Are you an international student studying in the UK? Well then, we are sure that you are aware that as an international student, there are plenty of opportunities for you in the UK after you’re done with your studies. Let us tell you what the Graduate Route is and how you can benefit from it as an international student.
What is the Graduate Route?
Through the new Graduate Route, international students who have successfully finished their undergraduate or masters’ degree can benefit from two years work experience in the UK after their graduation. This includes a visa fee of £700 and the Immigration Health Surcharge at £624 per year.
In order to apply for the Graduate Route, students should have the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) used for their most recent Student or Tier 4 application.
When can you apply for Graduate Route?
This is applicable from 1st July 2021. Therefore, students who graduate after this date or have already started their courses will be eligible to apply for this. The student will require a new visa application and this is possible only from inside the UK.
Are you eligible to apply?
The Graduate Route is available to international students with a valid student visa at the time of application and must have successfully completed their degree at the undergraduate level or above in a Higher education Institution with a track record of compliance.
Students studying online due to the Covid-19 situation can still apply for the Graduate Route if they meet the requirements of the route.
How long can you stay through the Graduate Route?
You may stay in the UK and work or apply for jobs but the duration differs based on your qualifications. Once you get a suitable job, graduates will be allowed to switch into skilled work.
- Bachelor degree or Masters degree graduates: 2 years
- PhD graduates: 3 years
Let’s take a look at what the UK government’s Covid-19 student visa concessions guidance states:
- If a student commenced a course of 12 months or less in 2020 or 2021 through distance learning and has not previously entered the UK to study the course, they will be allowed to make an application if they manage to get a successful student visa application and arrive in the UK either before their visa ends or by 27th September 2021.
- If a student commenced a course of 12 months or less in 2020 or 2021 with existing permission to pursue that course as a student and has already travelled to the UK during that study period, they will be allowed to apply as long as they manage to enter the UK before the end date of their permission.
- Students sponsored for a course lasting for more than 12 will still be eligible to apply for the Graduate Route despite having done distance learning either in the UK or overseas between 24 January 2020 and 27 September 2021.
The UK travel restrictions for international students:
Ever since the Covid-19 disrupted international mobility, students who wish to study abroad were affected immensely. And one of the popular educational destinations, the United Kingdom is no exception. But as times are changing and getting better, the question which immediately pops-up in the minds of Malaysian aspirants is “Can we travel to the UK from Malaysia?”. And the answer is a big YESSS!
The UK’s traffic light system, which segregated countries all over the world based on the severity of the pandemic, was slowly removed from 4 October 2021. But on 26th November, a few countries were again added onto the Red list, but fortunately Malaysia is not.
According to the UK immigration regulations, though Malaysia is not in the red list, there are few requirements to be followed to ensure the wellbeing of people. International students are expected to be qualified as fully vaccinated individuals in order to enter England. The final dose of approved vaccination must have been taken 14 days prior to your arrival in the UK.
The document supporting your vaccination you submit to the authorities must be either issued by the UK vaccination programme or an overseas vaccination programme approving the proof of vaccination to travel to the UK.
Given below are the list of approved vaccinations accepted by the UK government:
- Moderna
- Janssen
- Oxford/AstraZeneca
- Covaxin
- Pfizer BioNTech
- Sinovac-CoronaVac
- Sinopharm Beijing
If you are an individual travelling from non-red list countries and qualify as a fully vaccinated traveler, you are not required to provide a negative Covid-19 test result before travelling to the UK and you are not expected to self-isolate. However, after reaching the country you are expected to take a Covid-19 test on or before day 2 of your arrival. Moreover, international students from red list countries are subjected to self-isolation and they must make sure that they are not attending on-campus classes during their quarantine period.
