Apply for a Graduate Visa UK - Post Study Work (PSW) Visa UK

• Page Contents
• Overview
• Requirements for a Graduate Visa
• Points Requirements for a Graduate Visa
• Course Completion Requirement
• Qualification Requirement
• Study In The UK Requirement
• Period and Conditions For Grant
• How Can We Help?
• Our Fixed Fees
• Get a Fixed Fee Quote
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

You can apply for switching 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 conducted by a higher education provider with a track record of compliance. 

An application for a graduate visa is made in accordance with the requirements set out in the Appendix Graduate of the Immigration Rules. An application for a Graduate visa can only be made from inside the UK, and there is no option to apply from outside the UK. Also, a Graduate visa application can only be made whilst the applicant has leave to enter or remain as a student, and once the student has switched to another visa category, it will no longer be possible to qualify for the 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.

Free Immigration Advice for a Graduate Route Visa

Our specialist team of immigration solicitors can provide 5 minutes of free, one-off immigration advice on your application for a Graduate visa to the UK. Ask a question online to our specialist team of immigration solicitors for free immigration advice online, or book an appointment online for detailed immigration advice and consultation with one of our Graduate visa solicitors concerning your application for Graduate route visa.

Specialist Immigration Solicitors for Graduate Route Visa

Our immigration solicitors are specialists in applications for the Graduate route visa. As one of the best immigration solicitors, we have an excellent track record of helping clients successfully obtain a Graduate route visa. Our highly experienced and fully qualified immigration solicitors can provide fast, friendly, reliable, and fixed-fee immigration advice and legal representation for your application for switching to a Graduate route visa from inside the UK. 

The high quality of UK visa and immigration legal services provided by our best team of immigration lawyers is self-evident from the 5-star Google Reviews rating by 99% of our clients. Our London-based immigration solicitors are available 7 days a week, 365 days a year, offering unwavering dedication and exceptional legal support for a wide range of UK visa and immigration cases. Our team of highly regarded immigration solicitors brings together more than 6 decades of collective, specialised expertise in successfully handling UK visa and immigration applications.

Meet Our Team of immigration solicitors in London

At Premium Solicitors, our strength lies in the expertise, dedication, and unwavering commitment of our immigration solicitors in London. We understand that immigration matters are life-changing events, and our team is here to guide you through every step of the PSW visa process with professionalism and care. 

Our team comprises a diverse group of immigration solicitors, each bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge to the table. We are united by a shared goal: to deliver the highest level of legal support and advocacy tailored to your immigration needs.

Arshad Mahmood

Specialist UK Immigration Solicitor

Tushita Scalzullo

Specialist UK Immigration Solicitor

Nargis Khodadady

Specialist UK Immigration Solicitor

Asad Malik

Specialist UK Immigration Solicitor

Alina Rizvi

Specialist UK Immigration Solicitor

Victoria Gbenoba

Specialist UK Immigration Solicitor

Nazamah Munir Akhtar

Immigration Solicitor

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Schedule Your Consultation With Our immigration solicitors

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Eligibility Requirements for a Graduate Route Visa Application

An applicant applying for switching from a Student visa to a 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 to switch to the Graduate route visa.
• The applicant must have, or have last had, permission as a 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 requirements.
• The applicant must meet the 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 Appendix Part Suitability of the Immigration Rules.
• The applicant must not be:

      (a) in the UK in breach of immigration laws, except that where the Exceptions for overstayers section of Part Suitability applies, that period of overstaying will be disregarded; or
      (b) on immigration bail.

Points Requirement for the Graduate Route Visa

The applicant must be awarded a total of 70 points based on the table below:

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 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 applies only to the course to which they changed.
• The student sponsor must have notified the Home Office, by the date of the 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 a UK bachelor’s degree level or above in a profession with reserved activities that is regulated by UK law or a 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 from 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:

Where distance learning took place overseas between 24 January 2020 and 27 September 2021, this will not prevent the applicant from 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 2021, and completed 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 completed 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 meet the qualification requirement:

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 representation for your application to switch to a graduate visa on a fixed-fee basis. Our work visa solicitors can legally represent you in your application to switch to a graduate visa and carry out all the work on your application until the Home Office UKVI issues a decision 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 requirements you need to meet for your application to switch to a 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 to switch to a graduate visa.
• Assessing documents: Our immigration lawyers will review your documents to ensure that all documents you provide in support of your application to switch to a Graduate visa comply with the immigration rules.
• Completing the application form: Our immigration lawyers will complete the relevant application form for your Graduate visa.
• Booking an appointment with the application centre: After the online submission of your application for switching into a 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 to switch to a Graduate visa, explaining 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 all supporting documents online to support your application for switching to a graduate visa.
• Follow-up work: Our immigration lawyers will handle all follow-up until the Home Office UKVI issues a decision on your application to switch to a graduate visa.

Our Fixed Fees for Switching from a Student Visa to a Graduate Visa

• Our work visa solicitors will charge a fixed fee of £800 to £1,200 (no VAT) for your application to switch to a Graduate route visa in the UK. The agreed fee will depend on the complexity of the application and the volume of work involved in switching to a Graduate visa in the UK. You can get a fixed fee quote for your application to the Home Office UKVI to switch to a Graduate visa.
• Our fixed fee for your application to switch to a Graduate visa does not cover any disbursements, e.g., the UKVI fee for the application to switch to a Graduate visa, and the applicant must separately pay the Home Office UKVI fees for the application.

Get a Fixed Fee Quote for Your Immigration Matter

FAQs - Graduate Visa UK

The following are various freqneuntly asked questions about the Graduate route visa UK: