New Graduate Visa Category a Win for International Students, Universities

U.K. universities have been hit hard by the pandemic, as many students left schools to be with their families during the lockdown, exacerbating the post-Brexit downturn in international students studying in the U.K. But universities recently received some good news: the U.K. government confirmed that the long-awaited graduate visa will launch in July 2021. The unsponsored visa will enable international students to live and work in the U.K. for up to two years after graduating.

In this episode, Faegre Drinker’s Hodon Anastasi provides a high-level overview of this new development in U.K. immigration law, including discussion of:

• Who will be eligible for this visa? Will graduate visa holders be required to work?
• How does the graduate visa compare to the old post study work visa (a popular immigration route that was closed in 2012)?
• How should employers be thinking about this new visa route? What steps can they take to capitalize on the graduate visa?

The Faegre Drinker Immigration Law Podcast is a podcast all about immigration and only about immigration. Each episode will tackle a timely topic in immigration law, with the aim of making these complicated and often misunderstood issues less daunting, more accessible, and maybe even a little fun. Tune in for future episodes on the latest news, developments and challenges in the world of immigration law — and thank you for listening!