Graduate Route

Loughborough University (including the London campus) is a ‘Higher Education Provider with a track record of compliance’ and therefore our ‘graduates’ will be eligible.

In accordance with University regulations all tuition fees must have been cleared to allow a degree award.

During your most recent grant of Student visa you must have successfully completed:

• The degree for which your CAS was issued, this can include when a work placement or study abroad has been added later. If the course title has been changed, but the content has remained the same this will be accepted, or
• An alternative course that you were allowed to take instead of that detailed on your CAS without having to apply for a new visa, or
• Either the bachelor’s or master’s degree if your CAS was issued for an integrated undergraduate master’s. Beware that not all undergraduate master’s routes at the University will necessarily permit the award of a bachelor’s degree instead, this will depend on your programme and you may need to check options with your School administration.

If you do not achieve the grades required for a degree you may qualify for a lower award e.g. a post graduate diploma instead of a master’s or a certificate or diploma of higher education in place of a bachelor’s degree. However, these lower-level qualifications are not acceptable for Graduate route eligibility.

If you hold Student permission as a Student Union sabbatical officer you may still be eligible if you obtained the relevant degree with Student permission immediately before your current permission.

In general* studies should have been undertaken in the UK while holding Student permission for a minimum period, the minimum period depends on the length of course:

*This does require having to be in the UK on every day of the course gov.uk explains:

‘What counts as time spent studying in the UK

Studying your course in the UK means that you were in the UK when your education provider needed you to be there - for example, to go to lectures or meet with a tutor.

Example

If you were taking a 1 year master’s degree, but left the UK during term breaks or on weekends, that would still count as studying in the UK for 1 year.’

*There are also concessions for students if their programme allowed distance learning outside the UK due to Covid-19 between January 2020 and June 2022.  Given the passage of time these are no longer likely to be a consideration, but further details are available from the Student Advice and Support Service if needed.

If you complete your studies with any type of visa other than Student you will not be eligible, e.g. students who re-enter the UK to complete a short period of reassessment or a viva and corrections as a visitor.

If you have previously held permission under the Doctorate Extension Scheme or Graduate route UKVI will not grant further permission under the Graduate route.

Needing to take reassessment or extend your studies does not necessarily make you ineligible for Graduate route. However, you must have Student permission at the time that your degree is awarded and when you apply, if the timings change so that your degree will be awarded after any Student permission expires you may then be ineligible to switch to the Graduate route.

If your studies are extended and your degree award is delayed beyond your current Student permission, to retain Graduate route eligibility you will have to consider:

• Whether you can extend your Student permission for attending further studies, and
• Whether any deferred degree award would be made before any further Student permission expires

A CAS and further Student permission can be issued to allow attendance to studies but not solely for the purposes of an assessment, receiving results or for potential Graduate route eligibility.

To preserve potential Graduate route eligibility taught students may have to register to take reassessments with attendance rather than opt to take reassessments without attendance, depending on the timings a Student visa extension may allow Graduate route eligibility later. If you are a taught student and granted an extension for a coursework submission you would not be able to extend your Student visa for this purpose, you should check with your School when your degree might then be awarded in order to assess whether it would be before Student visa expiry to remain eligible for Graduate route.

Our separate guide gives further information on Student visa implications of changes to study.

You need to complete the application process while you remain in the UK. It is advisable to defer any travel abroad plans until after all is completed, if you leave the Common Travel Area (UK, Rep of Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man) while an application is pending UKVI can treat it as withdrawn. 

As long as you have made a valid application prior to your Student permission expiry you may remain in the UK throughout the application process. 

UKVI’s standard service target for visa extensions is 8 weeks. In practice straightforward Graduate route applications have often been granted quickly e.g. within a week, but this is not guaranteed. 

Applications are made online.

The process is fully digital; generally everything can be completed online. Within the application process there are two ways to verify your ID. Most people can do this using the ‘UK Immigration ID Check’ app.   If you cannot use the app, you apply online but after paying for your visa and Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) the portal directs you to make an appointment at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) ‘service point’.  You may be charged extra for a biometric appointment and the processing time can be longer this way. 

When your application is decided, you will receive an e-mail confirming the outcome.  Permission will be granted as an eVisa, your UKVI digital account should include the details, you can check this via view and prove.

You will need to pay an application fee* of £880 and the Immigration Health Surcharge of £1,035 per year of visa  i.e. either £2,070 (2 years visa for UG or PG degrees) or £3,105 (3 years visa if a PhD graduate). Full payment of the appropriate amount is required at the time of applying online.

*If you apply using the ‘ID Check’ app you have the option to pay extra for priority or super priority processing.

If you cannot use the ‘ID Check’ App you may have to pay for attending a UKVCAS biometric centre unless you are able to book a free appointment.

As Student Records/Doctoral College Office confirm eligibility direct to UKVI the application will not require any other evidence of your degree outcome (e.g. transcript or degree certificate), you will need to confirm your previous CAS number and UKVI will use this reference to link to the degree report. The University e-mail confirming your eligibility for the Graduate route will include your CAS number for ease of reference. 

The visa application does not require you to show you have a certain amount of money for your maintenance. You do not need to prove your academic qualifications or English language ability. 

If your studies have been sponsored to cover both tuition fees and living expenses to any extent in the previous 12 months by a government or international scholarship agency you will need a letter from your former sponsor consenting to you staying longer. 

Most applicants will find that the application requires: 

• information as requested within the application
• a biometrics check (e.g. a photo and BRP or passport scan if using the app)
• payment 

Unlike most other work visas you will not require an employer to act as a visa sponsor – if you are eligible you can apply as an individual.  The visa will carry a flexible right to work allowing you to work full or part-time or self-employed. Employment as a professional sportsperson is not permitted. 

Outside of term-time (including the period after a course ends) a Student visa no longer restricts work hours and can allow full-time work on a temporary contract for a fixed period, however it does not permit full-time work on a permanent basis i.e. an open-ended contract.  Any Graduate Route application should be made before Student permission expires, after you apply to switch to Graduate Route you are allowed to work on a full-time permanent basis.  Your employer will need to check you have applied and that this is successful for any full-time work to continue on a ‘permanent’ contract.

Graduate permission allows you to stay in the UK and re-enter the UK for work related purposes (including seeking work) as long as it remains valid. Within this period there are no set time limits on how long you must stay in the UK or how long you are allowed to be absent, nor is there a set limit on how many times you can be absent. 

Graduate permission does not allow study that could be sponsored under the Student route. This would prevent the vast majority of formal academic study at a university or college, other types of study including evening classes or recreational courses are permitted.

Any application to switch from Student visa to Graduate should be completed in the UK.  If you leave the ‘Common Travel Area’ (i.e. UK, Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) while an application is outstanding UKVI can treat the application as withdrawn and you may lose your chance to switch.  If you must travel this should be done before or after the application process.

In general, a Student visa is granted for an extra 4 months beyond the end of a degree course.  During this time the visa should remain valid for re-entering the UK as long as it is being used for purposes for which it was granted and there have been no changes in circumstances that would justify cancelling your visa.  A Student visa carries the right to switch to Graduate route when eligible, this is a legitimate reason for being able to continue to rely on the Student visa’s validity after the course end.

In some circumstances Student visa permission can be ‘cancelled’ by UKVI, e.g. completing studies early when you can expect UKVI to shorten the length of remaining visa.  If UKVI cancel visa permission by varying it to less than 6 months remaining it no longer carries a right of re-entry to the UK.   Further details are given in our visa changes guide.  Where there is a risk that a Student visa may no longer allow re-entry it is not advisable to travel until after the Graduate permission is in place.

No, but it can count towards the 10 year long residence route to permanent residence.