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International students in the UK now have the option to stay longer after graduation.
Back in March, the UK’s Home Office announced the Graduate route. This will let students continue living in the UK for two to three years after finishing their studies. It’s a big deal, giving students the opportunity to begin their careers, as well as set long-term goals for themselves abroad.
“As we rebuild from the global pandemic we want the world’s brightest talent, who aspire to a career at the highest levels of business, science, the arts and technology to see our United Kingdom as the natural place to fulfill their aspirations,” said Minister for Future Border and Immigration Kevin Foster in a statement.
In this article, we’ll take a look at everything graduates and prospective students need to know about the new UK visa.
The UK hopes to welcome 600,000 international higher education students per year by 2030. The Graduate Route contributes to this plan. It is designed to attract students to study in countries throughout the UK. In fact, since the route was announced back in 2019, enrolments from students outside the EU hit a new high – increasing 17% year-over-year.
So, how will the new UK visa work? International students who’ve completed an undergraduate degree (or above) should be able to apply. With the route, bachelor’s and master’s students will be able to stay in the UK to work or look for work for two years after graduation. Doctorate students will be able to stay for three years.
The new Graduate route within the UK immigration system is meant to be flexible. That means you won’t need a job offer to apply. There’s no salary limit and you can change jobs whenever you want. However, if you find a job you like, you can apply for a Skilled Worker visa from inside the UK.
It’s important to keep in mind that the Graduate route doesn’t count for settlement. So if you want to stay in the UK permanently, you may consider applying for a work visa which does count toward settlement sooner.
If you’ve finished your undergraduate, master, or doctorate degree and have a valid student visa when you apply, you are likely to be eligible for the Graduate route.
People studying remotely outside the UK during the pandemic are also eligible, at least for a time:
If you began university in fall 2020, you’ll have until June 21st of this year to enter the UK on your Student visa. Do so and you will be eligible for the Graduate route later on.
If you started in winter 2021, you’ll have until September 27th.
The cost to apply to the Graduate route is £700 for both two and three-year Graduate route applications. On top of this, there will be an extra Immigration Health Surcharge of £624 each year. This gives you access to the UK’s National Health Service on generally the same basis as a UK permanent resident. To discover more about the visa application process and the UK visa requirements, be sure to check the UK Visas and Immigration website.
The Graduate route is welcome news for international students in the UK. However, it’s not the only option when it comes to UK work visas. For example, after graduating you might also be able to apply for a:
If you have an innovative business idea and plan, you might be eligible for a Start-up visa. This lets you stay in the UK for up to two years. To apply, you need to be endorsed by either a UK university or a business organization. There’s also the UK Innovator visa, which lets you stay in the UK for three years.
The Global Talent visa is made for people who are leaders (or potential leaders) in digital technology, arts and culture, and academia.
Getting this type of visa isn’t easy. You need to apply for an endorsement through the Home Office, which experts in your industry will review. If you get granted the visa, you’ll be able to stay in the UK for up to five years. You will only be required to renew your visa each time you want to stay longer.
The Skilled Worker visa lets you stay in the UK for up to five years to work for a UK employer. To apply, an employer needs to sponsor you. Your job will also need to be eligible for the visa.
That said, there is a long list of occupations in the UK that need filling including nurses, teachers and engineers so if you work in these jobs, you’ll have a big advantage when applying.
Learn more on our blog, “The great UK skills shortage:5 occupations that can help you move abroad”.
There’s no doubt that having a UK degree is valuable. But getting UK work experience afterwards? That’s priceless.
The UK is also an excellent place to settle. According to the OECD Better Life Index, the UK ranks above average in important areas like health status, civic engagement, jobs and earnings, education and skills, and environmental quality.
Not to mention, people who work 5 days a week get lots of holiday time – 5.6 weeks a year!
If you want to move to the UK to study and work, PTE Academic can help you get there. Our computer-based, unbiased English language proficiency test at PTE Academic is approved by the UK Home Office for all visas including student and post-study work visas.
PTE Academic is completed on a computer, including the speaking part of the test.
So make sure you are prepared by familiarizing yourself with the equipment you will use during your test. Reading these test tips and you will be fully prepared.
There are many ways you can improve your chances of gaining points in Part 2: Reading during PTE Academic.
To improve your reading skills, practice increasing your reading speed and comprehension at the same time. In turn, you will improve your writing, grammar and vocabulary skills.
To do well in this part of the test, you need to be able to read quickly, using effective reading strategies, as there is a limited time to answer all questions.
Speed reading tasks will help improve your reading speed. Practice speed reading every day and:
Aim to be reading at least 220 words per minute
Reading short articles of around 300 words
Read often for short periods of time
You can also try this as a challenge with your friends to help keep motivated. Once you are happy with your comprehension and speed, focus on chunks (groups of words) rather than individual words.
When your reading skills reach a level you are happy with, you will feel more confident to answer the questions.
In the Multiple-Choice, Single Answer question type, some test takers make the mistake of scan reading and matching the words in the text to the words in the answer. Generally, the words in the text are not used in the correct answer, therefore it is important to learn how to use synonyms and paraphrasing as it will be used in the test.
Learn how to improve your grammar in our Reading: Core Skills part 1 article.
In this question type, you will need more time than in the Multiple-Choice, Choose Single Answer question type, as you need to intensively read the stem (the part before the options) as well as the options, then scan read the text on the screen until you find the part of the text that contains information that was in the stem.
Read the options very carefully and match the meaning of the option with the text. Do not match the words – this is something test takers may make errors with.
You should also make sure not to choose all the options since you lose one point for each incorrect choice. However, you cannot score below zero.
To do well in the Re-order Paragraphs questions, you will need to have a strong understanding of cohesive devices and how they work. You will also need to understand how articles work, as well as the logical and chronological order of information.
In this question type, skim-read the text to get the ideas of the topic of the text. From there, you should read all the sentences carefully.
For both Fill in the Blanks and Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks question types, you will need to understand a range of vocabulary, collocations, grammar, pronouns, and cohesive devices, as well as being able to identify when plural nouns are needed.
You will also need to be able to skim read to get an idea of the meaning of the text, then read intensively before and after each blank. If unsure, you should guess based on the context.
Make sure you do not leave any spaces blank. You do not need to correctly fill in all spaces to get points.
To go back and review the question types within the reading test, we suggest learning more about the reading questions.
Explore Smart Prep, which combines all our practice materials in one place, so it's easier for you to stay on track with your PTE preparation.
Smart Prep is a clear path to test day, guiding you through the official paid and free resources available for your test
It can be accessed whether you’ve booked a test or not – just create, or sign in to your myPTE account
Preparation materials include guided practice tests, introductory videos, video courses and test tips.
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Do you have your heart set on studying in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland? The UK is a wonderful place to live and learn, but you’ll most likely need to get a UK study visa before you start packing your bags.
This comprehensive guide covers who needs a UK student visa, the requirements for getting one, how to apply, how much it costs, and how long it takes.
If you’re an international student hoping to study in the UK, you’ll most likely need a student visa. The only exceptions are nationals of Switzerland and countries in the European Economic Area (EEA), who don’t need a visa to enter the UK. *
* Please note: The outcome of Brexit may alter this after 2020. Check the UK government’s website for up-to-date information about this.
There are several UK study visa requirements you’ll need to meet to successfully apply. These include:
You’ve been offered a place in a full-time course from an eligible university (i.e. the school must be a licensed Student route visa*Tier 4 sponsors)
You can understand English (both written and spoken)
You have enough funds to support yourself and any dependants, while also paying for the course.
These requirements apply to students from all over the world. This means the UK student visa requirements for Indian students and American students are exactly the same for Chinese students and Australian students (and so on).
