Working in the UK after your studies

You should only apply to the Graduate visa route once you have received notification from UWE Bristol that we have confirmed your successful completion of a relevant course to UKVI.

This notification will be an email sent to either your UWE Bristol email or other email address that you have provided us, so please monitor these for updates. Reporting of successful completion to UKVI is ordinarily done automatically shortly after your results have been officially published.

The notification from UWE Bristol will contain your unique CAS reference number to be used in your application and a link to the online application form.

Once you receive the notification you can make your online application and you must do this from inside the UK before your Student visa expires.

You can find details of the costs of a Graduate visa application on the UKVI website: Graduate visa: how much it costs. You will have to pay for the visa application and associated Immigration Health Surcharge, however there is no funds requirement — i.e. you do not have to submit evidence of your ability to meet living costs, such as bank statements.

If you have received official financial sponsorship (for example from a government or an international scholarship agency) covering tuition fees and living costs in the 12 months before application, you must provide the written consent of that sponsor to your application.

Graduates with a debt to UWE Bristol will not have their successful completion reported to UKVI and will not be able to apply for a Graduate visa.

The Graduate Immigration Route allows you to stay in the UK for two years (or for three years if you are applying having completed a PhD). You will be able to work with relatively few restrictions but you must not be employed as a professional sportsperson. Self-employment and voluntary work are permitted.

You will not be able to extend this visa but you are allowed to switch into other types of work visa, such as the Skilled Worker route. You can only apply for the Graduate visa once so, if you switch out of the Graduate visa early, you will lose any remaining period of that leave and will not be able to apply for a further Graduate visa in the future.

Study is restricted. You are not allowed to follow a course with a sponsor (such as UWE Bristol) for which a Student visa would normally be required. This means effectively that only CPD, recreational or informal courses can be studied if you hold a Graduate visa.

Dependants who are already present in the UK as your dependant (or who were born to you in the UK) can apply for permission to remain with you. If you have dependants, please read paragraphs GR 9.1 to 15.2 of the Appendix Graduate. Contact the Immigration Advice Service if you have any questions.

The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) is a useful source of information, and the website is kept up to date with developments.

If you do not receive a notification email confirming that your successful completion has been reported to UKVI within two weeks of your results being published (or before your visa expires if that date is earlier), please contact the Immigration Advice Service so that we can look into your situation.

You will need a job offer from a relevant employer and your employer must have issued you with a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) before you can apply for a Skilled Worker visa.

You can apply online from inside or outside of the UK and you should speak to your employer to establish which option is best for you.

Applications made from inside the UK must be made before your Student visa expires. The cost of the application and associated Immigration Health Surcharge will vary according to the length of leave you are applying for.

If you are not a PhD student and have been issued with a CoS and are applying from inside the UK, you should not apply before the course end date stated on your most recent CAS unless you have successfully completed your course before that date or the start of your CoS is after your course end date.

If you withdraw from your studies or your Student visa sponsorship is withdrawn for any reason, either before or after the course end date on your CAS, we would not expect you to be eligible to switch into the Skilled Worker visa route.

A Skilled Worker visa allows you to remain initially in the UK for up to five years depending on the contract offered to you by your employer.

While you hold a Skilled Worker visa you can:

• work in an eligible job
• study
• bring your partner and children with you as your dependants, if they’re eligible
• take on additional work in certain circumstances
• do voluntary work
• travel abroad and return to the UK
• apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’) if you’ve lived in the UK for five years and meet the other eligibility requirements.

You cannot:

• apply for most benefits (public funds) or the State Pension
• change jobs or employer unless you apply to update your visa.

It is essential that both employers and students are confident that they understand and comply with UKVI requirements.

The Immigration Advice Service at UWE Bristol is unable to offer full advice on switching into the Skilled Worker visa category and cannot produce documents which confirm either academic status or eligibility to make a Skilled Worker visa application.

We encourage you to provide employers with your most recent CAS as clarification of your course end date. You can also download a HEAR document confirming your academic status from MYUWE.

You can download a letter to provide to your employer, which outlines the current UKVI rules and guidance for students who wish to switch into the Skilled Worker visa: Skilled Worker visa information letter (PDF).

You can apply online from inside or outside of the UK. 

Applications made from inside the UK must be made before your Student visa expires. The cost of the application and associated Immigration Health Surcharge will vary according to the length of leave you are applying for.

If you are not a PhD student and have been issued with an endorsement and are applying from inside the UK, you should not apply before the course end date stated on your most recent CAS unless you have successfully completed your course before that date.

The visa allows you to live and work in the UK for up to five years at a time. You can work in most jobs, be self-employed and start your own business. 

The Immigration Advice Service at UWE Bristol is unable to provide full application support for this immigration route, but can provide information and signposting when required.

You can apply online from inside or outside of the UK. 

Applications made from inside the UK must be made before your Student visa expires. Find details of the application fee and associated Immigration Health Surcharge at GOV.UK Innovation Founder visa.

If you are not a PhD student and have been issued with an endorsement and are applying from inside the UK, you should not apply before the course end date stated on your most recent CAS unless you have successfully completed your course before that date.

The visa allows you to set up and run a business or businesses in the UK. 

You can work for your business, including being self-employed as a director or a member of a business partnership. 

The Immigration Advice Service at UWE are unable to provide full application support for this immigration route, but can provide information and signposting when required.