UK Visas

Careers Advisers at the University of Oxford Careers Service can support you to make competitive applications for jobs in the UK and abroad, but we are not legally able to advise you on individual visa questions. However, we often help international applicants think strategically about their options and the sectors they are applying to and how the various visa options available in the UK may fit with your career interests. 

Resources

• The University’s Student Immigration team is best served to answer your visa queries with their detailed resources online and their email available for questions on visas. Include your student number in your email, so the team can find out your nationality with ease: student.immigration@admin.ox.ac.uk. 
  • The Student Immigration Team and Careers Service deliver a termly 'Visas for Staying to Work in the UK' session, and you can register for this via CareerConnect or email hello@careers.ox.ac.uk for details of the next talk.
• The UK Visas and Immigration website will give you the latest working visa information and details of a number of other visa schemes.
• UKCISA, the UK Council for International Student Affairs, offers independent information and advice about immigration, finance and working in the UK.

What is the difference between the Graduate Route Visa and the Skilled Worker Visa?

The explanations below are intended as a brief overview only and you will need to do your own research using the resources above. 

IF eligible, the Graduate Route Visa allows you to work or look for work following successful course completion. It lasts for 2 years (Undergraduate/Masters), or 3 years (DPhil/PhD). It does not require sponsorship from an employer. 

The Skilled Worker Visa is a visa for a specific eligible job with an employer who has a Skilled Worker license. Sponsorship from the employer is required, known as a Certificate of Sponsorship (COS).

The UCAS International Podcast on visas contains a helpful explanation of both routes.

Graduate Route Visa Top Tips

Once you have read the details about the various visa options available to you, and IF the Graduate Route is an option for you, consider the following top tips to improve your chances of working in the UK using Graduate Route:

• Master the UK visa application process – review the Graduate Route FAQs on the Oxford Visa & Immigration web pages.
• Think carefully about timing your application to allow the longest period of working in the UK
• Read the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) report on Graduate Route: ‘Not heard of this’ to better understand the perspective from employers
• Focus on the benefits to the employer:
  •  No fees to pay, No sponsorship, Trial opportunity
• Grad Route: focus on small or medium sized employers as most large companies will not use Graduate Route for their graduate schemes of 2+ years
• Help employers see you as reward and not a risk
• Mention you’d love to be sponsored but you’re happy with Graduate Route
• Learn about the skilled worker visa & be ready to ask about this after 3 months+ (be ready to correct them e.g. no resident labour market test!)
• Be persistent, organised and focused.

The Graduate route can give you more time to find sponsored jobs under the skilled worker route. Continue to develop your employability skills and build a reputation with your employer to persuade them to offer you progression into a job that meets the requirements for sponsorship.

Sponsorship Top Tips

Once you have read the details about the various visa options available to you, and IF sponsorship is an option for you, consider the following top tips to improve your chances of being sponsored to work in the UK:

• In general, larger firms are more likely to have the budget and resources to be a sponsor of multiple international students, whereas smaller to medium sized firms may not be aware of the requirements, or sponsor on an ad-hoc basis.

• Try these job search platforms specifically for international students:
  • Student Circus: A job search portal for international students in the UK on Tier-4 visas, listing jobs and internships from companies with Skilled Worker visa sponsorship licences. If your university isn’t a partner of the site, you can register for a 30-day free trial with your student email.
  • UKHired.com: A new job search platform for foreign nationals seeking jobs in the UK, set up by the international graduate Anastasia Agafonova. The platform has a unique visa-points-based calculator aligned with the UK government's new points-based system.
  • GOV.UK has a register of licensed sponsors that you can use to identify companies who you may want to work for. Note that this list is not indicative of firms that will sponsor, only of firms who have a licence to sponsor. You can also use the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association members directory to find immigration advisers who can help to identify licensed sponsors.
  • TargetJobs has lots of good advice and job opportunities too: Guide to job hunting for international students (targetjobs.co.uk)
  • Visa Sponsor Jobs: A job search portal for international students to find opportunities for visa sponsorship beyond the Graduate route visa in the UK.

Working in the UK While a Student

If you are considering working during your studies you must check that the type and amount of work is allowed by your visa as well as making sure it fits in with your course. It is a criminal offence with serious penalties to work more hours than permitted or undertake a type of work not permitted under your visa conditions. Depending on your status, it is possible to work in the UK whilst you are studying. Visit the working while studying page on the University’s website to find out more.