New post-study visa allows Indian students to stay in UK for work without sponsor

Indian students who have graduated from a UK university will now be able to apply for a post-work study visa now known as the Graduate Route allowing them to work in the UK for two years after they graduate without any need for a sponsor.

The new route? will open for applications on July 1, to international students who successfully complete a degree at undergraduate level or above in the UK. Those who graduate and whose Tier 4 or student visa leave expires before the route is introduced will not be eligible.

International students must have completed an eligible course at a UK higher education provider, with a track record of compliance with the government’s immigration requirements, to apply to the Graduate Route. Students on the Graduate Route will be able to work or look for work after their studies for a maximum period of two years, or three years for PhD students.

The Graduate Route will be ‘unsponsored’, meaning applicants will not need a job offer to apply for the route. There will be no minimum salary requirements nor caps on numbers they will be able to work flexibly and switch jobs.