Although there has been a rich pool of talented overseas students at UK universities and colleges for many years it hasn’t always been that easy for UK employers to recruit them once they graduate, primarily from an immigration perspective. However, that all changed when the UK’s new Graduate Route opened in July 2021, enabling employers to recruit recent international graduates on a temporary basis without having to go down the employment sponsorship route.
So, why should you hire an international graduate?
Hiring an international graduate for your startup can be beneficial in all sorts of ways. Firstly, they can bring a different perspective to business problems and challenges and this diversity of thinking and experience can help provide you with new and unique solutions. If you have a skills gap in a particular area or are finding it difficult to recruit for a particular niche role, they may be able to fill that gap and provide you with the expertise that you need.
International graduates also often speak more than one language so this can be extremely valuable if you are considering entering into new markets for your startup product or service. In addition, they are likely to have a greater cultural awareness and knowledge of business practices elsewhere which could be of benefit when you are entering a new overseas market.
Potential issues to consider when hiring
Whilst having an international graduate in your startup team can undoubtedly be a huge asset, there are a few points to consider before you embark on the recruitment journey. The UK’s Graduate Visa is valid for only 2 or 3 years depending on whether or not the student has studied at undergraduate or doctoral level. It is therefore not a permanent solution for your recruitment needs. After all, they may leave once their visa expires and you’ll be back to square one, recruiting again. If that’s the case, you’ll need to factor in the time it may take to recruit for their replacement.
However, if you do wish to go down the route of sponsoring your new hire so they can stay on as part of your startup team, you’ll need to undertake all the required paperwork in sufficient time to ensure you’re fully complying with government requirements.
If you choose not to sponsor them, that may also have a detrimental impact on your team’s morale too - particularly if they’ve been a popular team member and there is a sense that you should have done all you could to sponsor and keep them as a valued member of your startup. It’s best therefore to be open and transparent about this from the off. Ensure that both the graduate and the rest of the team are aware if sponsorship is potentially on the cards and if so, what they individually or collectively would need to do to ensure it happens!
So, with all that considered, if you’re keen to draw from this fab pool of international graduate talent for your startup or if you’re an international student on the lookout for a job opportunity with an innovative new business once you graduate here’s the lowdown on what it’s all about.
What exactly is the Graduate Immigration route?
In essence, the Graduate route is a new immigration route which provides international students who have been awarded their degree with the opportunity to stay in the UK to work or look for work for either 2 years if they have studied at the undergraduate level or 3 years if they are doctoral students.
It’s an unsponsored route so applicants don’t need to already have a job offer from a UK employer or be offered employment with any minimum skill or salary requirements. Also, having a Graduate visa, will enable the holder to stay in the UK for at least 2 years after they have successfully completed a course of study in the UK.
What’s the criteria?
If you’re an international graduate, wanting to apply for employment in the UK under this route, you will need to be in the UK and have a valid student visa at the time of your application. You will also need to meet the following eligibility requirements regarding three key areas - your qualification, its successful completion and studying in the UK.
So, you should have successfully completed a degree at undergraduate level or above at a higher education provider that’s been licensed by the Home Office and has a track record of compliance. The qualification that you’ve completed should be the one that was named on the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) associated with your student visa and your study should have been completed during your last grant of permission to study on the student route. You should have been or be due to be awarded with either a UK bachelor’s or postgraduate degree, or a UK PhD or other doctoral qualification. If you’ve graduated from a professional course including a vocational course for solicitors and barristers or a postgraduate course for teachers, you’ll also be eligible to apply.
In addition, you’ll need to have studied in the UK for a “relevant period” or minimum period of time. If your course was for 12 months or less, you should have studied the entire course in the UK or at least 12 months if the course was for more than 12 months. As you’d expect though, there have been some concessions put in place as a result of COVID-19 and if applicants have had to study remotely.
What‘s the process?
It’s all pretty straightforward. Applications can be made online and there are full details of the ID and documents that you’ll need to provide here. It can take up to 8 weeks to process an application. If your application is successful, you’ll be issued with an eVisa which you can access digitally to verify your immigration status and prove your rights in the UK.
How much does it all cost?
The cost of applying for a graduate visa is £700 and that is the same fee for both the two and three year visa options. All applicants will also need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) which costs £624 a year. This will then provide them with access to the National Health Service on pretty much the same basis as permanent UK residents and it has to be paid in full when they apply.
Therefore, at the time of application, in addition to the £700 fee, an applicant would also have to pay £1,248 if they are applying for a 2-year graduate visa or £1,872 if they are applying for a 3-year visa.
Incidentally, if an applicant has any dependants, they will also be required to pay the full application fee, in addition to the health surcharge. There is no obligation on employers to contribute towards the graduate visa fees for any new hires, unless of course they specifically want to!
What happens when the Graduate visa expires?
If a graduate visa holder wants to continue working in the UK once the visa expires, they can’t simply extend this visa. However, they may perhaps be eligible to move to a different visa route - such as the skilled worker route, for instance. It’s worth noting too that a graduate visa holder can switch to the skilled worker route at any time, as long as they meet the relevant criteria.
Full details of what it all entails can be accessed in this handy guide.
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Who we are
Offering personalised, consultative service, at TableCrowd Talent we’re a specialist recruitment agency with our finger on the pulse of the startup and scaleup scene. We are committed to matching graduates, professionals and C-level executives to exciting startup and scaleup jobs across London, the UK and Europe.
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