The Graduate Route is a work route for students who have completed an eligible programme of study to remain in the UK to work after their studies. Most graduates will be able to stay for 2 years while PhD or doctoral graduates can stay up to 3 years.
In general, to be eligible for the Graduate Route, you must have:
Successfully completed an eligible programme of study;
Studied at least 12 months in the UK; and
Hold a Tier 4 or Student Route visa
Please note that if you currently have or had previously been granted a Doctorate Extension Visa, you will not be able to apply under the Graduate Route.
If you have been financially sponsored by a government or international scholarship agency in the 12 months before you apply under the Graduate Route, which covers both tuition fees and living cost, you will need written consent from the financial sponsor to remain in the UK under the Graduate Route.
UK postgraduate degree (for example, a master’s degree); or
PhD or Doctoral qualification
Apart from the qualifications listed above, only the following qualifications are eligible for the Graduate Route: law conversion course validated by the Joint Academic Stage Board in England and Wales, Legal Practice Course in England and Wales, the Bar Practice Course in England and Wales, foundation programme in Medicine or Dentistry, 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.*
* please note that some of these programmes are not offered at Newcastle University.
You must have successfully completed the qualification for which you were last granted a Tier 4 or Student Route visa. You will also be eligible if you completed the qualification where you were allowed to change your programme of study without applying for a new student visa.
In general, you must have studied at least 12 months of your programme in the UK.
If your programme was 12 months or less, you must have studied the full duration of the programme in the UK. If your programme was longer than 12 months, you must have studied at least 12 months in the UK.
Remote study due to the Coronavirus
If you started your programme of study in 2020 or 2021 and studied remotely between the period of 24 January 2020 and 27 September 2021, you will not be prevented from being eligible for the Graduate Route for any period spent studying remotely. Please see the UKVI guidance for the Graduate Route for further details.
You must apply for the Graduate Route from inside the UK and before your current Tier 4 or Student Route visa expires.
For family members to be eligible as dependants under the Graduate Route, they must already have permission as a dependant on your student visa. Exceptionally, a child born in the UK can be eligible as a dependant where the child was born in the UK during your most recent grant of study visa.
Shortly after you have successfully completed an eligible programme of study, you should also receive an email from the university informing you that the university has confirmed your eligiblity for the Graduate Route Visa to UKVI. You should be aware that the university can only confirm your eligibility for the Graduate Route if we have all the required immigration documents for you, to determine if you have spent the required time studying in the UK. Please check your university email regularly as you will have access to this email for a limited time after completing your studies.
You will then proceed to make the Graduate Route application by following the steps on the UKVI website.
The visa application fee is £700 for each application, and the Immigration health surcharge is £624 per year of the visa.
If you have a BRP card that is valid and readable, you will not need to enrol biometrics for the Graduate Route application.
If you make an application before the university have reported your eligibility to UKVI, UKVI have advised us that your application is likely to be rejected.
If your application under the Graduate Route is successful, you will be granted a digital status visa. Additionally, if you are a visa national, you will also be issued with a BRP card.
Conditions of the visa
While on the Graduate Route, you will be allowed to work in any job and at any level. You are also able to undertake self-employment. You will not be permitted to work as a professional sportsperson.
The Graduate Route visa will not permit you to study on a programme of study which would meet the requirements of a Student Route visa. As such, if you are thinking of undertaking further studies, you may need to consider if the Graduate Route is the best option for you.
The Graduate Route visa will allow you to leave and re-enter the UK and there is no stipulation that you must have a job or be actively looking for a job. You should, however, bear in mind that the Graduate Route is a work route.
The Graduate Route is a short-term visa that allows you to work in the UK. If you plan to remain in the UK for work purposes, you should explore switching into a suitable long-term work visa such as the Skilled Worker Route.
