Post Study Work Options

The Graduate Immigration Route (also known as a post study work visa) was introduced in 2021. Please see below for a summary of the key points of this visa, which you may be eligible for after successfully completing your degree at Brunel University. 

Further information about the rules for applying for the Graduate Visa can be found at the UKVI website. The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) also has useful guidance at their website. 

• International students who successfully complete their course may be eligible to apply. This means that the student must be formally awarded the degree qualification for the course they were enrolled on;

• It will be open to students who successfully complete a course an undergraduate, postgraduate or research degree, and who have a valid Tier 4/Student visa at the point of application (which must have been issued for the completed course). 

• The student must have a valid Tier 4/Student visa at the point of application and must be in the UK. It will not be possible to 'switch' from a non-Student visa to the Graduate visa. The student must have completed the degree qualification that the Student visa was issued for. Unfortunately, lower exit awards such as diplomas and certificates are not eligible.  

• The visa will be two years long and will allow a graduate to work, or look for work, in any sector and at any level in the UK. The visa will be three years long for research graduates i.e. PhD; 

• The visa will not be extendable and will not lead to settlement in the UK. However, it will be possible to switch into a skilled work route if the standard requirements are met; 

• Please visit the UKVI webiste for further details on how to apply and how much the visa costs: Graduate visa: Overview - GOV.UK

Another type of visa that would allow you to work full-time after your studies is the Skilled Worker visa. Unlike the Graduate Visa, this visa has to be sponsored by a licensed employer (in a similar way to how Brunel sponsors a Student visa to study). The rules around this are more rigid and you should check with your potential employer if they can sponsor you for a Skilled Work Visa. Please visit the UKVI website for further details of the requirements for this visa. 

Please note that if you are an undergraduate or postgraduate student, you can only switch from a Student to a Skilled Worker visa upon completion of your degree course.  If you are a research student, you can only apply to switch if you have completed at least two years of your PhD programme. These dates will be calculated by your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).

If you find employment in the UK healthcare sector after finishing your studies, you may be eligible for a Health and Care Worker Visa. This is similar to the Skilled Worker Visa above, but is specific to certain healthcare roles such as doctors, nurses and other health and social care professionals. The visa also has to be sponsored by a licensed employer. 

Further information about the benefits of the Health and Care Worker Visa and rules for applying can be found at the UKVI website.