More details emerge on the Graduate Immigration Route

We previously covered the possible return of the Post-Study Work (PSW) Visa. We now understand that the revamped version will be known as the Graduate Immigration Route, and the government has provided further details of this new visa.

The Graduate Immigration Route (GIR), as with the old PSW visa, will be open to international students who have completed at least an undergraduate degree from a compliant university or college with a Tier 4 licence. The key highlights of this route are:

• The route will be launched in the summer of 2021
• The route will require a paid application which will also attract the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). The visa fee will be provided in due course.
• The visa will be granted for up to 2 years, and students would be able to switch into a Work-category visa, once they obtain a suitable job

• Importantly, the visa will be open to existing students whose Tier 4 visa expires after the visa category is introduced. This means those currently on a Tier 4 visa, whose leave expires prior to the start of this route, will not be eligible to apply.
• The visa, as with the Post-Study Work visa, will not lead to settlement. This means if the visa-holder has not been able to switch to a different category before their GIS visa expires, they will have to leave the country.

Comment

The route is nearly identical to the PSW visa, which was dramatically scrapped by Theresa May. The re-introduction will be welcomed by various stakeholders including universities, colleges and international students.