Experiencing the UK Graduate route: India, master's degree (South-west England)

Date:Apr 2023

Topic(s): Graduate route, Recruitment, Transition, Student employability

Type(s): AGCAS Case study

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?

Name	Anonymous
Nationality / country of origin	India
Current visa	Graduate route
Are your expectations of your Graduate Route visa being met?	Undecided
University, level of study and programme of study	University in Scotland Higher degree, mainly by taught course (eg. MA, MSc, MBA) Business Analysis & Consulting
How many roles have you applied for since leaving university?	Over 50. I was rejected because I am an international student, despite having a strong background.
Current activity	Employed – full time (temporary contract)

Where do you work?

Job title	Business Analyst
Employer / organisation	Energy company
Region of your contracted place of work	South-west England
Time between the end of your course and start date for your current role	3-6 months
How did you find your current job?	Through social media (eg. LinkedIn, Twitter)

Thoughts on your visa

I’m not sure how I feel about it. Most of the companies I applied to rejected me because my visa is only for two years. The job I’m working at is a fixed-term contract because of my visa situation.

Applying for a Graduate route visa is the easiest of all. It’s all online and you don’t have to go to any appointments. Moreover, the processing times are way faster than those for other visas, even without paying additional fees to expedite the process. I received mine in less than five days.

"Applying for the visa is easy… but companies rejected me for just having a two-year visa."

Support and development

I didn’t receive support from the careers service while at university. I am working on gaining certifications that could help me acquire sponsorship.

Employer knowledge and attitudes

The majority of companies are unaware of the Graduate route visa. Many of my applications were rejected because the job profile didn’t have the option to select the Graduate route visa.

"There is a bias in the hiring process."

In my opinion, employers have a negative attitude to recruiting graduates that require a visa. Although I have more than five years of relevant work experience, my classmates without experience were able to find good jobs just because they are from European countries. I don’t believe that companies are willing to sponsor international students. There is a bias in the hiring process.