Conditions
Important information you need to know before applying for a Graduate visa along with information you can share with potential employers.
After your application
You will receive an email to inform you of the outcome of your visa application. Read this carefully as it will list your visa expiry date and the conditions of your visa. Most students will receive a digital immigration status, some will have a BRP card as well. If you did not use the 'UK Immigration: ID Check' app, regardless of your nationality, you will only receive a BRP card and will not have a digital immigration status.
If your nationality is on the Visa National list and you have used the 'UK Immigration: ID Check' app, you will receive both a BRP card and digital immigration status.
If your nationality is not on the Visa National list and you have used the 'UK Immigration: ID Check' app, you will only receive a digital immigration status.
The Home Office has created a useful guide on what to expect when you receive your decision (page 4), how to update your details (page 5), and switching out of the Graduate visa to another visa route (page 7).
Studying on a Graduate visa
Study is restricted on the Graduate visa. If it is possible to apply for a Student visa for the course you wish to study, you will not be allowed to study it while you have a Graduate visa. In practice, this means that you cannot study most degree-level courses and will also be prevented from studying a significant number of courses below degree level.
If you are unsure whether you wish to seek employment or pursue future study, you need to make this decision before you apply for your Graduate visa.
If you are granted a Graduate visa and then wish to study a further degree course (for example, progressing from a BSc to an MSc), you will have to apply for a Student visa to study that course. Your Graduate visa will be cancelled and you will not be eligible to apply for another one after your new course as you can only hold a Graduate visa once.
Working on a Graduate visa
You are allowed to work full or part time, you can be self-employed or freelance or use the visa to do an internship or volunteer, or you can do a combination of all of these on your Graduate visa. The only restriction is that you cannot work as a professional sportsperson or coach.
You do however need to stick to the Student visa conditions until your Graduate visa is granted and will need to wait till after you have your graduate visa to start a business or accept a permanent full-time vacancy.
Other conditions
You cannot access to public funds (benefits).
Information for employers
If you feel a prospective employer would benefit from further information on the working visa options for international students, you may want to share the following documents with them:
- International Student Employability Group guide for employers on Recruiting International Graduates which covers the Graduate and Skilled Worker routes
- UK Visas and Immigration Guide to the UK's points-based immigration system: an introduction for employers.
