UK Post Study Work Permit for Overseas Students

by Nationwide Visas Canadian Immigration Expert

The Post Study UK Work Permit allows overseas students with a UK Student Visa to remain in the nation for searching jobs for 24 months upon completion of their Graduate Study Program.

The UK has also amended the Work Permit policy for UK Student Visa holders recently. Post Study UK Work Permit holders can be employed in any occupation in the first year of the completion of their graduation. This is until they get a job to transition to the UK General Work Visa.

The UK will again likely emerge as the most favored option for overseas students due to this policy of permitting stay in the UK after students complete graduation. Study Abroad applicants who might be seeking other European nations can again seek to study in the UK.

Post Study Work Visa UK Eligibility

In order to qualify for the Post Study UK Work Visa or Graduate Route UK Visa, applicants have to fulfill the following criteria:

Applicants must be in the UK while filing the application
They must have a UK Student Visa or a General Tier 4 UK Student Visa
Candidates must have completed a Post-graduate or Graduate or any other qualified degree such as Doctorate in the UK for a specific time period on their Study Visa
The College/University has to inform the Home Office regarding the successful completion of their study program

The least duration of studies in the UK is as per below:

You must have pursued studies for a minimum of 12 months if the duration of your course is 12 months plus
Your duration of study must be on par with the course duration if the course lasts for less than 12 months. For instance, you must have studied for a minimum of ten months in the UK if the course duration is 10 months.

COVID-19 Deliberation (if you were away from the UK owing to COVID-19)

If the duration of your UK Student Visa was more than 1 year, then during January 24, 2020, and June 30, 2022, any period of time stayed overseas can be considered as the duration spent in the UK for studies.

Even if the duration of your Study Visa was for 1 year or lesser, you can still file an application for the UK Graduate Visa if you fulfill the following criteria:

Your course commenced prior to June 21, 2021, and you arrived in the UK on or prior to September 27, 2021, on the Study Visa
Your course commenced between June 31, 2021, and June 30, 2022, and you arrived in the UK on or prior to June 30, 2022, on the Study Visa

Work authorization for overseas students in the UK after Graduation

The latest Post Study UK Work Visa permits overseas students to be employed in the UK upon completion of graduation. The policy is applicable to Doctorate, Master’s, and Bachelor’s students.

Overseas students who have completed a Master’s or Bachelor’s degree can get a Graduate Visa with a validity of two years. The validity of the Graduate Visa will be three years if they have completed a Doctoral or Ph.D. degree.

The beginning of the Graduate Visa will be counted from the day on which your application is approved.

When should you apply for the Post Study UK Work Visa?

You have to file an application for UK Graduate Route or PSW Visa prior to the expiry of your UK Student Visa. The College/University has to update the Home Office regarding the successful conclusion of your study program. It must be noted that there is no need to wait for receiving your certificates.

When do applicants get authentication about the Post Study UK Work Visa?

The Graduate Route UK Visa application process is online. It normally requires 2 months for the announcement of the decision after you have submitted all the specified documents. You are permitted to stay in the UK during this duration.

What is the Post Study Work UK Visa Cost?

The Graduate UK Visa has two components in the fee:

There are two components of the UK Graduate Visa fee: