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Graduate visa

Lets you stay in the UK for at least 18 months after successfully completing an eligible UK degree or course on a Student visa. You must apply from inside the UK.

Applies to: Whole UK

Go to the official website: gov.uk

Official links

Who handles it

Step by step

  1. Check you are eligible: you are in the UK on a Student visa and finished an eligible course for the required time.
  2. Make sure your university or college has told the Home Office that you completed the course.
  3. Apply online and pay the fee and the healthcare surcharge.
  4. Prove your identity with the UK Immigration: ID Check app or at a UKVCAS appointment, as you are told.
  5. Stay in the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision.

What you need

  • A valid passport or travel document.
  • The CAS reference number from your Student visa application (ask your university if you lost it).
  • If a sponsor paid your fees and living costs in the last 12 months: their letter agreeing to your application.
  • Certified translations of any documents not in English or Welsh.

Common mistakes

  • Travelling abroad before the decision: your application will be withdrawn.
  • Applying before your education provider has reported that you completed the course.
  • Applying from outside the UK: you have to be in the UK when you apply.

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