The Graduate visa allows students who have completed a bachelor's or master's degree to stay for up to two years to work at any skill level, or to look for work. Those who have completed a PhD will be granted a visa for three years.
You can become eligible for the Graduate visa if the following is true, at the date of your visa application:
There are no financial evidence requirements for the Graduate visa. More eligibility information can be found on the Graduate visa webpage and the Graduate visa casework guidance document.
The Immigration Compliance Team (immigrationcompliance@qmul.ac.uk), at Queen Mary, deal with eligibility reporting to UKVI. They will look to report students who meet certain key eligibility criteria, such as successfully completing your studies while on a Student visa.
Complete your course
Receive your award result
Successful course completion reported to UKVI
Informed you can apply
Make your visa application
The study in the UK requirement states that an applicant must have studied a specific amount of time in the UK, on a Student visa, to be eligible:
This rule is relevant if you are currently on a non-Student visa but are planning to switch to a Student visa to complete your course. If you cannot meet the study in the UK requirement, on the time left on your course after switching to a Student visa, you may not be eligible for the Graduate visa when you receive your award.
The Graduate visa information also states the following about how this rule relates to absences and provides an example relating to leaving the UK after you have arrived. It says:
"Studying your course in the UK means that you were in the UK when your education provider needed you to be there – for example, to go to lectures or meet with a tutor."
And provides the following example:
"If you were taking a 1 year master’s degree, but left the UK during term breaks or on weekends, that would still count as studying in the UK for 1 year."
Approved absence during term-time should not affect whether someone can meet the study in the UK requirement if visa sponsorship maintained throughout. Refer to the travel and re-entry webpage, for information on seeking permission for absences during term-time.
If you interrupt your studies the Graduate visa casework guidance document confirms the case worker will use all periods of the time the applicant has been granted a Student visa, to calculate if they meet the study in the UK requirement. This means interrupting your studies should not prevent you from becoming eligible for the Graduate visa, if overall you have the required amount of study in the UK for your course length.
If you were fully financial sponsored (all tuition fees and living costs) by a government or international scholarship agency for your studies, then you will need to provide a letter of consent from your sponsor with your visa application. The letter of consent should say that your sponsor agrees to you remaining in the UK.
Consent is not required if you were only partially sponsored or sponsored by an organisation that is not a government or international scholarship agency. For example, you would not need consent if you have only received financial sponsorship from Queen Mary.
If the Graduate visa form asks you to provide consent, when your financial sponsorship does not meet the requirements for consent, it is advisable to include an explanatory letter explaining why consent is not required. For example, explaining it was only partial sponsorship or from an origination that is not required to give consent (e.g. Queen Mary).
You will only become eligible for being successfully reported to UKVI once your final award has been confirmed. You do not, however, need to have had your graduation ceremony to be reported.
HEAR publication dates can be used as indicator of when you can expect you receive your award official results. Once your award has been confirmed it is important to wait until you receive confirmation your successful completion has been reported to UKVI before applying for the Graduate visa. The Graduate visa rules state that an application should only be made after a notification has been made to UKVI, from the applicant’s university, to confirm they have successfully completed their course.
Once reported you will have until midnight, on your Student visa expiry date, to make your Graduate visa application which can only be made from the UK. See the section on “while waiting for your decision”, on this webpage, to understand your status while your application is pending.
Any application submitted after your Student visa expires could be refused for being a late application and you will be a “visa overstayer” for the time the application is being considered.
If you have a re-sit that delays the awarding of your degree, it is likely you may need to apply for a further Student visa for the re-assessment period. As long as successful completion is reported while on a Student visa, even if it is a new Student visa for a re-assessment period, you should have the ability to become eligible for the Graduate visa.
If your award is still going to be confirmed within your existing Student visa (refer to HEAR publication dates and double check for your school for exact dates), and your successful completion can be reported to UKVI before your visa expires, then you should not need to extend your visa again to be eligible for the Graduate visa.
See the visa implications webpage for more information on the effects of re-sitting for a Student visa.
Successful course completion will only be reported to UKVI once your final award result has been confirmed. For a PhD student this will not be until after you have deposited your final deposit thesis with the library and your award ass been approved by the Research Degrees Programmes and Examinations Board (RDPEB). See post examination and award for further information on the PhD awarding process.
If your award will not be made before your current Student vias end date, you may need to apply to extend your Student visa. As long as successful completion is reported while on a Student visa, even if it is a new Student visa for an extension, you should have the ability to become eligible for the Graduate visa. More information can be found on the visa implications of PhD students needing more time on their visa to complete their PhD.
Dependants are only allowed on the Graduate visa if either they were already a dependant child or partner of your Student visa, or they were a child born in the UK during your last grant of a Student visa.
The application fee is £822, and the Immigration Health Surcharge is £1,035 per year of permission granted. Your eligible dependants will also have to pay an application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge.
You will need to apply using an online application form ,once you checked you meet all the eligibility requirements, including that Queen Mary has reported your successful completion to UKVI.
The application form questions are straightforward and the only thing you need from Queen Mary, to confirm your successful course completion, is your CAS number for your last granted Student visa. This will be provided to you in the email from the Immigration Compliance Team, when they confirm they have confirmed your successful completion to UKVI.
If you submit your Graduate visa application before your current Student visa expires, known as making an “in-time” visa application, your immigration status in the UK will be protected via legislation referred to as 3C leave. Your previous Student visa conditions, including the condition to work, continue whilst you are waiting for a decision on your new visa application.
While your application is pending you are restricted to the working conditions of your Student visa, but you should also be able to start working in a full-time permeant job role as soon as you have made your Graduate visa application.
If you travel outside the UK before you receive a decision on your application, your pending application could be withdrawn.
The standard processing time for a Graduate visa is 8-weeks, even though many applicants receive decision much sooner. If you need a quicker decision, such as if you need to urgently travel, you can consider paying extra for a priority decision.
If successful your visa will be granted for either two years, or three years if you have completed a PhD programme. The length of the visa will start from the date the visa was granted.
The visa should come with the condition to work in most kinds of jobs, including self-employment, with an exception for work as professional sportsperson. Study is highly restricted however and is only allowed on a course that is not eligible for Student visa sponsorship. Full conditions can be found in the Graduate visa rules.
The Graduate visa cannot be extended. If you wish to continue living in the UK after the end date of the visa, you will have to look to switch to an alternative visa route. The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) have a good webpage that summarises different UK visas available.
The Careers and Enterprise Service at Queen Mary can provide a range of support in helping you to find work or apply for a job or further study, including feedback on your job application, practice interviews, advice on making career choices and support with looking for work. See the Careers and Enterprise website for further details and follow their blog for useful information and case studies.
You can access Queen Mary's Careers and Enterprise Service for two years after you graduate.
Contact the UKCISA Student advice line
For detailed information including money and fees, travelling in and outside the UK and starting work
Find out how to look for a regulated immigration adviser.