Graduate route visa

The graduate route visa is currently a two year (three year for PhD students) work visa. The visa permits you to work or look for work in the UK. It is only for those who have a degree or other relevant qualification from an approved UK higher education provider, such as The University of Liverpool.

Please note that you cannot study at degree level whilst holding a Graduate Route visa if you are undertaking studies that can be sponsored under the Student Route Visa  

Please note that for applications made on or after 1st January 2027, if you studied on an undergraduate or postgraduate taught program then, if successful, you will only be issued with a Graduate Route visa for 18 months; if you apply before 1st January 2027 then you will be issued with a Graduate Route visa for 2 years. PhD students will continue to receive a 3 year visa  

Webinars

IAG run webinars on the Graduate Route visa 2-3 times per year. You should receive an invite to these sessions by email throughout the year if you are an existing University of Liverpool Student. Please look out for these to book a place on the sessions. Alternatively, below you will find all of the information you need to plan for and apply for the Graduate Route visa. 

Eligibility

You must have been awarded a relevant qualification, which at The University of Liverpool is either: 

  • An undergraduate degree
  • A Masters degree
  • A PhD degree

Important note: Students who work towards one of the above qualifications but don't achieve the full degree, for example, studying towards a Masters degree but being awarded a PG Diploma/Certificate, are not eligible for the Graduate Route visa.

For details on the full list of relevant qualifications please see here. 

You can only hold the Graduate Route visa once. You can not previously have held a Tier 4 Doctorate Extension Scheme visa. 

You must also have held Student Route visa permission to study in the UK for at least 12 months of your course and been in the UK throughout that time. 

When and how to apply

If you apply before you have successfully completed your course and received an email  stating that you have been reported to UKVI as eligible then your application will be refused

You must hold a valid Student Route visa and have completed the qualifying qualification whilst holding that Student Route visa. You will receive confirmation from the University by email that we have told UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) you have successfully completed your course. 

Students will only be reported who hold a valid Student Route visa at the time of reporting, have met the study location requirement, and have completed the qualification on the Student Route visa you hold.

When will I be reported as eligible to apply? 

For all undergraduate and postgraduate taught programs, reports to the UKVI will usually be made within four weeks after your official results and degree classifications have been published. 

Details about when results will be released is available on the Student Administration pages. Alternatively, contact your school for details of when your results will be available via the results portal.

For postgradaute research students reports are usually made on a monthly basis after the CADDAC session which confirms the award of your PhD. This will usually be the month after submission of your final thesis (including corrections) following your viva but can sometimes be a little later at certain times of the year. Please check the CADDAC dates which can be found here. 

If your Student visa will expire prior to, or very soon after, your expected CADDAC award date you should contact IAG (iagteam@liverpool.ac.uk) as soon as possible explaining that this is the case.

Imprtant note: You MUST not apply for your Graduate Route visa before you have been informed by the University by email that you are now eligible as this could result in your application being refused.

What happens if I have re-sits, repeats or other delays to my course end date? 

If the end date of your course changes for any reason this could well impact your eligibility for the Graduate Route visa. This is because the University can only report you as elgibile for the Graduate Route visa once you have successfully completed your course which includes receiving all of your results before your current Student Route visa ends. Below are some example scenarios of how you could be impacted: 

  • If your course end date is delayed due to resits or repeats, you may be able to extend your Student Route visa as long as you will continue to study with attendance. Please visit our webpages here for more information or email iagteam@liverpool.ac.uk.  
  • If your course end date is delayed due to resits or repeats and you are registered as studying ‘without attendance’ then you will not be eligible to extend your Student Route visa and, if this is at the end of your programme, it is unlikely you would be able to apply for the Graduate Route visa.
  • If you are registered on an undergraduate or postgradaute taught program and your course end date is extended but not for re-sits or repeats, for example, an extension to your dissertation deadline then you may be able to extend your Student Route visa but only from outside the UK. You should check with your school what your new course end date will be and whether the extended registration period will be with or without attendance before contacting IAG to discuss your eligibility. 
  • If your course end date is delayed and you are studying for a PhD, you are normally able to extend your Student Route visa inside the UK which would usually give you more time to then be eligible to apply for the Graduate Route visa after that. Please see our webpages here for information on applying to extend your Student Route visa inside the UK. 

If you have any questions or concerns about your eligibility for the Graduate Route visa please contact IAG as early as possible at iagteam@liverpool.ac.uk.

Where do I apply?

You must apply online for a Graduate Route visa through the UK government website. You must apply inside the UK before your current visa expires. Applications can take up to 8 weeks to process and you must remain in the UK during this time. There is no option for a priority service. 

Apply online

You do not need to have received a decision on your application before your visa expires, you will remain in the UK legally until the Home Office make a decision on your application as long as you apply before your current visa expires.

Documents you need

You will need the following documents:

  • Your current passport
  • Your previous CAS number
  • If your full tuition fees and living costs have been paid by a government and/or an international scholarship agency within the 12-month period before you apply, you must provide a letter showing the financial sponsor's consent to this application under the graduate route. Students who received partial financial support or financial support from The University of Liverpool do not require consent. 

Fees

The application fee will be £880 and an Immigration Health Surcharge fee of £1,035 per 12 months of visa granted will need to be paid. 

What else you need to know

Validity of the Graduate Route visa

The Graduate visa will be valid for 2 or 3 years from the date of decision by the caseworker, not from the end of your Student Route visa. 

E-visa/Digital status 

You will receive a digital status or an electronic / e-visa once your Graduate Route visa is issued. For more information on e-visas please visit here. 

Work Conditions:

You must not work as a professional sportsperson. 

You can take a full time job, however, if you applied for your Student Route visa prior to 6th April 2022 you must not start a full-time permanent job until after your Graduate Route visa is issued; fixed-term or temporary full time jobs are fine. If you applied for your Student Route visa after 6th April 2022 you can start a full-time permanent job after making your Graduate Ruote visa application. 

You can work as an entertainer or be self-employed but only after the Graduate Route visa is issued, regardless of when you applied for your Student Route or Graduate Route visa. 

Study whilst on a Graduate Route visa

You are not permitted to study a course whilst on a Graduate Rute visa that a Student visa can be issued for; i.e. full-time degree level course. If you have further questions about this please ask the course provider. 

Extending your stay

It is not possible to extend a Graduate Route visa or obtain a Graduate Route visa again if you do further studies in the UK; you can only be issued with a Graduate Route visa once. If you are employed in the UK and wish to continue working after your Graduate Route visa expires, speak with your employer about switching to a Skilled Worker visa.  You may also be eligible for a different visa/permission, please check the government webpages. 

Further information

You can find more information on the official UK government website. 

The UK Council for International Student Affairs has very useful information on their web pages.    

Speak to a International Advice and Guidance advisor

If you are unable to find an answer to your query on our web pages email iagteam@liverpool.ac.uk or book an online confidential one-one appointment.