This section has been updated to reflect new information released by UK Visas & Immigration on 4 March 2021.

Watch UKCISA'S video on the Graduate Route

It has now been confirmed that the new Graduate Route will launch on 1 July 2021. From that date UK Visas & Immigration will start accepting applications for this route. We now know more about the requirements and the application process, although please note some details are yet to be confirmed. For this reason, we are unable to provide accurate individual advice at this stage. However, this section outlines the latest information released.

This is an unsponsored route, you will not need sponsorship from the University or an employer.

Please note your visa end date is determined by the course end date on your CAS. If for any reason you are not able to successfully complete your course before your CAS course end date, for example due to resits or retakes, you may not receive your final award before your visa expires. This may then mean you will not eligible to apply for the Graduate Route. It is important to note that the University does not guarantee or commit to extending visa sponsorship in order for students to be eligible for the Graduate Route.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must obtain 70 points in total. The areas that points will be awarded for are:

• Successful completion requirement
• Qualification requirement
• Study in the UK requirement

There are also certain requirements to be met in order for the application to be valid (accepted). In addition, we now know more about the application process itself. The following sections provide further information.

Information about dependants are also provided below.

• Successful completion requirement
  • Applicants must have successfully completed the course they studied on their most recent Student visa.
  • Applicants who were permitted to change course without needing to apply for a new permission as a Student (course transfers) or where the course title changed but the course content remained unchanged, the new course must be successfully completed.
  • The course must be completed with a higher education provider with a track record of compliance.
  • The University will need to confirm the course has been successfully completed by the date of application. Please note there are no details about how the University is expected to do this yet. Details are expected before the route opens for applications.

• Qualification requirement
  • This requirement will be met as long as the applicant has successfully completed a course they have been or will be awarded such as a UK bachelor’s degree, UK postgraduate degree, PGCE or PGDE.
  • If the course title changed but the course content remained unchanged an applicant will still meet this requirement.
  • The qualification must have been obtained in the last grant of Student permission.
  • Those who hold a Student permission (visa) to cover a Student Union Sabbatical Officer position, the course must have been successfully completed within the last grant of Student permission to study as a student or the permission before that.

• Study in the UK requirement
  Applicants must have studied in the UK for a certain minimum period of the course.

COURSE DURATION	MINIMUM PERIOD OF STUDY REQUIRED IN THE UK
Less than 12 months	Full duration of course
More than 12 months	Minimum 12 months

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Where the course duration is 12 months or less, there are some exceptions. This is where the course was started overseas and distance learning took place between 24 January 2020 and 27 September 2021, applicants must be in UK by the following dates.

COURSE STARTED	REQUIRED TO ARRIVE IN UK BY
In the year 2020 (some sources say Autumn 2020)	21 JUNE 2021 and complete the course in the UK on Student permission.
In the year 2021 (some sources say Janaury 2021)	27 SEPTEMBER 2021 and complete the course in the UK on Student permission.

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If a student started the course (of 12 months or less) on a Student visa and then travelled overseas they must return to the UK before the end date of the course.

Please note this information is based on the current ‘Covid- 19: Guidance for Student sponsors, migrants and Short-term students’ document and the Statement of Changes published in March 2021.

Application process and validity requirement

In order for the application to be accepted, all of the following points must be met….

• The application must be made on form ‘Graduate’.
• Fees can be found on GOV.UK - Graduate visa
• Biometric details are required.
• Applicants must provide a passport or travel document to confirm identity and nationality.
• Applicant must be in the UK (applications from overseas are not allowed).
• Applicants will need details of the most recent CAS.
• Applicants must have a valid Tier 4 or Student visa at the time of application.
• For PhD graduates, this replaces the Doctorate Extension Scheme
• Anyone who currently has or previously had a Doctorate Extension Scheme visa will not be eligible for this route.
• Only one Graduate route application is permitted and it cannot be extended.
• Students sponsored by a Government or international scholarship agency in the 12 months leading up to the Graduate Route application will need to submit written consent from their sponsor.

If applicants do not meet all of these requirements the application is likely to be rejected.

General information

• The visa will be granted for 2 years, with the only exception for PhD graduates who will get 3 years.
• Conditions attached to the permission granted are
  • No recourse to public funds
  • Work permitted includes self-employment and voluntary work. The only exception is work as a professional sportsperson, which will not be allowed.
  • Some types of study will be allowed. You cannot study with an institution that is a Student sponsor or courses that are permitted under the Student route.
  • ATAS condition to be met (where applicable)
• You will need to pass security, identity and criminality checks.
• There is no option to switch to the Graduate route from any other visa category apart from the Student route.
• Time on this route will not count towards settlement, like the 5 years on skilled worker route, but time can accumulate towards the 10 year long residence route.
• You may be able to switch into other work related visas from this route.
• You can work at any skill level, but there may be some restrictions on the type of employment allowed.
• There will be no maintenance requirement and you won’t be required to submit any documents to demonstrate your English language ability.

Dependants

Like the main applicant, dependants will need to pay the application fee, the IHS surcharge, provide biometrics, provide a passport or travel document to confirm their identity and nationality.

If they are sponsored by a Government or international scholarship agency they will need to provide written consent from the sponsor.

They must be in the UK on the date of application. They cannot apply from overseas. This means if dependants are not in the UK already on a dependant Student visa they will not be able to qualify.

Their last visa must have been as a dependant of someone with Student permission.

The relationship between the partner and man applicant must be subsisting and must have intention to live together during the grant of permission.

For dependent children, each parent must be applying in the UK as the same time as the child or already have permission to be in the UK (except as a Visitor). There are some exceptions to this.

For dependent children born in the UK to a parent on a Student or Graduate permission or their partner, a full UK birth certificate will need to be provided, which shows the names of both parents.

Dependants will have permission granted to match that of the main Graduate applicant.

Conditions attached will include no recourse to public funds, work is permitted including self-employment and voluntary work. However, they cannot work as a sportsperson or a sports coach. Study is permitted and the ATAS requirement must be met (where applicable). They may need to register with the police (if applicable, ie. if your visa conditions mention it).

Useful resources

• GOV.UK - Government Announcement
• Statement of Changes [PDF]
• Covid Concessions [PDF]

The visa allows you to work in the UK for a licensed employer for a specified position. Your employer will need to issue a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). You may qualify by earning a lower minimum salary if you are considered a ‘new entrant’.

In most cases, you are unable to switch out of the student route into the skilled worker route before your studies have been completed. You are able to switch from a Student visa to a Skilled Worker visa if one of the following applies:

1. You have completed the course you were sponsored for
2. The job you intend to do will begin after your course has finished. You can apply within 3 months of completing your course and the start date on the CoS must be on or after the course completion date on your CAS.
3. If you are studying a PhD, you must complete a minimum of 24 months study before you can switch.

More information is available at UKCISA

This is designed to give students who have almost finished their UK PhD or other doctorate qualification an additional 12 months of Student immigration permission in which to look for and start work in the UK. You can only apply in the UK under this scheme. If you wish to apply for this, you will need further sponsorship under the Student visa route.

In the summer of 2021, the DES Scheme will be closed and be replaced with the Graduate Immigration Route.

To qualify for the Doctorate Extension Scheme you must:

• be on a Tier 4 visa (General) or Student visa to study a course that leads to the award of a PhD qualification; and
• be studying with a higher education provider with a track record of compliance (the University meets this requirement)
• must not yet have completed your course at the time of application; and
• have a CAS from the University confirming that we expect you to complete your course on the stated expected course end date and we agree to sponsor you during the 12 months you are on the scheme; and
• meet the maintenance requirements by maintaining £2046 currently for a minimum of 28 consecutive days. If you have been in the UK for the 12 months leading up to the application and had valid permission to stay you will not need to show any money (please note you may be asked to provide evidence to confirm you have been in the UK); and,
• be applying up to 60 days before the expected course end date specified on your new CAS.
• If a government or international scholarship agency has paid you tuition fees and living costs for the period of your studies you will need to provide an unconditional consent letter from your sponsor to add to your visa application. This also applies if in the last 12 months of making the application, the sponsorship stopped.

Conditions of stay in the UK under Doctorate Extension Scheme

Whilst sponsored by the University of Bedfordshire under the Doctorate Extension Scheme:

• You may take up any kind of work except as a Doctor or Dentist in training or a sportsperson (including coaches). It does not need to be connected to your research area.
• You will need to keep in touch with the University. The International Office will agree with you the exact contact requirements before they issue you the CAS. You will be required to sign and confirm that you will adhere to these requirements before the CAS is issued.
• You may start working full time from the date your award is confirmed whilst you await a decision from Home Office concerning your application, as long as you have submitted your DES application before you complete your studies.
• If you do not successfully complete your PhD after you have applied, the University will withdraw sponsorship on your visa and your leave will be curtailed.

How to apply for your CAS

• You will need to request a CAS letter - and also, as part of your CAS request, email a set of documents to the Visa & Immigration Advisory Team.
• You will also need to email additional documents such as your RS9 (document received from the Research Graduate School after your viva) and a copy of the email confirming your agreed submission date if any corrections are required.
• They must all be emailed to visaadvice@beds.ac.uk
• The Visa & Immigration Advisory Team will prepare an agreement for you, between yourself and the University. They will then contact you and request you to come to consider and, if you are content, sign the agreement, confirming the conditions under which the CAS is being issued. At this point they will also inform you of the earliest date when the CAS can be issued (please note due to covid-19, we will be carrying out this step via email).
• Before the CAS is issued, if you are required to submit financial documents with your application we will need to see the bank documents you intend to submit. We will check them to see if there are any obvious reasons they are likely to lead to a refusal. Once you are issued a CAS letter, you will need to complete a Student visa application form online.

For more information, please see:

• UKCISA's advice
• GOV.UK - Student route caseworker guidance

If you think you are eligible for the DES visa you please email visaadvice@beds.ac.uk as soon as you have your viva. We will arrange to speak to you over the phone or on Skype. This is important as immigration rules can change quite frequently and every student’s circumstances are different. The University bears no responsibility for students who do not take a proactive step in approaching the visa advisors to discuss their visa options in advance.

During your studies or immediately after you complete your course, you may want to work as a Sabbatical Officer in the Student Union. For detailed information about Sabbatical positions, visit the University of Bedfordshire Students' Union

If you are sponsored on a Student visa and would like to take up a position within Beds SU, you should discuss this with an International Student Advisor. If you are in the middle of your studies, we will work with Beds SU and your faculty to facilitate the year away from your studies while you take up the position. We would also need to notify UKVI that you are working as a Sabbatical Officer, including the start and end date of the position.

If you are at the end of your course, we will work with Beds SU to help you extend your Student visa for the duration of your contract.

The current Student visa rules exempt you from having to provide financial documents if your visa extension is specifically for a Sabbatical position.

The rules currently permit students to be sponsored for up to two years for Student Union Sabbatical positions.

Start-up & Innovator Schemes

If you have a brand new, innovative business idea the Start-up visa may be a good option to consider. You would need to be endorsed by an authorised body such as a UK higher education institution or a UK organisation, which has previously supported UK entrepreneurs.

You cannot join a business that is already growing and the business idea must have potential for growth. Visas are granted for up to two years and cannot be extended. Applications can be made in the UK or overseas.

If you set up a business you may be able to switch to an Innovator visa. This visa is granted for 3 years but can be extended. This can then lead to settlement once you have been in the UK for 3 years.

GOV.UK - more information about these visas

For more information about all of these visa categories we recommend reading the GOV.UK website

Another good source is the UKCISA - Working After Studies section