Understanding the graduate visa work rights UK is the first step for international students planning their future after completing education in the UK. What happens after graduation? How can you stay and work legally in the UK? Such questions arise in the mind of students a lot. To simplify, the Graduate Route or the PSW visa answers many of these questions.
For people who are making a transition from student life to professional life, it is important to understand the graduate visa work rights UK. In this article, you can learn how the Graduate visa works, the change in employment rules after graduation and the future preparation of the people who wish to make the transition from student life to professional life.
Graduate Visa
If a person wants to remain in the UK after completing their graduation, then international students have a good option to apply for the Graduate visa. As you may know, the work visa requires a job offer or an employer sponsorship. The Graduate visa is very different than the work visa. It has a simple goal: to give time to the graduates to gain work experience in the UK.
A person can get a graduate visa only once and this cannot be extended. For this reason, it is important to make concrete plans about the future. The graduates should use some time to build the skill on the job and get into a long term role. They can also think about transitioning into some other visa category.
Duration and Validity
The validity of a visa is different for different education levels. The students with an undergraduate degree and a master’s degree get to stay in the country for 2 years. The students with a PhD degree get to stay in the country for 3 years. The fixed PSW visa duration begins the day the visa is approved. Some students make a mistake of thinking that the visa date starts from the day of the graduation ceremony.
There is no flexibility in the visa timeline. Once the time duration ends, the visa holder has to leave the country or get any other valid visa. This is the reason why graduates are advised to start planning their career much earlier in advance rather than waiting for the final year of education.
Transitioning into a Job
One of the main changes in the employment after graduation is the working hours. During studies, the students cannot work for more than 20 hours per week. But after graduation, there is no such restriction on the work time of the students. The graduates can choose their work timings.
They can work either full time, part time, do freelance or even be self-employed. Due to this change in the working hours, the candidates can accept a permanent role, internship or short term contracts with the employer without any legal hassle. One should be clear about the working hours and type if they want to understand the graduate visa work rights UK.
Application Process
It is important to understand the application process for the graduate visa. The application should be submitted from within the UK. The student visa should be valid at the time of submitting the application. The application process takes place online. It is linked to the confirmation of the university. The students should apply for this visa at the correct time, otherwise it can result in a gap in legal status or work rights.
Changes in 2027
The candidates who want to apply for the graduate visa, considering the post study work visa 2026 should keep their knowledge about the adjustments in the future years updated. For now, there are no changes in the rules of the graduate visa. However, the immigration policy can change, so the students should keep an eye on the policies if they wish to stay in the UK for the long term. Actively keeping an eye on the policies can reduce the risk and the students will be able to transition visa easily.
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Conclusion
As we discussed in this article, it is important for the students to be aware about the rules and regulations before applying for the graduate visa. The students can also take help of the career services at the university campus. They can also ask the immigration advisors for help.
They will provide the right guidance to the students. With the graduate visa, the students get the freedom to choose work hours and accept long term employment opportunities. But it is important to plan out every step. The students should have clear goals. They should start looking for a job early. They should be aware of the restrictions on the visa. When done smartly, the graduate route can be very helpful for students to find long term employment opportunities and have the life of their dreams in the UK.
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