The New UK Graduate Immigration Route: Key Aspects You Need to Know

The United Kingdom has introduced a new graduate immigration route for international students that will allow them to work for up to two to three years in the UK, provided they should graduate in the summer of 2021 or after from a recognized UK University.

The newly introduced Graduate immigration route is unsponsored, meaning that the students won’t need a job offer to apply for the graduate route. Rather, as a part of it, they will be allowed to work flexibly, switch jobs, or even look for new work opportunities at any skill level for the minimum span of up to two years. This is applicable to students looking for studying Bachelors or Masters in UK. Those interested in pursuing a doctorate degree can also avail this benefit.

With regards to the current pandemic situation, the majority of the UK universities are offering online education and students have been forced to study remotely. Under such circumstances, will students be eligible to apply for the Graduate Immigration Route? Read on and find it for yourself.

Table of Content

1. Eligibility Criteria to apply for the Graduate Route
2. Fees for the Graduate Route
3. Right Time to Apply for the Graduate Route
4. 6 Easy Steps to Apply for the UK Graduate Route

Eligibility Criteria to apply for the Graduate Route

To apply for UK Graduate Immigration Route, international students must meet the following criteria:

• One must have completed the qualification mentioned on one’s Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) at Bachelor, Master's, or Doctorate level at a Higher Education Provider with a track record of compliance.
• One must have a valid Tier 4 or student visa required to study at UK at the time of lodging the graduate route application.
• If studying remotely due to the pandemic, one must arrive in the UK before 27th September 2021 (2020-21 academic session) and 6th April 2022 (2021-22 academic session).
  

Fees for the Graduate Route

At the time of applying for the UK Graduate Route, graduates will be required to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge along with the fees for a graduate route as a part of the application process. Check out the fees below:

• Graduate Route: £700
• Immigration Health Surcharge: £624 per year

If there are any dependents, applicants will be required to pay the fees for their graduate route and immigration health surcharge.

Right Time to Apply for the Graduate Route

The right time to apply for the graduate route is when the university announces the final course results. Students must not wait until the official graduation ceremony to apply for the graduate route.

At the time of applying for the UK graduate route, students must remain in the UK otherwise they will lose their eligibility to apply for the same. If in case, the UK student visa is expired, students will be permitted to stay in the UK while their graduate route application is being considered and processed.

6 Easy Steps to Apply for the UK Graduate Route

To cater to the vast pool of applicants, the UK government has made the application process for the UK graduate route entirely digital. Follow the steps below to secure a Graduate Route Visa:

Step 1: Start Your Application

Visit https://www.gov.uk/graduate-visa/apply and create a UK Visa and Immigration account.

Step 2: Verify Your Identity

Verify the identity using ‘The UK Immigration ID Check App’ on your phone or laptop.

Step 3: Fill in all the Asked Details in the Application

Fill the form by inserting all the details about one’s educational qualification, family, travel history, and other required details.

Step 4: Attach Documents

Attach the required documents and tick the checklist boxes.

Step 5: Declaration

Tick on the declaration box and proceed further with the payment.

Step 6: Do the Payment

Time to pay the graduate route fee of £700 and health surcharge of £624.

On successful payment and submission of the application, the UK embassy will review the application and if they approve it, students will be issued an eVisa for their Graduate Immigration Route.

The Graduate route is non-extendable and does not count towards the settlement in the country. However, if one is fortunate enough to find suitable employment and sponsorship in the UK, in such circumstances, a student will be able to switch from the graduate route.

So, if UK’s new graduate route excites you and you wish to study in the UK, consult KC Overseas Education for complete guidelines. Being one of the leading study abroad consultants in India, we have decades of experience in providing authentic information and assisting students in fulfilling their study abroad dreams.

Get in touch with KC’s UK Experts and kickstart your higher education journey. Book a free appointment with us for in-person or virtual counselling.

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