The Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS), a member of UKCISA’s International Student Employability Group (ISEG), has captured the experiences of international graduates seeking employment in the UK after graduation in a series of case studies.
Who are you?
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Name
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Hannah Vuozzo
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Nationality / country of origin
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United States
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Current visa
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Graduate route
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Are your expectations of your Graduate route visa being met?
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Agree
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University, level of study and programme of study
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University of Stirling
Higher degree, mainly by taught course (e.g. MA, MSc, MBA)
Media, journalism and communications
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How many roles have you applied for since leaving university?
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1-10
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Current activity
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Employed - full time (more than 35 hours a week) (temporary contract)
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Where do you work?
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Job title
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Communications Manager, Careers and Global Opportunities
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Employer / organisation
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The University of Glasgow
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Region of your contracted place of work
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Scotland
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Briefly describe your role and your main responsibilities
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I oversee digital and print communications for the Careers Service, design and create promotional and informational social media content and manage social media and other communications channels for the Careers Service. I also support stakeholder relations by communicating with students about their needs and local employers about student-orientated vacancies
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Time between the end of your course and start date for your current role
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3-6 months
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How did you find your current job?
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Through a general recruitment website (e.g. Indeed, Totaljobs)
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Thoughts on your visa
"I valued having time and flexibility when applying to roles."
Yes, the visa is what I expected. I valued having time and flexibility while applying to roles.
The application process was straightforward. I made sure to follow instructions from my university. The University of Stirling informed international students that they should wait to apply for the Graduate route visa until student records were received by the relevant government office.
"The cost of the visa ended up being substantial."
The cost of the visa ended up being substantial. It's almost like you're expected to pay money in order to make money. Of course, I understand that certain fees are necessary to process the visa and provide healthcare, but it's difficult for students to have such funds available. In addition, I had to pay to attend a biometric appointment and the travel expenses to the appointment which added about £200 to £1,948.
When I applied for the Graduate route visa, I had about two months left on my Tier 4 student visa. While I was happy to receive a quick decision about the former, this meant that I essentially lost two months of visa time. I wish the Graduate route visa would have begun once my student visa expired.
Based on my peers' experiences, the time to receive a decision varies considerably within the specified eight-week window. I received my decision after three days. Some of my peers received their decisions after several weeks.
Support and development
The University offered a programme called Postgraduate Plus+ which was designed to prepare postgraduates for employment. The programme lasted several weeks and consisted of workshops on topics including presentation skills, teamwork and self-branding. I volunteered as a Programme Representative and did a part-time job as a Postgraduate Faculty Officer.
Employer knowledge and attitudes
Because my organisation is quite large, not everyone is well-aware of post-study work visa options. I recently spoke to my line manager about my concerns as a temporary worker and visa holder. My line manager only knew that the Graduate route existed. Some of my colleagues have more knowledge of it, but that's because they are Careers Advisors, so it's their job to know.
The University of Glasgow is a registered sponsor and, according to the website, has a clear and established process for managing the visas for international employees. When I went through onboarding, it was clear that the University had dedicated staff who were up to date on the various work visa options.
Again, the University of Glasgow is a registered sponsor, so it appears that they are fairly open-minded about hiring international employees. It's unclear what their position is on hiring graduates in need of a visa.
What advice would you give to current international students seeking graduate employment in the UK?
"Begin preparing for your visa pathway as soon as possible."
I recommend that current international students begin preparing for their visa pathway as soon as possible, especially if they are master’s students and, therefore, are only in their studies for one or two years.
I tell them to start allocating/saving funds for the visa early and to read all of the provided guidance on the government website.
I also urge them to be timely about their decisions and activities. One of my peers had left the UK after her course finished, and I told her that she should return to the UK before her student visa expired or she'd be ineligible to apply for the Graduate route visa.
