UK Graduate Route: New UK Post-Study Work Visa Officially Launched

The UK post-study work visa was officially launched on 1 July 2021. The then UK Home Secretary, Priti Patel, announced the launching of the program via Twitter:
The new Graduate Immigration route I've launched today will keep the best and brightest international talent contributing to the UK.
— Priti Patel (@pritipatel) July 1, 2021
This is part of our new points-based immigration system – retaining people based on the skills they can offer to the UK.https://t.co/KMewvBnT8k
The visa route is open for applications, offering international students who graduate from UK universities the opportunity to apply for the right to remain in the United Kingdom for up to two years to gain work experience.
The Graduate route is a replacement of the UK's previous Post Study Work visa (PSW) that was shut down to control migration numbers. With international students turning elsewhere to pursue Post Study Work visa options in other countries, the UK saw a steep drop in student numbers. This eventually forced the UK to bring back the Graduate route as the reincarnation of the PSW.
In 2025, we are starting the cycle again with the UK government releasing a white paper to cut its duration from two years to 18 months.
The requirements for the Graduate route is that international students must have completed an eligible programme at a UK higher education provider, with a track record of compliance with the government’s immigration requirements to apply. The Graduate Route will not need an employer to sponsor the application, meaning qualified applicants will not need to secure a job offer to apply.
There will neither be minimum salary requirements nor caps on the number of applications. Graduates on the route will be able to work flexibly, switch jobs, and develop their careers as required.
Based on our experience, the application process is completed on the UK government's website that was updated to take on digital applications following the UK’s exit from the EU. The same system that is used for the EU Settlement Scheme process is now pushed out to all immigration applications as the UK pursues a digital rollout of immigration, visas and nationality processes, which has culminated in the new UK eVisa system.
To start your application, the first thing that you will need to apply is a biometric passport to make the application, using your eVisa account as all Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) have been phased out.
You will also need to take your biometric information through the UK Immigration ID Checking App. If you make your application correctly, you will not need to attend a Visa Application Centre to provide your fingerprints or have a photo taken.
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Types of Qualifying Courses for the Graduate Route
After little information on the qualifying criteria, the types of courses for which you will qualify has been clarified. You usually must have studied on one of the following courses, from the 2020 academic year, to apply for the UK Graduate visa:
- a UK bachelor’s degree
- a UK master’s degree
- a UK PhD or doctorate

You can also apply if you completed any of the following:
- a law conversion course approved by the Solicitors Regulation Authority
- the Legal Practice Course in England and Wales, the Solicitors Course in Northern Ireland, or a Diploma in Professional Legal Practice in Scotland
- the Bar Practice Course in England and Wales, or the Bar Course in Northern Ireland
- a foundation programme in medicine or dentistry
- a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)
- a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE)
You may also be able to apply if passing your course made you eligible for a job that’s regulated by UK law or a UK public authority.
Additionally, the institution you studied at should have a history of compliance with the UK’s immigration & sponsorship rules.
New Route to Benefit Indian Students
The new UK visa route is to benefit Indian students in particular, who tend to choose their degree courses based on potential work experience opportunities after graduating.
To put it into some context, last year more than 56,000 Indian nationals were granted a student visa, that’s a 13 per cent increase on the previous year, and that is almost now a quarter of all student visas issued by the UK.
When you think about those numbers, think about the totality in terms of how this route will benefit India, it’s a very, very big move, and we will continue to work with the various academic institutions on making this route viable.
Home Secretary Priti Patel

Pandemic concession
At the time of the announcement, Immigration Minister Kevin Foster confirmed that a pandemic related coronavirus visa concession was to be extended until April 2022. Applicants who started their studies in autumn 2020 or in spring 2021 needed to be in the UK on a student visa by 27 September 2021 to qualify for the Graduate route.
Students beginning their studies from 2021, were given until 6 April 2022 to arrive in the UK.
Foster said that the government would encourage students to consider 6 April 2022 as a “deadline, not a target for arrival.” He added that they hope the world will be in a much better position come February and March next year, particularly with vaccination programmes advancing rapidly across many countries.
Global Britain
The launch of the new graduate route, which forms part of the UK’s post-Brexit immigration system, will support the UK’s ‘Global Britain’ message of attracting the best and the brightest talent from around the world.
International students are a vital part of our society, and those who graduate from our world-leading universities should have the opportunity to stay and build meaningful careers here in the UK.
That is why we are introducing this new route for international graduates, enabling British businesses to attract and retain some of the brightest, most talented graduates across the globe, and helping this nation build back better from the pandemic.
Universities Minister Michelle Donelan
We know that employability is a priority for international students coming to study in the UK.
International students who are able to access this route will have the flexibility to apply for work in any sector or role that fits their skills profile, including self-employment without the need for employer sponsorship.
Chief Executive of the UK Council for International Student Affairs Anne Marie Graham
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