The new post-study work visa in the UK for graduates would help foreign students who will be starting their studies in the United Kingdom in 2020 or afterward. This typically means a 24-month work and residency permit (2 years) following graduation.
Post Study Work Visa In The UK
The UK post-study work visa enables foreign students to stay for up to 2 years in the United Kingdom after graduation to find work.
For all foreign students starting their studies in autumn 2020 or later, the new visa rules will come into force. PSW visa holders can start work in any job they can find for the first two years after graduation.
After graduation, the chance to stay and work for two years makes the UK an enticing destination for students looking to begin their international careers. Few other countries in Europe give their international students such good conditions. The UK post-study work visa fee is £575.
What’s new?
The post-study work visa in the UK reform is not new, but rather an old scheme that is being revived. Before 2012, they graduate from a UK university, the UK allowed students on Tier 4 visas to stay in the UK and search for a job for two years.
The UK post study work visa changes include a modified policy in 2012, and current graduates with bachelor’s or master’s degrees can look for work for only four months before they are forced to return to their home countries.
A big advantage for foreign students is the Graduate Immigration Path. Not only does the two-year post study visa allow graduates more flexibility to search for a career, but it also opens a window for new graduates to take the time to look for work in their degree sector.
The route would also encourage students to apply later for longer-term work visas, such as transitioning to a professional work visa. This is a major benefit for foreign students who, after graduation, are searching for long-term jobs in the UK or the chance to move to a permanent settlement.
Does that mean a student can stay in the UK even after the completion of their studies?
Yes. From September 2020, any student enrolled at a UK university may remain in the UK for up to two years after graduation to search for work relevant to their degree or course. This refers to graduates who are known as ‘approved visa sponsors’ of all higher education providers.
Post Study Work Visa In The UK Eligibility
Any foreign student on a Tier 4 visa who, from September 2020, enrolls at a UK institution will be able to remain in the UK to find a job after graduation.
This is an extension of rule changes that permitted Ph.D. students to remain after graduation in the United Kingdom. The UK claims this is because it needs to expand its fields in the STEM industry. The choice will be available to all graduates from 2020 onwards.
Earlier, Bachelor’s or Master’s degree graduates had just four months to stay and search for a career. That has been enhanced to two years with the latest graduate visa rules.
Will EU Students get any other benefit?
Currently, it seems likely that EU people would have to apply for a PSW visa after Brexit to remain in the UK after their studies. Any EU student who begins a course at a UK university in 2019 can qualify for domestic tuition for the total length of their degree. This has been extended to 2020 by universities in Scotland.
But Brexit could have a detrimental effect on EU citizens’ rights to live and work in the United Kingdom after they graduate. The United Kingdom did not negotiate with the EU at the time of writing about how it will exit or what the relationship will look like after Brexit, but it is fair to believe that EU students will lose their automatic right to work in the United Kingdom after they graduate, and probably while they study.
What will happen after the end of the post-work Visa period?
The UK post study work visa enables graduates to search for some sort of employment, and after graduation, they will normally be allowed to stay for up to two years. That means students will be able to work in any job they can find for the two years immediately after they graduate.
But when that time ends and the PSW visa expires, someone who wishes to remain in the UK for longer will have to apply for a ‘general work visa’ (or ‘skilled work visa’) to be moved.
Then the work that a student aspires for must suit the visa requirements for a Tier 2 visa, the ‘common work visa.’ That typically means one has to be paid at least £ 30,000 a year, but this amount can be higher or lower for certain workers.
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Which university graduates/study program shall be given preference for PSW?
The UK post study visa is usually eligible for graduates from all UK universities. The prerequisite is that it is regarded as a trusted organization by the British government, often referred to as ‘approved sponsors.’ If a university fails to keep its ‘tested track record’ on maintaining immigration and visa checks, it may be altered. So while planning to study in the UK, it is advised to double-check if the University one is aspiring to go to is confirmed on this list.
Also, graduates from all academic disciplines are entitled to a UK post study visa. The UK government has also eased visa regulations for students graduating from a higher-level degree in STEM fields, such as Master’s or Ph.D., in 2019 (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). This will be extended from 2020 to any graduate of any degree from trusted providers of higher education. Whatever, a full-degree is needed. For someone studying a short course, an English language training course, an A-Level, or a Baccalaureate, the current visa regulations do not apply.
There’s no need to have a sponsor to apply for a PSW visa. Sponsors are generally required for other forms of visas. The ‘sponsor’ in this situation is the institution from which the student graduates – as long as it qualifies. Any foreign graduate is eligible for a post study work visa in the UK from a recognized list of UK universities.
Would this apply to students attending University lectures online due to Pandemic?
With the global COVID-19 pandemic pushing universities worldwide to turn rapidly to online or distance learning, the query on the minds of many current and prospective foreign students is, ‘What happens if universities decide to teach online in the academic year 2020/2021?’
As for the current post study work visa UK scheme, the Universities UK fact sheet takes the view that the Graduate Route should not be skipped by students who study part of their course in online mode and spend less than 11 months in the UK as a result.
The UK Home Office also announced that as long as they are in the UK by April 2021 and finish their final semester in the UK, those studying through distance/blended learning will still be able to apply for the Graduate path.
Advantages of the PSW Visa
The post study work visa in the UK provides a unique way for foreign students, who make up a significant part of UK universities, to approach and attract them.
2-Year Post-Work Permit
Under the new graduate route, the post study work visa UK permit is a scheme that enables Indian students pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate courses at UK universities to remain behind and search for work in the UK for up to two years after graduation and completion of their studies.
Benefits for STEM Graduates
To apply for permanent resident status in the UK with work privileges, the current point-based immigration scheme, which will become effective from January 2021, includes a minimum of 70 points. In the new immigration scheme, foreign students with STEM credentials and job-related STEM-based Ph.D. degrees will gain 20 additional points.
Dependent Work Rights
The PSW visa scheme also offers job rights for employees of foreign postgraduate students in the United Kingdom and provides almost complete access to the UK labor market. The dependents are allowed to work at any level of competence. A foreign student studying at the postgraduate level, with an accredited provider of higher education, is permitted to bring dependants to the UK for any course of at least nine months.
Easy to find jobs on the shortage occupation list
The new immigration system offers an additional 20 marks for the jobs that appear on the UK Government’s Shortage Occupation List. In the new point-based immigration scheme, a foreign student pursuing any relevant technical degree at a UK university that falls under skills shortage and is part of the Shortage Occupation list can find it easier to obtain a position in the UK and apply for a residency permit.
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