U.K. announces post-graduate work permit for international students
Recently, the U.K. home office has announced a few changes in their work visa policy for international students, following the decrease in the number of international students. The changes are as follows:
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In addition to numerous universities, many embassies have requested changes to U.K.’s policy regarding work visas for international students, as the Brexit movement may subsequently lead to a decrease in the number of international students coming to the U.K.. Taking all these into consideration, on September 11, 2019, U.K.’s home office came up with a long term change in their working visa policy in hopes of restoring the number of international students.
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Current student visa policy states that upon graduation, international students are provided a 4-month period of employment. However, with the implementation of the new visa policy (New Graduate Route), graduates upon obtaining their degrees, regardless of their majors, are able to apply for a 2-year period of employment and are able to work during that time. (The new policy applies to international students graduating in the summer of 2021, and does not apply to students graduating in the summer of 2020.)
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The new changes to the policy have received a positive feedback. The Department for Education (DfE) said the new immigration route would be available to international students “who have successfully completed a course in any subject at undergraduate level or higher at a higher education provider with a track record of compliance, and have tier 4 [visa] at the point the route is introduced,” starting from next year. (Guardian, 2019)
As the changes to their visa policy follows, graduates are able to apply for a 2-year period of employment in U.K. upon completion of their degree. This could possibly be a great news for students seeking to study in U.K., and also implies the possibility of jobs and immigration.
Related articles:
https://www.studyinternational.com/news/uk-post-study-work-visa-2019/