Receiving an opportunity to work in the UK helps graduates to enhance their skills and capabilities and adds value to their work experience in their respective fields or areas. If UK degrees are renowned and respected worldwide, so are the UK experiences.
If you wish to stay in the UK and work after graduation, you can take benefit of a Post-Study Work visa.
For this, students need to apply for a separate visa (other than the student visa) which allows graduates to stay and work within the country for up to two years validation period.
Post-Study Work/ Graduate Route in the UK
The PSW scheme will come into effect from the 1st of July 2021 for International students.
As per this scheme, international students who have completed an undergraduate or master’s degree will benefit from two years of work experience in the UK upon graduation through the new ‘Graduate Route’.
Students who completed their PhD/Doctorate can stay and work for three years. In a similar degree, after completing their bachelor's or master’s degree, the student can stay and work for 2 years.
The post-study work visa allows international students to work or look for work after graduation, boosting their careers.
It does not restrict the type of work or a working hour limit, and the visa requirements to apply for a post-study work visa are pretty much the same as a general student visa.
You can apply for this visa after completing your postgraduate level or above from a licensed sponsor, the university you graduated from.
If you begin your studies in the 2020-21 academic year, you can benefit from this new route, even if you begin your degree online in your home country due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Graduate Route will require a new visa application, which is only possible from inside the UK. It will include a visa fee of £700 and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) at the total rate of £624 per year.
However, courses in UK universities or colleges each have different entry requirements and criteria to meet, so check their website for accurate information.
Also, the visa rules keep changing, and individual circumstances also matter, so keep yourself updated as frequently as possible on visa announcements and their recent changes by following the official websites.
Be sure to apply for the post-graduate work visa within 12 months of course completion to meet the eligibility requirements. For your postgraduate degree, you will have to study a full-duration course.
Stay in the UK after the graduate route via a General Work Visa (Tier 2)
If you wish to stay longer after your PSW visa expires, you need to find professional job sponsorship, which allows you to apply for a General Work Visa (Tier 2).
This may open /allow you to change your recent Tier 4 General Student Visa into the Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) visa category in terms of the UK visa immigration rules and systems or so on in the future.
This, however, also has its requirements and criteria to fulfil.
Overall, a post-study work visa is a great career route for students to gain work experience and build successful life and career ahead.
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