University of Glasgow - International students - International student support - Visas and Immigration

Graduate Visa information

The Graduate Visa allows you to live in the UK to look for work / undertake work. It is granted for 2 years where your "relevant course" is an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, and 3 years if you successfully completed PhD.

You can only apply for (and be issued) a Graduate Visa once and applications can only be made from inside the UK.

You must have successfully completed your course and submit the Graduate Visa application form on or before your Student Visa expires - please read the eligiblity requirements and information on when to apply discussed below.

Eligibility to apply

Who is eligible to apply for a Graduate Visa?

UKVI say that to be eligible to apply for a Graduate Visa you need to have:

a valid Student (or Tier 4 (General) Visa (sponsored by a HEP with track record of compliance), and

successfully completed a "relevant course" that you studied in the UK on a valid Tier 4 / Student Visa for at least the minimum time required for the "required period" , and

successful completion of the course has been reported to UKVI (you will receive an e-mail confirming this - see when Immigration Compliance Team report the successful completion of your course to UKVI)

Overview of eligibilty requirements

See the links to the UKVI webpages for further information on these requirements:

Student / Tier 4 (General) Visa requirement: UoG is a HEP with a track record of compliance and the sponsor for your Student Visa. Your Student Visa must still be valid on the date you submit the Graduate Visa online application form (you must apply on or before your visa expiry date).

Successful completion of a relevant course of study that was studied in the UK for the minimum "required period" requirements: these are discussed below:

"Relevant course" - UKVI say you usually must have "successfully completed" one of the following courses on your current Student / Tier 4 (General) Visa:

a UK bachelor’s degree
a UK master’s degree
a UK PhD or doctorate
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)

* Regarding the "relevant course" requirement, UKVI have confirmed that students undertaking a Masters at UoG, where some modules for the course are undertaken outside the UK at partner institutions (for example the 2 year UoG Erasmus Mundas Masters) are eligible to apply where they have held a Student Visa for the full duration of the course.

"Successful completion" - you will have successfully completed your course if you are awarded the qualification stated on the CAS used to apply for your current Tier 4 / Student Visa.

You will also meet this requirement where you were allowed to change to a "relevant course" without first applying for a new Student Visa, and you are awarded the qualification for the course you changed to.

Your School Office / Graduate School can confirm when they expect your course results to be available and they will share your results with the Immigration Compliance Team.

See here to understand when Immigration Compliance Team will report the successful completion of your course to UKVI.

"Required period" requirement - you must have studied your course in the UK while holding your current, valid Student / Tier 4 (General) Visa for either:

- at least 12 months (if the length of your course is more than 12 months) or

- the total length of your course (if the total length of your course is less than 12 months)

"Required period" considerations: UKVI have confirmed that students undertaking a Masters at UoG, where some modules for the course are undertaken outside the UK at partner institutions (for example the 2 year UoG Erasmus Mundas Masters) are eligible to apply where they have held a Student Visa for the full duration of the course.

Where your course is longer than 12 months: you must have been studying the course in the UK on your current, valid Student Visa for at least 12 months before the date you successfully completed the course. You would need to be holding the same Student Visa (and this must not have expired) on the date you make the Graduate Visa application.

Time spent outside the UK on your current Student Visa: Short holidays taken outside of term-time for your course, or permitted absences for UG, PGT and PGR students during your course (where you continued to meet the attendance and engagement requirements) would not affect whether you meet the "required period" requirement. Time spent outside the UK after you have successfully completed your course (e.g. where you leave the UK after completing the course then return before your Student Visa expires to apply for the Graduate Visa) will not affect whether you meet the "relevant period" requirement.

Exceptions: There is an exception to the "required period" in the Graduate caseworker guidance (page 12) for courses longer than 12 months: “If a course lasting longer than 12 months was completed using a combination of immigration routes, then the applicant must have spent the minimum required time as a Student or Tier 4 migrant in the most recent period of permission.”

If you applied for a Student Visa before you started the course, and the Student Visa was not granted until after you started the course, the Graduate caseworker guidance (page 11) states that you will be treated as having Student Visa permission from the start date of the course.

If you studied some of your course outside the UK due to Covid-19, see paragraphs 3.20-3.27 of the Home Office ‘Covid-19: Guidance for Student sponsors, migrants and Short-term students: Temporary concessions in response to Covid19’ Guidance document for details of concessions and who can apply under these concessions.

You will not be eligible to apply for the Graduate Visa where...

you do not hold a valid Student Visa (e.g. you have a Standard Visitor Visa or Visitor leave)

you have not met the academic requirements to successfully complete your course

if you are awarded a lower level qualification than the course you studied, for example, where you are awarded a PG Diploma instead of a Masters degree

you have not studied your course in the UK on a valid Tier 4 / Student Visa for at least the required minimum length of time (as discussed for the "relevant period" requirement)

your course was longer than 12 months and you were not in the UK studying the course on your current Student Visa during the 12 month period before the date the course was successfully completed

you have previously been granted a Tier 4 Doctorate Extension Scheme visa

Please note: It is very unlikely that a Graduate Visa application would be successful where the successful completion of your course has not reported to UKVI before the UKVI caseworker makes a decision on your visa application.

When to apply

When you can apply

You can submit the online Graduate Visa application form:

when you have successfully completed your course (you will receive an e-mail from the Immigration Compliance Team at Registry confirming they have reported this to UKVI), and

on or before your current Student Visa (or Tier 4 General Visa) expiry date

"Date of application"

The date you submit your Graduate Visa application is the date you pay the visa processing fees and submit the online Graduate Visa application form.

When you apply for a visa in the UK and submit the visa application form on or before your current visa expiry date, this is called making an "in-time" visa application.

When you make an “in-time” visa application, you will continue to have valid immigration leave for the UK and can stay in the UK legally under the conditions of your Student Visa while you wait for a decision (even if your current visa expires while you wait).

It is very important therefore that you make sure you submit the Graduate Visa application form either on or before your Student Visa expiry date.

Returning to the UK on your Student Visa after completing your course

If you will leave the UK after completing your course, please see the information on the ISS webpages about travelling back to the UK on your Student Visa, and documents you may wish to carry with you in your hand luggage.

Time spent outside the UK after you have successfully completed your course (e.g. where you leave the UK after completing the course then return before your Student Visa expires to apply for the Graduate Visa) will not affect whether you meet the "relevant period" requirement.

Application process

Complete and submit the Graduate Visa online form

Please see this on the UKVI's webpages here.

Use the information from the documents you have prepared for your Graduate Visa application to answer the questions on the application form. For example, your passport, the CAS you used to apply for your current Student or Tier 4 visa, your current visa details and so on.

You will pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) and visa fees as part of completing the Graduate Visa online application form - see how much these will cost on the UKVI's Graduate Visa webpages.

The visa application fees are £822 when using the "Standard" application service (it can take up to 8 weeks to receive a visa decision). See the UKVI webpages for information on using "priority" application services (to get a faster visa decision).

From 6 February 2024 IHS will be £1035 for each year of the Graduate Visa applied for (2 years for undergraduate and postgraduate taught students, 3 years for PhD and doctorate level students).

You must submit the online Graduate Visa application form on or before your Student Visa expiry date to make an "in-time" visa application. This allows you to stay in the UK lawfully while you wait for your Graduate Visa application decision (even where your visa expires while you wait).

UKVI say that if you leave the Common Travel Area (CTA) after making a Graduate Visa application and before receiving the application decision that they will withdraw your visa application. The CTA comprises UK (including Jersey, Guernsey & Isle of Man) and Ireland. You should stay in the UK until you receive a visa decision (and your Graduate Visa where your decsion e-mail confirms your application was successful).

IDV app / attending a Biometrics appointment at a UKVCAS centre

You may be asked to download and use the IDV app when you have completed some of the questions on the UKVI visa application form webpages. When you use the IDV app your Biometrics given for your last UK visa application will be re-used.

If you cannot use the IDV app as your phone is not compatible or you do not have a Biometric passport, select the link option in blue on the screen saying "I do not have a phone that can use the app".

Where you are not asked to use the IDV app, or where you indicate that you cannot use the IDV app, you will need to attend a UKVCAS centre to give your Biometrics instead. You can book a Biometrics appointment at a UKVCAS centre after your Graduate Visa online application form has been submitted.

Other application tasks

Upload any documents asked for (either on the screen when prompted if you used the IDV app, or on the UKVCAS website where you did not use the IDV app)

Where you have not used the IDV app, remember you will need to book and attend a UKVCAS centre appointment to give your Biometric details

Download a copy of your completed visa application form for your records

Wait for a decision e-mail from UKVI

Once a decision has been made on your visa application you will receive a decision e-mail from UKVI. The decision e-mail will confirm the outcome of your visa application. It will also state if you have been granted a digital visa status (and how to access your share code if so). Keep this safe.

If you are not granted a digital visa status you will be issued with a BRP. You can expect to receive your BRP usually within 7-10 working days after receiving the decision e-mail.

The BRP is posted via Royal Mail to your address in the UK that you entered onto your visa application form.

If you change your UK address after submitting the online visa application form

You must notify the UK as soon as possible by completing and submitting a Change of Circumstances form where your current visa is on a BRP.

You would update your address details via your online UK immigration account where your current visa was issued as a digital visa status.

Documents and information

Common documents and information examples

CAS number used to apply for your current Tier 4 / Student Visa. You will enter the CAS number that you used to apply for your current Student or Tier 4 (General) visa onto the online application form.

Passport / visa: Where you have not used the IDV app, you will be asked to upload copies of your documents (e.g. passport ID page and your current visa if you have a BRP). You will also need to also make an appointment to give your biometric details where you do not use the IDV app.

Consent letter from an official financial sponsor:

See the Graduate Route - Caseworker Guidance for further information on when you need to provide written consent from an official financial sponsor / scholarship provider and sponsor letter requirements in “Financial Evidence for Student Route Applicants”.

Appendix Finance (8.3b) defines official financial sponsorship as: “funds provided by an official financial sponsor, which must be His Majesty’s Government, the applicant’s national government, the British Council or any international organisation, international company, university or Independent School”.

You will need to provide written consent from the official financial sponsorship / scholarship provider (i.e. to you applying for a Graduate Visa and staying in the UK longer) where:

- you completed a course in the UK within the 12 months before the date of your Graduate Visa application, and

- received a scholarship or official financial sponsorship for that course (from either a Government or international scholarship agency), and

- the money was for both course fees and living costs ("fully funded" or "wholly sponsored").

Please note: You will not need to provide written consent where:

• Money was not received from a government or international scholarship agency

• Details of official financial sponsorship / scholarship was received via UoG (including where money received was stated on the CAS you used to apply for your current Student Visa)

• Money you received was not for both tuition fees and living costs

Can I have dependants under the Graduate Visa route?

Who can apply as my Dependant?

The UKVI Graduate Visa webpages and Appendix Graduate state who is eligible to apply as your dependant under the Graduate Visa route.

Where you hold a Student Visa and will apply for a Graduate Visa, your spouse and children can apply with you for a (Graduate) Dependant Visa if:

They already hold a (Student) Dependant Visa to live with you in the UK while you study, or

They are your baby who was born in the UK within the period of your current Student Visa

See the eligiblity requirements in Appendix Graduate:

GR 9.4. The applicant must be in the UK on the date of application and must:

(a) have, or have last been granted, permission as a dependant partner of a Student and that Student is applying for, or has now been granted, permission to stay in the Graduate route; or

(b) have, or have last been granted, permission as a dependant child of either a Student or dependant partner of the Student and that Student is applying for, or has now been granted, permission to stay in the Graduate route; or

(c) be a child born in the UK during the last grant of Student permission of a Student and that Student is applying for, or has now been granted, permission to stay in the Graduate route.

When to apply

Dependants must apply at the same time the Student applies for their Graduate Visa. They will need your Graduate Visa unique application number (UAN)- you’ll get this when you apply for the Graduate Visa. You can find your UAN on emails and letters from the Home Office about your application.

How to apply

Each of your dependants must complete and submit the online visa application form on the UKVI's Graduate Visa webpages:

Each dependant will pay the visa application fee and IHS - see how much these will cost on the UKVI's Graduate Visa webpages.

The visa application fees are £822 under the "Standard" visa application service (it can take up to 8 weeks to receive a visa decision). See the UKVI webpages for information on using "priority" visa application services (to get a faster visa decision).

From 6 February 2024 IHS will be £1035 for each year of the (Dependant) Graduate Visa applied for (2 years for undergraduate and postgraduate taught students, 3 years for PhD and doctorate level students).

IDV app / attending a Biometrics appointment at a UKVCAS centre

Your dependant may be asked to download and use the IDV app when they have completed some of the questions on the UKVI visa application form webpages. When they use the IDV app the biometric details given for their last UK visa application will be re-used.

If they cannot use the IDV app (e.g. as their phone is not compatible or they do not have a Biometric passport) they should select the link option in blue on the screen saying "I do not have a phone that can use the app".

Where they are not asked to use the IDV app, or where they indicate that they cannot use the IDV app, they will need to attend a UKVCAS centre to give their Biometrics instead.

Documents for (Graduate) Dependant Visa applications

See the UKVI Graduate Visa Caseworker Guidance and Appendix Graduate regarding the documents your dependants need to prepare for their visa application. Common documents may include:

Passport / visa: Where the IDV app has not been used to make the Graduate Dependant application, your dependants would expect to be asked to upload copies of their passport and current visa.

Evidence of relationship and living together: Your partner / spouse may be asked to provide evidence that they are still in a relationship with you. For example, evidence to show:

you’re in a civil partnership or marriage that’s recognised in the UK
you’ve been living together in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply

You may also be asked to provide evidence that you and your partner live together in the UK at the same address, for example, a Council Tax statement or tenancy agreement stating both your names and showing your current address in the UK.

Consent letter from an official financial sponsor: This is applicable for (Graduate) Dependant Visa applicants who:

- completed a course in the UK within the 12 months before the date of their(Graduate) Dependant Visa application, and

- received a scholarship or official financial sponsorship for that course (from a Government or international scholarship agency), and

- the money was for both course fees and living costs ("fully funded" or "wholly sponsored").

Where this applies you would need to provide a letter confirming the official financial sponsor's consent to you applying for a (Graduate) Dependant Visa and staying in the UK for longer.

Applying for your child: if they were a baby born in the UK during the period of your current visa, they may be asked to provide evidence of their relationship to you. For example, a UK birth certificate or a special guardianship order from a court.

If your child is over 18 on the date of application, UKVI say they must:

have been a dependant on your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa
live with you (unless they’re in full-time education at boarding school, college or university)
not be married, in a civil partnership or have any children
be financially supported by you

If your child lives with you, you’ll also need to provide evidence of their address (e.g. the same address as you in the UK) such as:

a bank statement
credit card bills
driving licence
NHS registration document
an official letter from their university or college

Wait for a decision e-mail from UKVI

UKVI say that if you leave the Common Travel Area (CTA) after making a Graduate Visa application and before receiving the application decision that they will withdraw your visa application. The CTA comprises UK (including Jersey, Guernsey & Isle of Man) and Ireland. You should stay in the UK until you receive a visa decision (and your Graduate Visa where your decsion e-mail confirms your application was successful).

If you are not granted a digital visa status you will be issued with a BRP. You can expect to receive your BRP usually within 7-10 working days after receiving the decision e-mail. The BRP is posted via Royal Mail to your address in the UK that you entered onto your visa application form.

UKVI discretionary arrangements (marking boycott)

Students affected by the marking boycott can see the discretionary arrangements UKVI put into place for them in the UKVI's Marking Boycott and Graduate Visa Q&A Document. The main two points can be seen below:

When relying on either of these points, you must meet the other eligibility requirements applicable to the Student and Graduate visa routes.

Please check with your School Office / Graduate School Office when they expect your results to be available. You can then see which point applies to your situation.

The Immigration Compliance Team can report successful completion of your course to UKVI after your results are available (and where your results confirm you have successfully completed your course).

Example of point 1: Where successful completion of your course can be reported to UKVI within 8 weeks of the date you submit the Graduate Visa application, you can still apply for a Graduate Visa under point 1.

You must always submit the online Graduate Visa application form on or before the date your Student / Tier 4 visa expires.

Example of point 2: Where successful completion of your course cannot be reported to UKVI within the 8 weeks after you apply for a Graduate Visa, you cannot rely on point 1. However, you can submit a Student Visa application for extra leave to stay in the UK while you wait for your results under point 2.

When requesting a CAS you would need to confirm the visa extension is due to the marking boycott, so the correct statement about this can be added to the CAS. You can apply for the Graduate Visa later (on or before the extended Student Visa expiry date).

After submitting your Graduate Visa application...

Wait for a decision e-mail from UKVI

If you are not granted a digital visa status you will be issued with a BRP. You can expect to receive your BRP usually within 7-10 working days after receiving the decision e-mail. This is posted by Royal Mail to your address in the UK that you entered onto your visa application form.

If you change your UK address after applying

See the UKVI webpages explaining the two options to notify UKVI of the address change - you should tell them about this as soon as possible:

report a change of address online, or
fill in the change of circumstances form and send it to the address on the form

Working while you wait for a decision on your Graduate Visa application

Appendix Student (ST26.6) confirms that after you have submitted an "in-time" Graduate Visa application you will be permitted to undertake employment in a permanent, full-time vacancy.

You will retain the other work conditions of your Student / Tier 4 visa where you have made an in-time Graduate Visa (while you are waiting to receive your Graduate Visa application decision).

You would only be able to work under the Graduate Visa work conditions once you have received a decision from UKVI confirming your Graduate Visa application has been successful.

You can see the work conditions for a Graduate Visa holder in the UKVI's Immigration Rules, Appendix Graduate.

When your Graduate Visa is granted

Visa decision e-mail

You will receive a visa decision e-mail that confirms the outcome of your visa application. See your decision e-mail for details of the visa you have been granted, such as when this expires and your visa conditions. Keep the decision e-mail safe.

It will also tell you whether you will receive a BRP (with inofrmation on when you can expect to receive this) or if you will be granted an online digital visa status ( with inofrmation on how to access this / generate a share code).

BRP delivery

If you will receive a BRP this will be sent to you via Royal Mail to the address you entered on the visa application form.

Royal Mail attempt a delivery but were unable for any reason to deliver your BRP, they will leave a "Something for you" card explaining this and what you need to do next. It is not possible to change the address your BRP will be delivered to via Royal Mail.

Something For You card

This card may be posted through your letterbox or left at the main front door of your building, or at the reception for your building, for example. Where you receive a card, you will need to arrange a redelivery, or collect your BRP from the local Royal Mail Office - the card will explain how to do this.

Conditions of your Graduate Visa (work and study):

See the UKVI's Graduate Visa webpages for information what you can and cannot do on a Graduate Visa, and Appendix Graduate of the Immigration Rules for the conditions of your Graduate Visa (including your work and study conditions).

You can only study in the UK with a Graduate Visa if your chosen course is not eligible for a Student visa.

If you currently hold a Student Visa and wish to stay in the UK in order to study on a course that you can be issued a CAS for (i.e. the course is eligible for a Student Visa), you should instead apply for another Student Visa for your new course.

Where you already hold a Graduate Visa, and you wish to study a course at UoG that is eligible for a Student Visa (i.e. where you can receive a CAS from Admissions at UoG for the course), you need to: