- Page Contents
- Overview
- Requirements For Graduate Visa
- Points Requirements For Graduate Visa
- Course Completion Requirement
- Qualification Requirement
- Study In The UK Requirement
- Period and Conditions For Grant
- How Can We Help?
- Our Fixed Fees
- Other Related Services
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
You can apply for switching from Student visa to Graduate route visa, formerly known as PSW visa, upon successful completion of an eligible course of study in the UK at bachelor’s degree-level or above. The study must have been with a higher education provider with a track record of compliance.
An application for Graduate visa is made in accordance with requirements as set out in Appendix Graduate of the Immigration Rules. An application for Graduate visa can only be made from inside the UK and there is no option to apply for Graduate visa from outside the UK. Also, Graduate visa application can only be made whilst the applicant has leave to enter or remain as Student and once the student has switched into some other visa category, it will no longer be possible to qualify for Graduate route visa.
A Graduate visa gives you permission to stay in the UK for at least 2 years after successfully completing a course in the UK. If you have completed a PhD course, you will be granted leave to remain as a Graduate for 3 years. The Graduate route is an unsponsored route. The Graduate route itself is not a route to settlement i.e. it does not lead to ILR; however, any time spent on the Graduate route does count towards applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) on the basis of 10 years long residence.
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Our specialist team of immigration solicitors and lawyers in London can provide expert immigration advice and legal representations on fixed fee basis concerning your application for switching from student visa to Graduate visa from inside the UK. Ask a question to our specialist team of work visa solicitors for free immigration advice online or book an appointment online for detailed immigration advice with our specialist work visa solicitors for your application for switching into Graduate visa UK.
Eligibility Requirements For Graduate Route Visa Application
An applicant applying for switching from Student visa to Graduate route visa must meet the following requirements of Appendix Graduate of the Immigration Rules to be successful in the application:
- The applicant must submit a valid application from inside the UK for switching into Graduate route visa;
- The applicant must have, or have last had, permission as Student / Tier 4 General Student;
- The applicant must meet the points requirement;
- The applicant must meet the requirement of successfully completing the course of study;
- The applicant must meet the qualification requirement;
- The applicant must meet study in the UK requirement;
- The applicant must not have been previously granted permission under the Doctorate Extension Scheme (DES) or as a Graduate
- If the applicant has in the 12 months before the date of application been awarded a scholarship or sponsorship by a Government or international scholarship agency covering both fees and living costs for study in the UK, they must provide written consent to the application from that Government or agency;
- The applicant must not fall for refusal under Part 9: grounds for refusal.
- The applicant must not be:
- in the UK in breach of immigration laws, except that where paragraph 39E applies, that period of overstaying will be disregarded; or;
- on immigration bail.
Points Requirement For Graduate Route Visa
The applicant must be awarded a total of 70 points based on the table below:
| Points Type | Relevant Requirements To Be Met | Number Of Points |
| Successful course completion |
|
70 |
Course Completion Requirement
- The applicant must have last been sponsored by a Student sponsor which is a higher education provider with a track record of compliance on the date of application;
- The applicant must have successfully completed the course of study which was undertaken during their last grant of permission to study on the Student route (where the applicant was allowed to change their course of study without applying for further permission as a Student, this requirement only applies to the course to which they changed);
- The student sponsor must have notified the Home Office, by the date of Graduate route application, that the applicant has successfully completed the relevant course of study.
Qualification Requirement
The applicant will meet the qualification requirement if they have successfully completed a course of study for which they have been or will be awarded a UK bachelor’s degree, a UK postgraduate degree, or successfully completed a relevant qualification listed below.
A relevant qualification is one of the following:
- a law conversion course validated by the Joint Academic Stage Board in England and Wales; or
- the Legal Practice Course (LPC) in England and Wales, the Solicitors Course in Northern Ireland, or a Diploma in Professional Legal Practice in Scotland; or
- the Bar Practice Course in England and Wales, or the Bar Course in Northern Ireland; or
- a foundation programme in Medicine or Dentistry; or
- a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) or Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE); or
- 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.
If the name of the applicant’s course of study was changed by the Student sponsor, but the course content remained the same, or if an integral and assessed work placement or permitted study abroad programme was added, this will not prevent the applicant being able to meet the qualification requirement.
The qualification must have been gained during the last grant of permission to study as a Student / Tier 4 General Student, or in the period of permission immediately before the applicant’s last grant of permission, if the last grant of permission was to undertake a role as a Student Union Sabbatical Officer.
Study In The UK Requirement
The applicant must have studied in the UK for a minimum period of the course for which they were last granted permission to study on the Student route (the relevant period), as in the table below:
| Total Length Of Course | Relevant period of Student permission granted during which all study took place in the UK(apart from permitted study abroad programmes) |
| 12 months or less | Full duration of course |
| Longer than 12 months | At least 12 months |
Where distance learning took place overseas between 24 January 2020 and 27 September 2021, this will not prevent the applicant meeting the requirement to spend the relevant period of studying in the UK if:
- they began their course in 2020 and entered the UK on or before 21 June 2021and complete that course of study in the UK with permission as a Student; or
- they began their course in 2021 and entered the UK before 27 September 2021 and complete that course of study in the UK with permission as a Student.
Any period of distance learning between 24 January 2020 and 27 September 2021 as part of a course of study lasting longer than 12 months whilst the applicant held permission as a Student, will not prevent the applicant from meeting the requirement to spend the relevant period of studying in the UK.
Period and Conditions of Grant For Graduate Visa
The applicant will be granted the period of permission as set out in the table below dependent on how they met the qualification requirement:
| Type of Qualification | Period Granted From Date Of Decision |
| PhD or other doctoral qualification | 3 years |
| All other qualifications | 2 years |
The grant will be subject to all the following conditions:
- no access to public funds; and
- work (including self-employment and voluntary work) is permitted, apart from work as a professional sportsperson; and
- study is permitted, except study with an education provider which is a Student sponsor, and which would meet the approved qualification and level of study requirements of the Student route which are set out in Appendix Student; and
- study is subject to the ATAS condition in Appendix ATAS.
How Can We Help?
Our specialist team of work visa solicitors can provide expert immigration advice and legal representations for your application for switching into graduate visa on fixed fee basis. Our work visa solicitors can legally represent you in your application for switching into graduate visa and carry out all the work on your application until decision by the Home Office UKVI on your graduate visa application. The immigration casework to be carried out by our immigration solicitors in relation to your application for switching into graduate visa will entail the following:
- Advice on requirements: Our work visa solicitors will advise you on the relevant requirements you have to meet for your application for switching into graduate visa to be successful;
- Documentary advice: Our family visa lawyers will prepare and email you a comprehensive list of supporting documents to be submitted in support of your application for switching into graduate visa;
- Assessing documents: Our immigration lawyers will assess your documents to make sure that all the documents you provide in support of your application for switching into graduate visa are in accordance with the requirement of the immigration rules;
- Completing the application form: Our immigration lawyers will complete the relevant application form your application for switching into graduate visa;
- Booking an appointment with the application centre: After the online submission of your application for switching into graduate visa, our immigration lawyers will book your appointment with the application centre for you to enrol your biometrics;
- Detailed cover letter: Our specialist immigration solicitors will prepare a detailed cover letter in support of your application for switching into graduate visa to explain all the relevant legal requirements for your application to be approved by the Home Office UKVI;
- Uploading documents online: Before the biometrics enrolment date, our immigration lawyers will upload online all the supporting documents to be considered in support of your application for switching into graduate visa;
- Follow up work: Our immigration lawyers will carry out all the follow up work until decision by the Home Office UKVI on your application for switching into graduate visa.
Our One-Off Services For Application For Switching Into graduate visa
If you do not want to use our full service to cover all the work on your application for switching into graduate visa, our graduate visa solicitors will be happy to provide a wide range of one-off legal services for your application for switching into graduate visa. Various one-off services for your application for switching into graduate visa are as listed below:
- Immigration Advice and Consultation Service
- Immigration Documents Checking Service
- Application Form Completion Services
- Preparing Cover Letter For Immigration Application
- Uploading Supporting Documents Online
Our Fixed Fees For Switching From Student Visa To Graduate Visa
- Our work visa solicitors will charge a fixed fee ranging from £800 to £1,500 (no VAT) for your application for switching into Graduate route visa UK. The agreed fixed will depend on the complexity of the application and the volume of work involved in the application for switching into Graduate visa UK. You can get a fixed fee quote online for your application to the Home Office UKVI for switching into Graduate visa.
- Our fixed fee for your application to switch into Graduate visa does not cover any disbursements e.g. UKVI fee for the application for switching into Graduate visa and the applicant has to separately pay the Home office UKVI fees for the application.
Other Related Services
FAQs - Graduate Visa UK
You can apply to switch from a Student visa to a Graduate route visa, formerly known as a PSW visa, upon successful completion of an eligible course of study in the UK at a bachelor’s degree level or above. The study must have been with a higher education provider with a track record of compliance.
No, you cannot apply for Graduate visa through Priority or Super Priority Service as the Home Office UKVI do not offer the fast track service for Graduate visa application.
No, you cannot apply for a Graduate visa from outside the UK because the Home Office UKVI Immigration Rules only allow such applications to be made from inside the UK.
Yes, time spent in the UK under the Graduate visa will be counted towards the 10 years of residence required to apply for ILR under the 10 years of residence category.
Yes, you can switch from a Graduate visa to a Skilled Worker visa from inside the UK if you are offered a skilled job by a UKVI-approved licence-holding employer/sponsor.
A Graduate visa gives you permission to stay in the UK for at least 2 years after successfully completing a course in the UK. A graduate route visa is also known as a study Work (PSW) visa in the UK.
You can apply for a Graduate visa if all of the following are true:
- you are in the UK
- your current visa is a Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa
- you studied a UK bachelor’s degree, postgraduate degree or other eligible course for a minimum period of time with your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa
- your education provider (such as your university or college) has told the Home Office you’ve successfully completed your course
A Graduate visa lasts for 2 years. If you have a PhD or other doctoral qualification, it will last for three years.
Your visa will start from the day your application is approved.
You can apply for a Graduate visa online.
You must apply before your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa expires.
You can apply after your education provider (such as your university or college) has told the Home Office that you’ve successfully completed the course you took with your Student or Tier 4 (General) student visa. You do not have to wait until you have graduated or have been given a certificate.
Once you have applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents, you will usually get a decision on your Graduate visa within 8 weeks.
The Home Office UKVI does not offer fast-track visa service for a Graduate visa in the UK, and an application can only be submitted through standard service.
When you apply for a Graduate visa, you will need to:
- pay the £822 application fee for a Graduate visa
- pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) which is £1035 for each year
With a Graduate visa you can:
- work in most jobs
- look for work
- be self-employed
- continue living in the UK with your partner and children, if they’re eligible
- do voluntary work
- travel abroad and return to the UK
You cannot:
- apply for most benefits (public funds), or the State Pension
- work as a professional sportsperson
If your application is successful, you will get a full list of what you can and cannot do with a Graduate visa.
You can only study with a Graduate visa if your chosen course is not eligible for a Student visa. If your course is eligible for a Student visa, you can extend your Student visa instead.
To be eligible for a Graduate visa, you must have successfully completed the course you took with your current Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa.
Whether you can apply will also depend on:
- the education provider for your course, for example, your university or college
- the kind of course you took
- how long have you studied in the UK for
If your education provider allowed you to change course without applying for a new Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa, you only need to have completed the course you changed to.
You usually must have one of the following to apply:
- 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 makes you eligible for a job that’s regulated by UK law or a UK public authority. Your education provider can tell you if your course is eligible.
You can apply for a Graduate visa if you’re on your current Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa because you’re a Student Union Sabbatical Officer.
To be eligible, you must have successfully completed one of these courses in the UK just before you started your current visa.
You need to have studied in the UK for either:
- at least 12 months, if your course’s total length is more than 12 months
- the total length of your course, if its total length is shorter than 12 months
You must also be in the UK when you apply for a Graduate visa.
