The Government has announced that the new Graduate route will open for applications on 1 July 2021 to allow the UK to retain the brightest and the best international students from around the world.
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The route will enable international students to remain in the UK to work, or look for work, for two years (three years for doctoral students) after they have successfully completed their degree level studies at undergraduate level or above. The Graduate route will be unsponsored, meaning applicants will not need a job offer in order to be eligible. There will be no minimum salary requirements or caps on numbers. Graduates on the route will be able to work flexibly, switch jobs and develop their career as required.
What we know so far is that the qualifying criteria are likely to be very simple and at the time of application you will need to meet the following requirements:
- Hold a valid Tier 4/Student Visa.
- Hold a valid passport.
- Have successfully completed a degree level or above course for which your most recent CAS was issued.
- Be present in the UK by certain deadlines*
- Submit and pay for the visa application. The expected visa application fee is £700 and Immigration Healthcare Surcharge of £624 per year (eg, £1248 for the two-year visa).
* Typically, students granted a visa for study would be expected to study in the UK. Due to Covid-19, the Home Office has also put in place concessions for students unable to travel to the UK due to the pandemic:
- Students who began their studies in autumn 2020 now have until 21 June 2021 to enter the UK (updated from the previous date of 6 April 2021) to be eligible for the route.
- Students who began their studies in January or February 2021 will need to enter the UK by 27 September 2021.
- Students who began a course of 12 months or less in 2020 or 2021 and who have already travelled to the UK during that period on their student visa will be able to make a Graduate application as long as they are present in the UK before the end date of their course.
- Students sponsored for a course lasting longer than 12 months will not be prevented from being eligible for the Graduate route as a result of any distance learning that took place either in the UK or overseas between the period of 24 January 2020 and 27 September 2021.
Your dependants will also be eligible to apply to remain with you in the UK provided they are also dependants on your student visa.
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If you have any queries, please contact: internationalsupport@solent.ac.uk