Post Study Work (PSW) Visa

Earlier this year, the UK government has announced the Graduate Immigration Route which is also known as Post Study Work (PSW) visa. The route is presented as a flagship policy of the UK government and is aimed at making the UK more attractive to international students. The new Post Study Work (PSW) visa is a rebirth of Tier 1 (Post Study Worker) route, which was discontinued back in 2012.

What is the new Graduate Route visa?

The Graduate Route is a new UK post-study work visa to be introduced for international students graduating in summer 2021 or later. It will allow you to live and work in the UK for up to two years after a Masters, or three years after a PhD.

Who will be eligible for a Graduate Route / Post Study Work (PSW) visa?

The Graduate Route is intended to be available to anyone graduating from a UK degree who holds a Tier 4 visa when the system is introduced in 2021. The new Graduate Route will be available to postgraduate students who hold a valid Tier 4 visa at the end of one of the following courses:

• A one-year Masters beginning in the 2020-21 academic year or later
• A two-year Masters beginning in the 2019-20 academic year or later
• A three-year Masters (or longer) or a PhD beginning in the 2018-19 academic year or later

Key points of Post Study Work (PSW) visa

• The Graduate Immigration Route will be 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 visa at the time of application.
• Successful applicants on this route will be able to stay and work or look for work, in the UK at any skill level for a maximum period of two years. Graduates will be able to switch into skilled work once they have found a suitable job.
• The new route will be launched in the summer of 2021, meaning that any eligible student who graduates in the summer of 2021 or after will be able to apply for the route. This includes students who have already started their courses. Universities will also be able to attract students starting in the 2020/21 academic year on the basis that they will benefit.
• The launch of the route demonstrates the government’s support for our education sector, and commitment to the International Education Strategy, which sets out our ambition to increase education exports to £35 billion and the number of international higher education students to 600,000 by 2030.
• The graduate immigration route will require a new application.
• It will include the payment of a visa fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge. The exact fee will be set out in due course.
• Those who graduate and whose Tier 4 leave expires before the route is introduced will not be eligible, however, most of these students will have had no expectation of benefitting from such a route when they applied to study in the UK.