Graduate Visas

To be eligible to apply for a Graduate visa, you will need to:

1) hold a current Student Route visa;

2) have studied a Bachelors or Masters qualification or Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE).

CertHE, and other non-degree awarding qualifications, are not eligible to apply for a Graduate visa. Please note, MA students can leave with the exit award of a postgraduate diploma but cannot use this to apply for a Graduate Route Visa unless it is a Postgraduate Diploma in Education. For this students must complete their MA. Additionally, Student Route Visa students cannot intermit their studies and complete the MA Research Project at a later date.

See full eligibility details here.

3) have successfully completed your degree;

You are considered to have successfully completed your degree for the purpose of applying for the Graduate visa once you have received your final results and your record is updated to reflect completion. For undergraduates at NSCD this is August and for postgraduates this is September.

You will need to wait until you have received an email from NSCD confirming that the Quality Office has notified UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) of your successful completion before you can apply for the Graduate visa. See the section on ‘When can I apply?’.

Masters students who do not complete all the required assessments by the original end date in their CAS should contact the Quality Office to check whether they are still eligible for the Graduate visa as this may depend on whether final results will be received prior to their current visa expiry.

4) have studied for a minimum period of time in the UK on a Student visa;

The minimum period of study for the Graduate visa is 12 months OR the full length of your course, whichever is shorter.

5) provide a letter of consent if financially sponsored by a Government or international scholarship agency;

If in the 12 months before the date of application you have been awarded a scholarship or sponsorship by a Government or international scholarship agency covering fees and living costs for study in the UK, you must provide a letter of consent from the sponsor organisation to support your application.

You should only make your application once NSCD has notified UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) that you have successfully completed your degree. This is in accordance with the Graduate Route visa policy.  The Quality Office will update UKVI once you have received your final results and your NSCD record has been updated to reflect completion. Please note it can take several weeks after you have received your results for your NSCD record to be updated. The Quality Office will contact you to confirm when the report has been made to UKVI via the email address on your student record. Do not submit your Graduate visa application until you have received this email.

You will need to apply in the UK whilst your current Student visa is still valid. You cannot travel overseas until you have received the outcome of your application, and your new e-visa.

If your visa expires after you have applied to the Graduate route, you will be permitted to remain in the UK whilst your application is being considered until you have received the outcome of your Graduate visa application.

If you are going on to study another degree at NSCD or another UK Provider, you should consult the relevant department to see what visa is needed. For NSCD students going onto a new course with us this would be a student route visa.

The Graduate Route Visa application fee is £880. In addition, the application will also require you to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge and this is charged at £1035 for each year the visa will be granted.

You make an application online.

As part of your application, you’ll need to prove your identity. How you do this depends on where you’re from and the type of passport or resident permit you have.

You’ll either:

• use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your identity document – you’ll also create or sign into your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account
• have your fingerprints and photo (biometric information) taken at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point

The documents you need to apply are here: Graduate visa: Documents you’ll need to apply – GOV.UK

The advertised decision timeframe is 8 weeks from when you submit your application.

Please note that once you have made your application, you cannot travel overseas until you have been notified of the decision.

When granted, the visa will be issued as a digital status, also called an eVisa.

The digital status will enable you to prove your right to live and work in the UK online.

For more information on how to access your e-visa see here: eVisas: access and use your online immigration status: Set up a UKVI account to access your eVisa – GOV.UK

Read the information on the UKVI webpages and also consult the UKCISA website

Immigration rules and policy are subject to change. These webpages are updated as soon as possible following any changes but relevant pages of the Home Office website should be checked for the latest information. NSCD can only provide information and advice on current policy; it is not possible to speculate on future immigration changes or developments in relation to post-study visa options.