International students

The Graduate route provides an opportunity for international students who have been awarded their degree to stay in the UK and work, or look for work, at any skill level for two years, or three years for doctoral students.

The Graduate route is an unsponsored route, meaning you do not need a job offer to apply for the route. You will be able to work flexibly, switch jobs and develop your career in the UK as required.

The Graduate route is available to international students, who have completed a degree at undergraduate level or above at a Higher Education Provider with a track record of compliance, and who have a valid Tier 4 or Student visa at the time of application. You will need to have completed the entirety of your course in the UK as a student, apart from permitted study abroad programmes or remote study due to COVID-19, for which specific concessions have been agreed. You must ensure that you meet the full UKVI eligibility criteria before you apply.

The cost to apply to the Graduate route is £822.00 (for both two and three-year Graduate route applications). You will also need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge as part of your application. This gives you access to the UK's National Health Service on generally the same basis as a UK permanent resident. The Immigration Health Surcharge cost is currently £624 per year, based on the length of leave you are granted. The Immigration Health Surcharge cost is currently £1035 per year, based on the length of leave you are granted and the full amount needs to be paid when applying. Dependants will also be required to pay the same visa application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge fee at the point of application.

The route does not require you to show funds or finance, and you do not need to demonstrate English language ability when applying, as you will have already proved English language ability by successfully completing your degree at a UK university.

You must ensure that you meet all UKVI eligibility criteria for the Graduate route before applying. This includes:

• Having successfully completed the course of study which was undertaken during your last grant of permission to study on the Student route (including where you were allowed to change your course of study without applying for further permission as a Student, this requirement only applies to the course to which you changed to)
• Having a current Student Visa or Tier 4 (General) Student Visa
• Teesside University must have informed you that we have confirmed your award to UKVI (by the date of application)
• You must be in the UK to submit your Graduate route application

You must ensure that you meet all UKVI eligibility criteria for the Graduate Visa before applying and you must ensure that you adhere to the immigration conditions of the Graduate Visa.

• No access to public funds
• Work (including self-employment and voluntary work) is permitted, apart from work as a professional sportsperson
• You are allowed to take up extra study, but you cannot study with a student sponsor on a course which would meet the requirements of a Student visa, and you cannot study at a state school.
• Study is subject to the ATAS condition in appendix ATAS
• Police Registration (if required)
• You are not allowed to bring new dependants. Dependants already in the UK as a Student dependant may apply as a dependant of a Graduate at the same time the Graduate applies to the route.
• The Graduate route is non-extendable and does not count towards settlement in the UK. However, if you find suitable employment, you will be able to apply to switch into various work routes from the Graduate route.
• From the Graduate route, you may be able to switch to the Skilled Worker route if you meet the relevant requirements, which allows you to stay in the UK to do an eligible job with an approved employer.

• UKVI Guidance Graduate visa
• Graduate immigration route guide
• Teesside University Frequently Asked Questions for current students

Shortly after your award is confirmed, Teesside University will notify UKVI of your successful course completion. You will receive notification that this has been made and you should not apply for the Graduate route until you receive this notification.

The University is unable to report your successful course completion for the purpose of the Graduate Route until your results have been to an Assessment Board and your award has been officially confirmed. Please refer to Appendix Graduate GR 4.2 and GR 4.3 in terms of eligibility criteria for the Graduate route, in particular that the University must have notified the Home Office of successful course completion by the date of the Graduate route visa application submission.

GR 4.2. The applicant must have successfully completed the course of study which was 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 only applies to the course to which they changed).

GR 4.3. The student sponsor must have notified the Home Office, by the date of application, that the applicant has successfully completed the course of study in GR 4.2.