Student visa holders, who have successfully completed a degree, may consider an application to the Graduate visa route. The Graduate visa offers an opportunity to pursue sponsor-free employment in the UK. UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) defines "successfully completed" as achieving the qualification for which you were enrolled, regardless of formal graduation ceremony attendance.
This guidance is specifically intended for graduates of the University of Strathclyde.
You must meet all of the conditions listed below to make a Graduate visa application:
If applicable:
If you previously had permission under the Doctorate Extension Scheme, you will not be eligible for the Graduate visa.
How long you can be in the UK depends on the qualification you complete and when you are eligible to apply for your Graduate visa.
The Graduate visa length will be:
For PhD or other doctoral qualifications, the Graduate visa will last for 3 years.
The Graduate visa starts from the day your application receives a decision.
If you travel outside the UK during term-time, you must have this authorised in advance by your academic department. If travel outside the UK is agreed by the academic department, and you continue to engage in your studies throughout your planned time outside the UK, your Student visa status should not be affected.
The academic calendar is at https://www.strath.ac.uk/keydates/
The International Student Support and Visa Compliance Teams are unable to advise on eligibility for the Graduate visa based on past, proposed, or confirmed travel dates. You must meet the eligibility criteria at the time of application.
Please be advised, as part of the application process, you will have to share your travel history. Our teams are unable to advise on how UKVI caseworkers will assess an applicant's travel history. Therefore it is suggested you keep a careful record of travel outside the UK throughout your studies at the University of Strathclyde.
The University can only make a report of your successful completion if the following details are up-to-date:
You can check both of these by logging in to your PEGASUS account and selecting the Personal Details and Curriculum History tabs respectively.
You will need:
Some applicants may need to provide additional documents.
If you received official financial sponsorship from a Government or international scholarship agency covering both your fees and living costs in the UK in the last 12 months before applying for the Graduate visa:
The application will ask students if you have received money from a financial sponsor in the last 12 months before you apply for your Graduate visa. This question is “Have you received money from a financial sponsor?”
As the question is broad and vague, please see the table below based on your specific funding situation:
|
If your funding was from.. |
How you answered this on the form |
What to upload/provide as supporting evidence |
|
A Government or international scholarship agency |
Yes |
You must provide a formal letter of consent from that Government or international scholarship agency. The University cannot provide this. |
|
A University scholarship or bursary |
Yes |
Upload your original Scholarship Award Letter or your original CAS if the scholarship information is noted on your CAS, highlighting clearly where in the CAS your scholarship is noted.
The University does not issue written consent for the Graduate visa. |
|
Personal funds / Funds from your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) |
No |
No further action required. |
The University of Strathclyde is not required to provide written consent to students applying for the Graduate visa if financial sponsorship was received from the University, such as a scholarship. For more information, see the Graduate caseworker guidance.
Unlike most other UK visas, you will not be required to show finances when applying for the Graduate visa.
If any of the above documents are not in English or Welsh, you will have to provide a certified translation.
The Graduate visa application fee is:
You will also have to pay the Immigration Healthcare Surcharge (IHS) for each applicant.
IHS costs
If you're eligible for a Graduate visa for:
Dependant children under the age of 18 will pay the discounted rate of £776 per year.
Both of the above costs will be payable at the point of application.
When starting your application you will be asked to enter a contact email address. Please do not use your University of Strathclyde email address. Please use a personal email address where you have access.
UKVI will consider and decide on your visa application within 8 weeks in most cases.
To apply, dependants must:
Dependants cannot apply outside the UK to join you as a Dependant on the Graduate visa route. This is confirmed in Appendix GR, paragraph GR 9.4.
The dependant application process is a separate application from the main applicant. While the process is separate, you and your dependants should apply at the same time.
The application link for dependants is available below:
Your dependant(s) will need your Graduate visa application reference number. This is also called a Unique Application Number (UAN) and you will find it in emails and letters from UKVI about your Graduate visa application. Please check your emails and correspondence from the Home Office for this.
After applying for your Graduate visa, you should not travel outside the UK until you have received a decision on your application. Travelling outside the UK will automatically withdraw your Graduate visa application.
If you need to travel urgently while waiting for your visa application decision, your application will be withdrawn automatically.
If your Student visa is still valid, you may be able to re-enter the UK. However, you would have to make a new Graduate visa application in the UK and pay another application fee and healthcare surcharge before the Student visa expires. You would receive a refund for the healthcare surcharge on your first Graduate visa application only.
To be eligible for the Graduate visa, students must be in the UK on a valid Student visa and have successfully completed an eligible qualification at Exam Board. Students will also need to consider that the following scenarios could impact students' ability to apply for the Graduate visa.
Early planning is key and remember that completion of your course is not a guarantee of eligibility for the Graduate visa. Check your Student visa dates and progress on your course with your academic department in advance.
For students who have completed a qualification that are not at PhD-level or doctoral-level, the Graduate visa length may differ depending on your Graduate visa application date.
By understanding these factors and planning ahead, you can increase your chances of a smoother journey toward applying for a Graduate visa.
If you are placed on Financial Sanction, or you are compulsorily withdrawn due to outstanding academic debt in line with the University’s Debt Management Policy, this can prevent the University from releasing your results and/or confirming your award.
If you hold a Student visa, and your results and/or award cannot be confirmed because of Financial Sanction or compulsory withdrawal, the University would be unable to report successful course completion to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).
Being reported as having successfully completed your course is a core eligibility requirement for the Graduate Route. If the University cannot confirm and report successful completion, you would not be eligible for the Graduate Route visa.
It is essential that you settle any outstanding student debt or you will be subject to compulsory withdrawal. Once a compulsory withdrawal has been processed and your student record has been updated, it is not reversible.
If you are concerned about outstanding academic debt, you should contact Finance Helpdesk as soon as possible to discuss your options.
For more information please view the University’s Debt Management Policy for Students and webpage guidance on payment of tuition fees.
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) requires the University to confirm successful course completion before eligibility for the Graduate Route can be assessed. The University's International Student Support (ISST) and Visa Compliance Teams (VCT) can't advise on an individual's eligibility for the Graduate visa until an official Exam Board has made a student a final award.
The University of Strathclyde is not able to report course completion until results have been formally ratified by the relevant Examination Board and the award has been confirmed.
Even where resit assessments take place earlier, there is always a period between completing assessments and formal ratification by the Examination Board. ISST and VCT cannot expedite this process or issue confirmation of completion prior to ratification.
Please be mindful that while the University provides notification of successful completion, UKVI makes the final assessment of Graduate Route visa eligibility. Students are therefore reminded to check that they meet all other Home Office criteria for the Graduate Route visa. Current eligibility is shown on this page and will be updated in line with updates from UKVI.
Decisions relating to exam scheduling, resit dates and academic regulations are made by the relevant Faculty or Academic Department. ISST and VCT do not have authority to amend resit dates, request exceptions, or adjust academic timelines to align with visa expiry dates.
For questions about your academic standing, resit requirements, or the likelihood of meeting your programme requirements, students are advised to contact your Academic Department directly.