are also eligible to apply if your Student permission itself has expired, but you have "been given a period of exceptional assurance and [you have] not overstayed that period". If this is your situation, we advise that you let your university know directly that you will be applying (or that you have already applied) under the Graduate route. They will need to confirm to the Home Office that you have successfully completed your course and confirm that although your Student permission has now expired, you are still lawfully in the UK with an exceptional assurance. Your university may need to see evidence of your exceptional assurance before they can do this.

You cannot switch to the Graduate route from any other type of immigration permission that Student. If you are studying with a different permission, and you have not yet finished your course, it may be possible to switch to the Student route for the remainder of your studies: see Making a Student route application in the UK.

If you have, or previously had, permission under the Doctorate Extension Scheme (DES) you cannot apply under the Graduate route. We asked the Home Office to allow those with 12 months’ permission under the DES to switch into the Graduate route for the balance of the 3 years’ leave now granted to PhD graduates under this new route, but we were not successful.

The rules for the Graduate route (paragraph GR 5.4) allow someone with permission as a Student Union sabbatical officer to apply based on a qualification they obtained in their current period of Student permission or "in the period of permission immediately before [it]" . The Graduate route caseworker guidance confirms on page 8 that "Students who undertake two consecutive periods as a Student Union Sabbatical Officer after their studies will still be able to meet this requirement."

There is nothing to stop those who have previously had permission under the old Tier 1 (Post Study Work) route, or under any other work route, from successfully applying under the Graduate route.

You can only have permission under the Graduate route once. While it is possible to switch from the Graduate route back to the Student route, you could not then apply again under the Graduate route based on a new qualification. This only applies to the applicant themselves; it is not relevant if a dependant has previously had permission under the Graduate route.

Study in the UK, including Covid-19 concessions

Paragraph GR 6.1 in Appendix Graduate explains that for a course of 12 months or less you must have studied the whole course in the UK, and for a course of more than 12 months, you must have studied in the UK for at least 12 months. This is called the "relevant period".

The Home Office has confirmed to UKCISA that you are required to have held Student permission for the whole of this "relevant period". There is an exception in the Graduate route caseworker guidance (page 12) for courses of more than 12 months:

If a course lasting longer than 12 months was completed using a combination of immigration routes, then the applicant must have spent the minimum required time as a Student or Tier 4 migrant in the most recent period of permission.

If you applied for Student permission before you started the course, but it was not granted until after you started, the Graduate route caseworker guidance confirms on page 11 that you will be treated as having Student permission from the start date of the course.

If you do not meet this requirement because you have been distance learning outside the UK due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you may still be eligible. You must come to the UK on your Student permission, and your personal deadline for coming depends on how long your course was and, for courses of 12 months or less, when it started and whether you are entering the UK for the first time or returning.

The Graduate route caseworker guidance (page 11) explains how course length is counted:

A course with a start date of 30 September 2020 and an end date of 29 September 2021 is 12 months long. A course is longer than 12 months if it starts on 30 September 2020 and ends on 30 September 2021 or later.

Course is more than 12 months

This information is for anyone completing a course of more than 12 months, regardless of when it started.

First, any time you have spent outside the UK distance learning between 24 January 2020 and 6 April 2022 is not counted, and will not prevent you meeting the "Study in the UK" requirement. The 6 April date was announced in 2 July 2021 update to Covid-19: Guidance for Student sponsors, migrants and Short-term students. It is a concession on the earlier September 2021 date quoted in Appendix Graduate and in the Graduate route caseworker guidance whcih was published the day before.

Remember the requirement is that you have spent at least 12 months studying in the UK with Student immigration permission, not necessarily your whole course. So you may meet this requirement anyway, without needing to use the concession for distance learners.

Second, neither Appendix Graduate nor the COVID-19 guidance specify any deadline for returning to the UK. This is different from people on shorter courses that started in 2020 or 2021, who may have a specific deadline (see below). Clearly, you will need to return to the UK while your Student permission is still valid, in order to enter the UK under that permission and apply to switch to the Graduate route on or before its expiry date.

We understand that if your actual course length as stated on your CAS is slightly over 12 months, but still a "one year course", the Home Office may treat this as a 12-month course, using the deadlines below for one year courses. We advise you check this directly with your course provider, especially if the more generous return deadline for courses of more than 12 months would benefit you.

With top-up degrees and articulated programmes, paragraph 3.26 of the Coronavirus (COVID-19): Student sponsors, migrants and short-term students explains that if your overall course is longer than 12 months, but you are only sponsored under the Student route for the final academic year, this is seen as a course of 12 months or less, and you should use the deadlines below.

Course started in 2020 or 2021 and was 12 months or less

If you have been distance learning in your home country for the whole course so far, you need to come to the UK under the Student route by 27 September 2021. If your Student visa ends before that date anyway, you must come to the UK by the end date of your visa.

There is no longer a June deadline for 2020 starters to come to the UK for the first time. It is extended to 27 September 2021. See paragraph 3.24 of the Coronavirus (COVID-19): Student sponsors, migrants and short-term students, updated on 11 June 2021.

You may need to apply for a Student route visa, or for a new one if you did already applied for one but you did not travel. Contact your sponsor institution direct for advice.

If you already came to the UK under your current Student route permission but then you switched to distance learning from home, you just need to return to the UK on or before the end date of your Student permission. The deadline was previously the end date of your course, not the end date of your visa, but this was changed. This is confirmed in paragraph 3.25 of the Coronavirus (COVID-19): Student sponsors, migrants and short-term students.

Course starts in autumn 2021 or spring 2022 and is 12 months or less

If you are distance learning in your home country, you need to come to the UK under the Student route by 6 April 2022.

You may need to apply for a Student route visa, or for a new one if you did already applied for one but you did not travel. Contact your sponsor institution direct for advice.

Where and when to apply

You can only apply in the UK. There is no provision to apply in your home country or in any other country other than the UK. If you are currently outside the UK with valid Tier 4 or Student permission, you will need to travel to the UK before it expires in order to apply under the Graduate route. See also the information above on Study in the UK, including Covid-19 concessions.

Your window of opportunity for applying is from the day your results are announced until the end date of your current Student permission (or the expiry of your exceptional assurance, if you have one). For those on multi-year courses this could be a window of two months or more, while for others it could be a much shorter window.

As long as you apply within this window, your Student permission is automatically extended until the outcome of your Graduate route application, even if its original expiry date has passed. This is a general principle of UK immigration law known as 3C leave.

Earliest you can apply

The earliest possible date you can successfully apply under the Graduate route is the day your sponsor institution confirms that you have passed your course and you have your results. Remember that your university also needs to notify the Home Office of your successful completion and your potential eligibility to apply, and they may not be planning to do this immediately after they have notified you of your result. We advise that you check directly with your sponsor when they expect to notify the Home Office, and plan your application date accordingly. If this is not logistically possible, for example because your Student permission ends before your sponsor plans to notify the Home Office, you can still apply but a Home Office caseworker will need to contact your sponsor direct to check on your successful completion. In this case, we advise that you let your sponsor know that you have already applied, and check that they are ready to respond to the query from a caseworker about your successful completion.

If you apply under the Graduate route before results are announced, it would be correctly refused under paragraph GR 3.1 of Appendix Graduate.

Latest you can apply

Your deadline for applying is the expiry date of your Student permission. See above about 3C leave automatically protecting you from being an overstayer while the application is pending. If your Student permission has already expired and you have an exceptional assurance, your deadline for applying is the expiry date of the exceptional assurance.

What if your Student permission expires before you receive your results?

Student permission includes a wrap-up time after the end date of the course, usually 2 or 4 months. This normally allows enough time to receive your results and apply under the Graduate route.

In some situations, Student permission might expire before you get your results. This could be because, for example, your course or your institution’s schedule for marking and confirming results just takes longer than others. Or it may be because a specific student has been allowed to change course while staying on their current Student permission, and the end date and/or results of the new course comes later than for the old course. Or perhaps an element of your course may have been postponed or rescheduled, either for all students or for a specific person, so this has eaten in to your wrap-up time and postponed your results.

In all cases, you would be "timed out" of applying under the Graduate route, unless one of the following applies:

the results can be confirmed earlier than planned, before the end of your Student permission. This is unlikely, but you can ask.
you have not yet reached your formal course end date and your sponsor supports an extension application under the Student route. This may or may not be possible, and even if it is possible you may need to apply in your home country, so you need to check this with your sponsor directly.
your Student permission ends on or before 30 September 2021, you are granted an exceptional assurance, and it it still valid and you are still in the UK when your results are published. (If you are waiting for a decision on exceptional assurance you must wait for the decision before you apply under the Graduate route). An exceptional assurance is a concession introduced under the Covid-19 pandemic for people who genuinely cannot leave the UK, and who have provided evidence of that. It gives "short-term protection against any adverse action or consequences after your leave has expired". For more information, see the Home Office guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice for UK visa applications and temporary residents.

Money and fees, knowledge of English

Studies sponsored by a government or scholarship agency

Applying in 2021: extra considerations

Dependants

Your partner and/or your child under 18 who is already in the UK as your Tier 4 or Student dependant can apply to extend their stay as your Graduate route dependant. They can only apply in the UK.

A partner or child who is outside the UK cannot apply for a visa as your Graduate route dependant. They will need to apply as your Student dependant, if eligible, and come to the UK on that basis, then apply for permission to stay in the UK as your Graduate route dependant. If they come to the UK as anything other than a Student dependant, for example as a Visitor, they cannot switch to Graduate dependant.

The Graduate route caseworker guidance confirms (page 20) that a dependant does not need to apply at the same time as the main applicant. A Student dependant's deadline for switching to Graduate dependant is therefore the expiry date of their Student dependant permission.

As with the main applicant, there is no maintenance requirement for a Graduate route dependant.

A child who applies must have both their parents in the UK, and the parents must either be applying at the same time or already have immigration permission, except as a Visitor. The three exceptions to the requirement that both parents must be in the UK are the same exceptions as for a Student dependant application. The application needs to include evidence that either the Graduate route applicant is the sole surviving parent, or or they have sole custody of the child, or that "there are serious and compelling reasons to grant the child permission to stay with the [Graduate route applicant".

As with someone switching from Student to Graduate, someone who applies to switch from Student dependant to Graduate dependant who has themselves had a government or agency scholarship for UK study must have the consent of the financial sponsor for their Graduate dependant application. See above: "Studies sponsored by a government or a scholarship agency".

We asked the Home Office to allow everyone to bring dependants under the Graduate route, not just those who could already bring dependants under their Student permission. The Home Office did not agree to this. This leaves all those switching in from a part-time postgraduate course and most applicants switching in from an undergraduate course unable to bring dependants.

If this affects you, and if it is important to bring your dependants to the UK, you may want to prioritise switching from the Graduate route into another work route, for example Skilled worker, as soon as possible. Or your dependant may be able to apply for a long-term visa in their own right for study or work, or a Standard Visitor visa to visit you for a maximum of six months.

Your Graduate route dependant will have the same work conditions as you. The only prohibition is on working as a professional sportsperson or sports coach.

Travel and re-entry

Processing time, receiving your decision, accessing your e-visa

Work, employers, self-employment

Employers should know about the new Graduate route, and they should understand that with this permission you can take any work you wish without sponsorship and without any special actions for the employer. If they are unsure you can refer them to this guidance from the Home Office for employers where a specific section on the Graduate route explains that

The Graduate route enables international students who have been awarded their degree to stay in the UK and work, or look for work, at any skill level for two years, or three years for doctoral students. It is an unsponsored route, meaning you do not [need] a sponsor licence to hire someone with a Graduate visa.

Graduate visa holders are able to work flexibly, switch jobs and develop their career as required. They cannot extend their visa, however they can switch to a different visa, for example a Skilled Worker visa, once they have found a suitable job.

While your Graduate route application is pending, you can continue to work under the conditions of your Student or Tier 4 permission. See Student work. For those with a work prohibition, including part-time postgraduates, this means you cannot start work until your Graduate route permission is issued.

When your Graduate route permission is issued you can do any work, either employed or self-employed, except working as a professional sportsperson or coach. You can take work at any level of salary or skill, but if your plan is to find a job for which you can eventually be sponsored under the Skilled Worker route, you should check which jobs are eligible for that.

If you want to set up as self-employed, see the detailed guidance from the UK government about all the steps and requirements. Your university Careers Service may also offered dedicated advice on entrepreneurship and self-employment. If you want to continue your business when your Graduate route permission expires, you will need to meet the requirements of an extension under the Start-up and innovator schemes.

Study

Alternatives to the Graduate route

Extending your stay

EEA and Swiss nationals, and family

Last modified: 12 August 2021

European Union nationals who come to study the UK after 1 January 2021 are subject to immigration control and need a visa. If you wish to work in the UK after your studies you will need to qualify for one of the work schemes or routes listed on this page.

EEA and Swiss nationals and their family members who were already living in the UK by 31 December 2020 had a deadline of 30 June 2021 to apply under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). Settled status or pre-settled status granted under the EUSS allow you to work in the UK without restrictions. See Brexit - EU Settlement Scheme.

Skilled worker route (formerly Tier 2)

Last modified: 21 July 2021

In order to apply under the Skilled Worker route you need sponsorship by a licensed employer to do a specific job that meets minimum levels of skill and salary. This overview of the route is specifically tailored to those who have studied in the UK with a Tier 4 or Student route visa and who now wish to apply under the Skilled Worker route, either in the UK or in their home country.

Most people who apply in the UK to switch from Tier 4, Student route or Graduate route permission to the Skilled Worker route, and many former UK students who apply later in their home country, are considered a "new entrant" under the Skilled Worker rules about "tradable points". This means they can meet a lower minimum salary than other applicants. (This guide does not cover the other ways non-student applicants can gain "tradable points" but you can read the full details in the Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Worker, paragraph 4.2)

We cover the basics about eligible employers, jobs and salaries, but for the fine detail of whether your specific job, salary and situation make you eligible for sponsorship as a Skilled Worker, you will need to discuss it directly with your employer, usually the Human Resources department. The Skilled Worker route is new, having launched on 1 December 2020, so you may find that employers take some time to understand all aspects, especially the key differences from the old Tier 2 route that it has replaced. We explain these difference below.

The Home Office has a full guide to the Skilled Worker route for all types of applicant, including students and former students. There are also separate routes for some specialised areas of skilled work: see the Home Office guides to the Health and Care Worker visa, Intra-company visas, Minister of Religion visa and Sportsperson visa.

The international student adviser at your university or college specialises in student immigration applications and is probably unable to offer one-to-one advice on work-based immigration applications, but they may be able to refer you to someone who can.

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Job-hunting in a pandemic

Deadlines

If you are relying on your current degree level studies to meet the definition of "new entrant" (see below), the earliest an employer can issue the Certificate of Sponsorship is three months before the end date of your course. There is an exception for those studying a PhD or other doctoral qualification, who only need to have completed 12 months of the course.

Your deadline for applying in the UK to switch into the Skilled Worker route is the expiry date of your current permission. As long as you apply by this date, your current permission is automatically extended until the outcome of your application, even if its original expiry date has passed. This is a general principle of UK immigration law known as 3C leave.

Given your visa expiry date deadline, and the current job market, it is possible that you may run out of time for securing a job and applying in the UK. If this happens, you can still apply in your home country for a Skilled Worker visa, and there is no time limit for this. You may also still be considered a "new entrant" and benefit from the lower minimum salary: see below for details of who is a "new entrant".

Applying in your home country for a Skilled Worker visa no longer has the extra requirements for employers that the old Tier 2 route had. Both the Resident Labour Market Test and restricted certificates of sponsorship were abolished on 1 December 2020 when the Skilled Worker route replaced Tier 2. The Immigration Skills Charge for employers does still remain for applications from outside the UK.

If you are applying in your home country, and your employer appears to not know that the RLMT has been abolished, or even that the Tier 2 route has changed to Skilled Worker, encourage them to get advice on the new route and its differences from Tier 2. You can refer them to the Home Office publication from August 2020, UK points-based immigration system: further details statement, especially paragraph 16 about the abolition of the RLMT and paragraph 17 about the abolition of a cap on Certificates of Sponsorship.

The Home Office website has full details of how to apply outside the UK. You can access the online application form here.

Employers and vacancies

Eligible jobs and salaries, "new entrants"

The list of eligible jobs is in the Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Occupations. Table 1 includes most of the eligible jobs, with separate tables for some jobs in health and education.

The minimum skill level for most occupations is described as Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level 3, which equates to the UK A-level qualification. This is a change from the old Tier 2 route, where the minimum skill level for most applicants was RQF level 6, which equates to degree level.

The list of eligible jobs includes a range of minimum salaries for each job. Most people who apply in the UK to switch from Tier 4, Student route or Graduate route to the Skilled Worker route will be considered a "new entrant" and therefore they will only need to meet the lower minimum salary in the column headed "70% of going rate".

You are a "new entrant" if you meet one of these provisions:

your current visa was issued to study a degree, PhD or other doctoral qualification, PGCE, or PGDE, and you have completed it, or you will complete it less than 3 months after you apply; or
your current visa was issued to study a PhD or other doctoral qualification and you have have completed at least 12 months' study on that course. Paragraph SW 12.2(f)(iv) of Appendix Skilled Worker says that only a PhD is eligible for this provision, but the Skilled Worker visa caseworker guidance (page 39, Option 6) allows other doctoral qualifications.

For a list of what the Home Office considers to be a doctoral qualification, see the Student route caseworker guidance, page 63.

You are also a "new entrant" if either

you are aged under 26 on the day you apply, or
you are applying in your home country, your last UK permission was under the Tier 4 or Student route and issued for a degree, PhD or other doctoral qualification, PGCE, or PGDE, and you are applying less than 2 years after it expired; or
you are applying in your home country, your last UK permission was under the Graduate route, and you are applying less than 2 years after it expired.

If you have visited the UK since your Tier 4, Student or Graduate permission expired this does not affect your eligibility as a "new entrant".

If you do not meet any of the above "new entrant" definitions you can still be a "new entrant" if your sponsor confirms on your Certificate of Sponsorship that either:

you are sponsored for a post-doctoral position in one of the six occupations listed under option 2 on page 36 of the Skilled Worker visa caseworker guidance; or
you are working towards a recognised professional qualification in a profession listed on the Centre for Professional Qualifications website; or
you are working towards full registration or chartered status with the relevant professional body for the job you are being sponsored for.

You can only be a "new entrant" for a maximum of 4 years' worth of permission under Tier 2, Skilled worker, or the Graduate route. This means that if you are switching from the Graduate route to Skilled worker you must meet a definition of a "new entrant" and your new application must not take you over a total of 4 years' permission (at any time in the past) under Skilled worker, Tier 2 or under the Graduate route. If it does, you will need to meet one of the other minimum salary rates, not "new entrant" rate. You should clarify this with your Skilled worker sponsor employer.

The 70% salary figure for a "new entrant" will of course vary depending on the specific job. You need to meet both the relevant minimum salary and £20,480 minimum. This absolute minimum of £20,480 is equivalent to £10.10 per hour. It had a small decrease from the minimum under the old Tier 2 route, where is was £20,800.

ATAS security clearance

Maintenance, English language skills

No evidence of maintenance (your money) is required if you are applying in the UK and you have been living here with a valid visa for at least 12 months. This is the same for any dependants who are applying in the UK. This is now a common new feature of all immigration applications in the UK, not specific to Skilled Worker.

If you have been in the UK for less than 12 months, or if you are applying outside the UK, your employer can confirm on the Certificate of Sponsorship that they will cover your living costs during your first month in the UK, up to £1270. Not all employers will do this, but you can ask. Some employers may also be willing to cover the living costs for dependants in the Certificate of Sponsorship. The rates are £285 for a partner, £315 for the first dependant child, £200 for any further dependant.

If you do not meet either of these provisions, for example you are applying in your home country and your employer is not covering your living costs, you must show evidence that you have held at least £1270 in your own name for at least 28 days. The funds must have been held in your own name. The provision to show money in a parent's name is for Student visa applications only.

If dependants are included in the applications, there must be extra funds of £285 for your partner, £315 for the first dependant child, and £200 for any further dependant. Money for a partner's application can be held in their name or in yours, while money for a child's application can be in their name or either of their parents' names.

In all cases Day 28 of the evidence must be no more than 31 days before the date you apply.

For full details, see the Home Office's Guide to Financial evidence for sponsored or endorsed work routes.

You must have English language skills. A degree-level qualification from a UK institution is one way of meeting this requirement. If you do not have such a qualification, see the other ways to meet this requirement on in the Home Office's guide to Skilled Worker visa > Knowledge of English.

Studies sponsored by a government or scholarship agency

Travelling and re-entering the UK

Starting work

Family, settlement

Immigration Skills Charge (ISC)

Criminal record certificate

Start-up and innovator schemes

Last modified: 12 June 2021

The Start-up route is aimed at people, including those with Tier 4, Student and Graduate route permission, who wish to establish a business in the UK, and who have a business plan endorsed by a Home Office-approved endorsing body. It replaced the Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur route.

The Start-up route has a broader remit than the old Graduate Entrepreneur scheme. Our information here is aimed at those with Tier 4, Student or Graduate route permission who wish to switch into the Start-up route, and those switching in from the Graduate Entrepreneur scheme. You can also apply if you have Tier 2 or Skilled worker permission or if you are in the UK as a visitor undertaking permitted prospective entrepreneur activities.

The full rules and eligibility for this route are contained in Immigration Rules Appendix Start-up. The Home Office website has a guide to applying for the Start-up route and they have published guidance for Home Office staff assessing applications.

The separate Innovator route replaced the old Tier 1 Entrepreneur route and is aimed at experienced businesspeople seeking to establish an innovative business in the UK. You cannot switch from Tier 4 or Student permission straight to the Innovator scheme within the UK, but you can switch if you hold leave as a Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur. Applicants must meet investment fund criteria, require endorsement from an independent endorsing body and must meet other eligibility requirements which are contained in full in Immigration Rules Appendix Innovator. For details of the Innovator scheme, see the guide to the Innovator scheme on the Home Office website.

The below information is specific for the Start-up route.

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Endorsing body, business plan

Your application for the Start-up route must be endorsed by either a Higher Education endorsing body or a Business endorsing body. You can check the list of all endorsing bodies published by the Home Office to see which institutions qualify to endorse candidates.

Each endorsing body is allocated a maximum number of endorsements (usually 25 per year) by the Home Office. You will need to contact endorsing bodies direct to check whether they have endorsements available and whether you will be considered. You do not need to be endorsed by the university or college where you studied, although some institutions have chosen to prioritise their own students for endorsements.

The Start-up and Innovator visa endorsing bodies: Guidance explains on page 20-21 that your endorsing body must be satisfied of that "the applicant will spend the majority of their working time in the UK on developing business ventures" and that these criteria are met:

Innovation: you have a genuine, original business plan that meets new or existing market needs and/or creates a competitive advantage
Viability: your business plan is realistic and achievable, and you have or you actively developing the necessary skills, knowledge, experience and market awareness to successfully run the business
Scalability: there is evidence of structured planning and of potential for job creation and growth into national markets.

If you are switching from Graduate Entrepreneur under the same endorsing body that endorsed your previous application, the endorsing body only needs to confirm that your business is "genuine and credible".

You must also meet these requirements:

You must either be the sole founder of the business or an instrumental member of the founding team, though more than one applicant can be endorsed for the same business if each applicant is a founding member.
You must also be relying on your own business plan, they must have generated the ideas in the plan (or made significant contribution to those ideas) and must be responsible for executing the plan.

Each endorsing body has its own way of assessing whether it will support your business plan. You can seek advice about who does the assessments from your institution's business or enterprise department or from the International Student Advice team.

It is worth enquiring before you complete your studies to give you plenty of time to plan for which bodies you will approach, how their endorsement process works, how to prepare your business plan, and where and when you should apply for endorsement.

Your endorsing body will supply you with an endorsement letter which is proof of your endorsement and is an important requirement for your immigration application. An endorsement is valid for three months from the date of issue, so you must make your immigration application before its validity expires (this will be noted on the endorsement letter).

The Home Office may contact you or your endorsing body to request additional information or evidence to support information contained in the endorsement letter. It is important to supply this information if requested, and the Home Office may refuse your application if they are not satisfied that the endorsement meets the requirements above.

Qualification, knowledge of English

Switching from Tier 4 or Student route

Switching from the Graduate route

Switching from Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur or Doctorate Extension Scheme

Maintenance

Running your business, and other work

Contact with endorsing body

Family

Extending your stay

Students' union sabbatical officers

Last modified: 11 August 2021

You can stay in the UK under the Student route if you have been elected to a full-time post as a students' union sabbatical officer at an education establishment where you are registered as a student. The Student route also covers you if you are elected to a post with the National Union of Students.

You will need to meet the requirements for a Student route application. However, the Home Office does not expect you to study during this period. The Home Office should give you permission to be in the UK for 12 months which you can apply to extend up to a two year maximum if you are re-elected.

You can find detailed information for you, the students' union where you are going to work as a sabbatical officer and your Tier 4 sponsor in Student union sabbatical officers.

For the logistics of switching to the Graduate route before, during or after working as a students' union sabbatical offer, see our detailed guide to the Graduate route above.

Teacher training

Last modified: 12 August 2021

The UK government's Department for Education has a dedicated and detailed "Get into Teaching" website about teacher training in England. The information in this section is taken from that website.

For information about teacher training in other parts of the UK, see these websites:

In England there are two separate training routes:

a non-salaried route where you study at a specific college or university for a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), or
a salaried route where you work at a school, called School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT).

The "Get into Teaching" website has detailed guidance on both routes, and on visas, tuition fees and funding. We do not offer individual advice about the Get Into Teaching programme, but the following guidance is based on their website, with some commentary.

Immigration and visas

If you need to apply for immigration permission to undertake teacher training under the non-salaried route, the college or university providing the PGCE will need to sponsor you for an application under the Student route. The college or university providing the course can advise on enrolment issues, including what evidence of your immigration status they will need to see at enrolment.

If you need immigration permission to train under the salaried route, check your eligibility to switch from Student permission to the new Graduate route. The UK government's guidance on teacher training for international applicants suggests that Skilled worker visa sponsorship may be available on the salaried route, but in our experience this is rare.

Otherwise, if you are eligible for the Youth Mobility Scheme visa (T5) or the UK ancestry route you can apply (in your home country only) for a visa under that route then come back to the UK and work as you wish, including training to be a teacher. Someone who is in the UK as a dependant can also work and study with very few restrictions and can undertake teacher training and work as a teacher.

After your teacher training, if you are offered a teaching job you can ask the employer to sponsor you under Skilled worker, if they hold the relevant sponsor license to do that, and if the job is eligible. Otherwise, if you have succesfully completed a PGCE qualification, from 1 July 2021 you can apply to stay in the UK initially for 2 years under the new Graduate route, during which you can switch to the Skilled worker route.

Tuition fees, funding, bursaries, scholarships

This is general information. For detailed information and figures, see the UK government's guide to Funding: initial teacher training (ITT).

A trainee on the salaried route is not eligible for any bursary or scholarship. Grants are only available for the school providing your training.

On the non-salaried route, a trainee studying a PGCE with Tier 4 or Student permission is likely to pay tuition fees at the "overseas" rate but you can check your personal eligibility for the "home" fee rate in our detailed guide to home or overseas fees.

Similarly, someone with Tier 4 or Student permission is unlikely to be eligible for a tuition fee loan or maintenance loan but you can check your personal eligibility using our guides to student support eligibility depending on the part of the UK where you normally live:

The eligibility for bursaries and scholarships on the non-salaried route is the same as for student support.

Lawyers, architects

Last modified: 12 August 2021

If you are eligible for the Youth Mobility Scheme visa (T5) or UK ancestry scheme you can apply for that scheme in your home country then come back to the UK and work. Someone who is in the UK as a dependant can also work. These types of work visa have very few restrictions on the work you can do. You can work as a lawyer or an architect.

Lawyers

The Graduate route allows applications from those completing some law courses. You may also be eligible to apply under the Skilled worker route. See above for detailed guide to switching to these routes.

If you are eligible for the Youth Mobility Scheme visa (T5) or UK ancestry scheme you can apply for that scheme in your home country then come back to the UK and train. Someone who is in the UK as a dependant can also train.

Pupil barristers might be eligible to apply under Temporary Worker: Government Authorised Exchange (T5) as the Bar Council is a Tier 5 sponsor. This is not an option for trainee solicitors.

Architects

Check your eligibility for the Graduate route or the Skilled worker route.

Your course provider should be able to explain whether you can undertake work between Parts 1 and 2 of your course with Tier 4 leave.

Doctors, dentists, optometrists, pharmacists

Last modified: 12 August 2021

Doctors and dentists

If you have Tier 4 or Student permission, you can only work as a postgraduate doctor or dentist in training if your permission is sponsored by the Foundation Programme.

To join the Foundation Programme you need a valid confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) from Health Education England. You must also have a recognised UK degree in medicine or dentistry from a UK institution and you must have had Tier 4 (General) or Student permission for the final academic year and at least one other academic year of those studies. For more information, see our guide to applying under the Student route.

Having complete the Foundation programme, you can apply under the Graduate route. See above.

If you have leave as the dependant of someone with Tier 4, Tier 2, Tier 1 or Tier 5 permission, paragraph 319D(b)(iii) of the immigration rules confirms that you can undertake work as a doctor or dentist in training under some circumstances. For further advice, speak directly to the Postgraduate Deanery or NHS Trust offering the position.

Optometrists

Check your eligibility to apply under the Graduate route.

Otherwise, optometrists who wish to undertake pre-registration training can apply in the UK to switch from Tier 4 (General) or Student permission to the Temporary worker: Government Authorised Exchange (T5) scheme. See further information on provided by the College of Optometrists.

If you are eligible for the Youth Mobility Scheme via (T5)or UK ancestry scheme, or you are in the UK as someone's dependant, you can work with very few restrictions, including work as an optometrist.

Pharmacists

Check your eligibility to apply under the Graduate route.

Otherwise, pharmacists are covered by the Skilled worker route. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society no longer offers sponsorship under Temporary worker: Government Authorised Exchange (T5) for the Pharmacy Professional Sponsorship Scheme (PPSS).

If you are eligible for the Youth Mobility Scheme visa (T5) or UK ancestry scheme, or you are in the UK as someone's dependant, you can work with very few restrictions, including work as an optometrist.

Doctorate Extension Scheme

Last modified: 01 July 2021

The Doctorate Extension Scheme (DES) closed on 1 July 2021 and PhD graduates can now apply under the Graduate route instead. This information is for those who already have DES permission, or who have a pending application.

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Family

Working, contact with sponsor

If your application is successful, you will be granted Tier 4 immigration permission for a period of 12 months from the expected end date on your confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS).

If you held Tier 4 or Student permission to study a full-time PhD, your immigration permission will have entitled you to certain work rights during your studies (with some restrictions - see Can you work?). Once you have successfully completed your PhD and have received confirmation of your award (this can be before or after your expected end date on the CAS), you will be able to work almost without restriction. As long as your award has been confirmed, you can also start working without your usual Tier 4 restrictions while your application for the doctorate extension scheme (DES) is still pending with the Home Office. The only restrictions are that you cannot work as a doctor or dentist in training, or as a professional sportsperson or sports coach.

If you have applied for DES having held Tier 4 or Student permission to study a part-time PhD, you will need to wait until your application for DES has been approved before starting work. Once your immigration permission under DES has been granted, you can work almost without restriction. As above, the only restrictions are that you cannot work as a doctor or dentist in training, or as a professional sportsperson or sports coach.

You are not required to take employment at any particular level. However, if you will wish to stay on in the UK for employment at the end of your doctorate extension scheme period, you need to find a job with an employer who can sponsor you under the Skilled worker route.

You can also work on a self-employed basis. If you choose to do this and wish to remain in the UK as a self-employed person after your doctorate extension scheme leave expires, you might want to consider applying under the Start-up route for which you will need a Tier 4 sponsor who is also an endorsing body under this scheme.

Contact with your Tier 4 sponsor

You are not required to stay in the area of the country where your sponsor is based and you can move anywhere in the UK. However, your Tier 4 sponsor is obliged to contact you on at least two occasions during this 12-month period. This can be a meeting in person or by video conference, telephone or email. Speak to your sponsor so they can advise how they expect to keep in contact with you.

If you will not be able to make an appointment or other contact that your sponsor has arranged with you, it is very important that you contact your Tier 4 sponsor to let them know. If you miss a scheduled contact without providing an explanation, your sponsor is obliged to report this to the Home Office. The Home Office can take action to cut short your immigration permission if you do not comply with this requirement. You should also let your sponsor know if you leave the UK and do not intend to return before your doctorate extension scheme leave expires or if you are granted immigration permission under a different category.

Options afterwards, settlement

Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur

Last modified: 10 December 2020

The Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur route is now closed to new applicants. See the similar Start-up scheme which has replaced it.

The information below is for people who already have immigration permission under Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur, or who have a pending application.

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Working

Contact with endorsing body

Extending your stay, settlement

Family

Other options

Last modified: 12 August 2021

There are other less common work route options, usually limited to people in quite specific situations. Current and former students may be eligible. We have included links to detailed information about these routes on the Home Office website.

Other work routes that can be applied for in the UK:

Temporary worker - government authorised exchange: people who want to participate in an approved government authorised exchange scheme. The schemes are listed in Appendix N of the Immigration Rules.
British National (Overseas) visa: people from Hong Kong with a BN(O) passport who want to live, work or study in the UK

Global Talent visa for those who are internationally recognised or likely to become world leaders in arts and culture, humanities and social sciences, natural sciences and medical science research, engineering or digital technology. Applications must be endorsed by a designated body. Research Councils UK can work with the designated bodies to help you apply under this scheme if you are receiving a relevant Research Council fellowship. From 5 May 2021 endorsement is not needed if you are the holder of one of the prizes listed in Appendix Global Talent: Prestigious Prizes. The Global Talent visa replaced the Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa.
Investors: people with at least £2 million to invest in the UK

All other options must normally be applied for outside of the UK, in your home country. There is no provision to apply in the UK, including under COVID-19 concessions. The guidance COVID-19: advice for UK visa applicants and temporary UK residents specifically says that while some applications can be made in the UK which must normally be made overseas, "[you] will not be able to apply for a route for which there is no provision in the Immigration Rules for making an in-country application".

Temporary Worker (T5) has five sub-categories:
- creative and sporting
- charity workers (voluntary work)
- religious workers
- international agreement (work covered by international law, for example, the General Agreement on Trade in Services, employees of international organisations or other countries' governments).
These schemes allow you to undertake specific types of work in the UK for a period of one or two years, depending on the scheme. The sponsor must issue a certificate of sponsorship (CoS). Sponsors are listed together with Skilled wokrer sponsors. In order to find sponsors with the type of sponsor licence you are interested in, open the full list of work visa sponsors and search for Creative & sporting, Voluntary workers, Religious workers, Exchange or International agreements.
Youth Mobility Scheme (T5): A 2-year visa that allows both work and study, after which you must leave the UK. You must be aged between 18 and 30 and a passport holder of Australia, Canada, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, San Marino, South Korea or Taiwan. It is also available to British Overseas Citizens, British Overseas Territories Citizens and British Nationals (Overseas).

The Home Office's guidance on where to apply for a visa says that applications for Youth Mobility visa (T5) can be made in any country (outside of the UK) where you are legally present. It is not clear if this is a concession on the more strict provision of paragraph 28A of the immigration rules which says that an application will only be accepted in a country (outside of the UK) where you have permission to live for more than 6 months. The application form itself also appears to confirm this requirement.
UK ancestry visa: Commonwealth citizens who intend to work in the UK. From 6 April 2021, this visa is also open to someone with one of the following passports: British Overseas Territories citizen, British National (Overseas), British Overseas citizen, British subject. You must be aged 17 or over and prove that a grandparent was born in the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or on a British-registered ship or aircraft. You are also eligible if a grandparent was born in the Republic of Ireland before 31 March 1922.

Exceptional talent: those who are internationally recognised or likely to become world leaders in arts and culture, humanities and social sciences, natural sciences and medical science research, engineering or digital technology. Applicants must be endorsed by a designated body. Research Councils UK can work with the designated bodies to help you apply under this scheme if you are receiving a relevant Research Council fellowship.

Case studies

Last modified: 15 March 2018

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Working after studies

Graduate route ("Post-study work")

Course is more than 12 months

Course started in 2020 or 2021 and was 12 months or less

Course starts in autumn 2021 or spring 2022 and is 12 months or less

Earliest you can apply

Latest you can apply

Before you apply

While your application is pending

After your Graduate permission is issued

EEA and Swiss nationals, and family

Skilled worker route (formerly Tier 2)

Before you apply

After you apply

Start-up and innovator schemes

Students' union sabbatical officers

Teacher training

Immigration and visas

Tuition fees, funding, bursaries, scholarships

Lawyers, architects

Lawyers

Architects

Doctors, dentists, optometrists, pharmacists

Doctors and dentists

Optometrists

Pharmacists

Doctorate Extension Scheme

Contact with your Tier 4 sponsor

Settlement

Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur

Other options

Case studies

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