PSW or a Graduate Visa for the UK

PSW or a Graduate Visa for the UK

since July 2021 international students can benefit from a graduate visa or PSW visa in the UK it is an amazing opportunity because it allows international students to work in the UK for two or three years upon graduation and they can either work in a new job or look for a position so in this article I wish to share with you some of my observations about the reality of this visa when it comes to starting your career in the UK as an international student.

graduate visa in the UK or graduate route or PSW how it's called sometimes what it is about I'm not an immigration advisor I'm a career consultant and potential student in the UK so keep this in mind if you're looking for immigration advice you need to contact immigration lawyers. let me provide some general information about this visa it's all taken from gov.uk website, which is the official website of the UK government and that's where the most relevant and up-to-date information comes from.

Observations and truth about PSW visa

To be eligible for a graduate visa or PSW in the UK when you apply:

- you must be in the UK

- you must be still on a valid student visa or tier4 visa

- you should have graduated from a bachelor's course or postgraduate course or other courses that are allowed

- your education provider should have informed the home office that you have completed your degree successfully

when all of these conditions are true you should be eligible for this visa if you're not sure you can always contact your university and contact immigration lawyers go to gov.uk website.

1-Easy to get

the first observation that I have noticed about a graduate visa is that it is relatively easy to get this visa provided you meet the requirements. the government is not trying to trick you they're not trying to take this visa away from you I know a lot of students that switched to this visa without any issues but you need to keep in mind that if you violated any immigration laws on your student visa then you might have a problem, for example, could be either you have not come to the UK by the deadline or you worked extra hours more than allowed on your visa or you've done some kind of crime so, in this case, you might have trouble getting a graduate visa.

also, know that if your dependents were not on your student visa with you so if your husband and children were not your dependents on your student visa with you it's very likely they won't be able to be your dependents on the graduate visa.

also, I have noticed that you usually don't require any solicitor's help when applying for this visa if you don't have any exceptional circumstances this is because I've noticed a lot of students applied themselves online and the process was quite straightforward obviously if you need any special advice then do reach out to a solicitor.

2-Uncertainty

the second observation I want to share with you is that there is some uncertainty about how long this visa will last why am I so worried about it well I was a student back in 2011 I arrived in the UK around 2012 the student visa extension or graduate visa was canceled so I didn't have a chance to benefit from this visa even though when I arrived to the UK as a bachelor student this visa was still there so if they canceled it once they can cancel it again because laws change and immigration politics change.

I don't think it will be that quickly but we can never know if you're planning to come and you to the UK in two or three years just keep in mind to check about the laws and never rely on that they still be there.

3-Hiring international students

some companies prefer to hire students on graduate visas and then switch them to skilled worker visas if they perform, so this is good and bad news on one hand it is a good thing because a lot of companies that were cautious about sponsoring international students before now less worried they are more open to international students because they can have that trial period to get to know the candidate to get to know whether they can perform the role and after that, they're more confident of spending the money on the visa and also taking that responsibility of sponsoring.

but on the other hand, some companies that were willing to sponsor students straight away now don't might do it and take longer to switch a student to a skilled worker visa and that means that just international students are faced with a little bit more uncertainty about the future career in the UK and also it means that it takes longer to get a permanent residence or citizenship in the UK for the foreign workers.

a lot of firms, unfortunately, Hiring international students still don't hire international students even if they have a graduate visa or PSW visa, yes, a reality by law you can work in any job right and you and that feels like you're completely free but in reality, a lot of companies won't hire a candidate that would require eventually a visa after two years it's not an unlimited right to work it is still restricted and some companies are worried what if we train this employee but then we won't be able to sponsor them.

why companies don't want to hire students on graduate visas:

first of all, they may be they don't have a license so they will never be able to sponsor you and they're worried that it's not a good investment into this candidate and they want someone long term so they don't want to train someone for long and then won't be able to keep them.

another reason could be they just don't know enough about this visa since they don't have knowledge they decide just not to bother at all when they hear something they don't know about they're probably just saying it's easy to go with a British candidate another reason could be that many graduate schemes or graduate programs last longer than two years it could be two and a half or three years and then they won't have enough time to train an employer on the graduate program during the graduate visa.

so if you're planning to switch to a graduate visa have realistic expectations that not all firms are going to be waiting to hire you you'll still have to negotiate with options explain your visa options and search for the right opportunities.

I created an exclusive online course specifically designed for international students it's called get hired in the UK and in this course, I share my ultimate strategy for getting a job in the UK as an international student on a skilled worker visa or graduate visa; in this course, I share materials tips and advice on writing an effective cv cover letters applying for jobs interviewing passing different assessments as well as networking and visa negotiations so you can check out this course via this link .

but also if you're not sure if you want to start a course with me yet then you need some free help I have a free training it's one-hour long training on how to get a job in the UK and it's completely free to watch and I encourage you to register because you can get a promotion on my to get hired in UK course.

Getting a good job

it's still quite difficult to get a good graduate position even with a PSW on your graduate visa even if the company is willing to hire a student on a graduate visa it is still a competitive market even if you're British graduating is stressful finding the first job is stressful even if you have experience in your home country or experience outside your course it's still a difficult process to go through all the hiring stages to apply to negotiate your salary and visa options.

If you want to get a good job on a graduate visa and by a good job I mean something that is going to help you towards your career something that can lead to a skilled worker visa then be prepared for hard work be prepared for putting the effort and energy.

Employers don't understand what is graduate visa

it's not a bad thing it just means that you can't assume that you are saying oh I have a graduate visa that the employee straight away knows okay so you can work for two years or three years in the UK without restrictions, no they probably don't know about it so you have to explain what it means you need to explain what it means for them to hire you you need to explain about the laws don't be afraid that's completely natural conversation just do not assume that everyone knows about your situation and you can explain to them how it can benefit them in terms of sponsoring you how it can give them extra time to get to know you and what are your options after the two years.

Employers take advantage

some employers can take advantage of international students being hungry for work or being a little bit desperate for work I'm not trying to be negative and I think most employers are very honest but in reality, a lot of employers could be very positive about what it means to get a sponsorship license or what it means to sponsor a student for a skilled worker visa.

so the highest student on a graduate visa and they just think okay yes I'll get the license, I'll get to sponsor them because this person is great they're going to work hard, and in reality, they don't understand what it means to sponsor they don't have the right paperwork they're not having research the costs be very clear whether the company has a license before you go work for them on graduate visa once they have sponsored anyone before it's okay if they haven't got the license or never sponsored.

but if they don't do they understand how much it will cost do they understand what the process is like have they given you a clear timeline for when they'll switch you to a skilled worker visa so I recommend having a clear conversation before you start working for an employer on graduate visa and just explaining okay after two years or after one year I'm going to switch to a skilled worker visa how realistic it is that you will sponsor me ask them to be honest with you it's okay to work for an employer that is not going to sponsor you afterward you can get the experience you can get the relevant skills but you need to know is not going to sponsor.

so you can have a plan b so you can start applying for jobs when the time comes I would hate for you to stay up for two years on this visa and then go back home just because someone has promised you a skilled work visa maybe I'm being a bit of a cautious because I care about how the international students use that time on a graduate visa but if you have an open polite conversation with your employer about the future of your visa status or future your immigration future in the UK I don't think they'll judge you it's a completely mature conversation to have if you're working for someone.

Retake

if you retake any exams or any modules and your student visa expires you won't be able to apply for the graduate route, so basically one of the international students have told me that they had to retake a module and this module was coursework based and the university did not extend the visa because it was a coursework based module that the student could have finished back home and the student visa expired before they got the result the final result of the degree and they were not able to apply for the graduate visa.

I cannot verify you know all the details it is case by case but these are the rumors that are going around this is what people are telling me but and it's up to you to find out from your university your sponsor what is the case if you have to retake any of the courses and any of the coursework maybe the summary of this observation could be that if you have to retake any subjects or any modules of your course be very careful in terms of your student visa expiring because to get the graduate visa you need to have a valid student visa be in UK and graduate with a degree result so if you don't have any of this you won't be able to apply for graduate visa, so you need to talk to university be very clear on how it impacts your student visa if you have to retake and just plan in case you need extra immigration help.