This guidance is only for students who intend to apply for the Graduate visa, and have completed the academic requirements of their degree, but are unable to follow the usual Graduate visa application process as their degree approval will be delayed beyond their visa expiry date owing to the marking and assessment boycott.
The Home Office - also referred to as UK Visas and Immigration or UKVI - has introduced exceptional provision which may enable students to continue to be eligible for the Graduate visa where their current visa is about to expire and they have not received their degree approval due to the boycott. There are two routes under this provision:
- Apply for the Graduate visa with pending results, if final degree approval will be confirmed to UKVI within eight weeks of application.
OR
- Apply for a student visa extension, and apply for the Graduate visa at a later date following approval of degree. This is applicable if students do not know when they will receive their final results.
An explanation of these routes, including considerations and requirements for each, is outlined below. Which route is appropriate for you, and when the visa application should be made, will likely depend on specific circumstances including your current student visa expiry date and when your degree may be approved.
Further guidance on your individual circumstances should be sought from the International Student Office before taking an application forward under one of these routes (see ’Next Steps’ below).
You are first advised to read the information on this page in full.
With either of the routes offered under this provision, you will need to consider the following:
- You must be able to submit the new visa application inside the UK prior to expiry of your current visa. You will then continue to have valid immigration permission in the UK under the conditions of your student visa until you receive the outcome on the application, even after your current visa expires.
- You cannot travel overseas once you have submitted the visa application. After you have applied, you must remain in the UK until you have received the outcome (and new BRP if applicable), otherwise your application is deemed to be withdrawn in accordance with the Immigration Rules.
It is not normally possible to apply for the Graduate visa until successful course completion has been reported by the University to UKVI. However, if a student’s final results and degree approval are delayed owing to the marking and assessment boycott, UKVI will allow an application for the Graduate visa to be submitted pending the confirmation of degree approval being reported. As outlined below, this is only possible under certain conditions.
Explanation of this route
UKVI is only permitting an application in these circumstances if they can be notified of a student’s successful course completion by the University within 8 weeks of the application being made. The University cannot notify UKVI of successful completion until your degree has been approved. It is not possible for a decision on the application to be made with provisional results, or on the basis of a letter confirming attainment to date or likely successful completion. If the successful completion of the course has not been reported to UKVI within 8 weeks of the application being made, the application may be refused.
Once you have submitted the application, it will be put on hold until the University has notified UKVI of your successful course completion. This may mean a decision on the application will take longer than the advertised 8-week timeframe and a decision may not be made immediately once your successful completion is reported.
Whether successful course completion can be reported by the University within 8 weeks of your application will depend on when your degree approval might be confirmed, which may not be clear at the point you apply. Students using this route are advised to delay making the application until close to their current visa expiry date to maximise the processing time. A Graduate visa application should not be submitted pending final results and degree approval without first consulting the International Student Office about the circumstances. If an application needs to be withdrawn as it was submitted too early, UKVI does not provide a refund of the application fee.
Making an application
Other eligibility requirements and the process for the Graduate visa remains the same and students should read full guidance on our main Graduate visa webpages.
Costs
Fees for the Graduate visa application are the responsibility of the student.
After application
You will only meet the requirements for the Graduate visa if you successfully complete your course.
The International Student Office will automatically identify successful course completion when your record has been updated to confirm your degree approval and will report this directly to UKVI for relevant students. This action does not need to be requested. We will email you to confirm when successful completion has been reported.
If it is approaching the 8 weeks since you made your application and you have not received an email advising that the University has reported your successful course completion, please contact the International Student Office for further guidance.
It is not normally possible for an undergraduate or Master students to apply for a student visa extension in the UK owing to ‘academic progression’ requirements, one of which is to have completed the course for which the student’s current visa was granted. However, if a student’s final results and degree approval are delayed owing to the marking and assessment boycott and they intend to apply for the Graduate visa, UKVI will permit an application and exceptionally exempt the student from meeting the academic progression requirements. This route is intended for students who do not know when they will receive their final results due to the boycott and their student visa is about to expire.
Explanation of this route
A student visa extension application can only be supported for a student where it is confirmed the marking and assessment boycott has delayed their degree approval. It is only intended for students who are planning to apply for the Graduate visa after successful course completion. A separate application for the Graduate visa will need to be made at a later date following the standard process, once degree approval has been confirmed.
A new CAS, to be issued by the International Student Office, is required to support the student visa application. This would only be issued after the usual timeframe for degree approval if it is confirmed a student has been affected by the marking and assessment boycott.
Students on courses longer than 9 months should be able to apply for the Graduate visa under the route above rather than require a student visa extension.
Students who have been in the UK for less than 12 months at the point of applying for a student visa extension are required to meet the maintenance requirement - see 'To apply' section below.
UKVI has confirmed that this route is only intended to support students who will subsequently make an application for the Graduate visa once their degree has been approved. It does not apply to students who are affected by the boycott and intend to progress onto further study or who wish to extend their stay in the UK for another reason.
Cost
The University will cover the costs of a student visa extension application. This includes the visa application fee using the standard service and the immigration health surcharge. If students wish to use priority services, they will need to pay the additional costs. Fees for the later Graduate visa application are the responsibility of the student.
To apply
The standard student visa extension application process and requirements apply, except the academic progression requirement, and students should read the guidance on our student extension (‘permission to stay’) webpages.
In particular, students who have been in the UK for less than 12 months at the point of submitting the student visa extension application will need to meet the maintenance requirement which means holding at least £2046. The funds must be held in a bank account owned either by the student, their parents or legal guardian, or their partner, if their partner is present in the UK. The required funds must have been held for at least 28 days prior to making the visa application, with the end date of the 28 day period within 31 days of the day you apply for the visa. Certain nationalities do not need to provide financial evidence with their student visa extension application although are required to hold the funds in the manner specified.
After application
The timeframe for a decision on a student visa application made in the UK is advertised as 8 weeks, although this can vary. Once you have received a decision on the application, you will need to inform the International Student Office. The University continues to sponsor your student visa during this period, and therefore requires evidence once the visa has been granted.
As part of the application you will need to confirm your identity. Most applicants will be able to do this using the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app which reads your Biometric Residence Permit or, if you are an EEA or Swiss national, your passport. Your visa will then be issued as a digital status, also referred to as an eVisa. Only certain nationalities will also be issued a BRP. Where a BRP is issued, you should not travel overseas until this has been received.
You will need to make a separate visa application for the Graduate visa once your degree has been approved and your successful completion has been reported, and prior to your new student visa expiring. If you are not issued a BRP with your student visa extension, you would need to book a biometrics appointment (for which there are free and paid-for appointments).
As the end of the boycott has been announced, it is now expected students whose visas are about to expire, and who have not yet received approval of degree owing to the marking and assessment boycott, will be able to apply for the Graduate visa with pending results, as outlined above under the first option above. .
If you have any questions about this, please contact the International Student Office. We also ask that if you apply for the Graduate visa with pending results owing to the marking and assessment boycott, please let this office know so we are aware we need to report the successful course completion once confirmed.
You are permitted to undertake full-time employment on your current student visa after your course has ended (meaning after the official course end date as stated on your original CAS) as long as you have submitted all required assessment.
However, there are certain restrictions on the type of work you can undertake on a student visa which still apply during this period. You cannot:
- be self-employed;
- engage in business activity;
- work in a position that would fill a full-time permanent vacancy;
- work as a professional sportsperson including as a sports coach, paid or unpaid;
- work as an entertainer, paid or unpaid;
- work as a doctor or dentist in training, unless you are on the foundation programme.
Further information about these restrictions is outlined on our website at Working on a student visa | International Students (cam.ac.uk).
If you are affected by the marking and assessment boycott and you are applying for a student visa extension under the guidance outlined above, you will continue to have valid immigration permission in the UK under your student visa, including the same work conditions, as long as you apply prior to the expiry of your current visa. This includes the time while the application is pending. When you are granted your new student visa, the work permission remains the same. As your studies have ended, this period is considered outside of term-time.
If you are applying for the Graduate visa under the provision above, you will continue to have valid immigration permission in the UK under the conditions of your student visa, including the same work conditions, as long as you apply prior to the expiry of your current visa and whilst the application is pending. In accordance with the Immigration Rules, if you applied for your student visa on or after 6 April 2022, once you have successfully completed your course and made an application for the Graduate visa (prior to the expiry of your student visa), you may start employment in a full-time permanent vacancy.
This provision is only applicable to students where it has been confirmed their final results and degree approval have been delayed due to the marking and assessment boycott and this means they are unable to apply for the Graduate visa using the standard process by the expiry of their current visa.