Last updated 27 April 2021

The options for PhD students can be complex and will depend on:

• What point you are at in your PhD;
• Whether you require an extension of your Tier 4/Student visa;
• Whether you are planning to interrupt your studies.

Advice for PhD students is very much based on your individual circumstances and we would like to encourage you to get in touch with the team. ISVAT are the specialists in immigration advice at LSE and we are happy to help you on your individual options. We strongly recommend that you contact our team to allay any concerns you may have, rather than seek non-specialist advice from other sources.

If you plan to study online for Michaelmas Term and Lent Term, your visa will not be affected if you are planning to return to the UK to complete your studies.  However, you will need to speak to your supervisor and the PhD Academy team to ensure this is recorded correctly depending on your circumstances.

The UKVI COVID concessions no longer permit students requesting a break in studies of longer than 60 days to remain sponsored.  This will now be classified as an interruption of studies and sponsorship would need to be removed.

ISVAT Enquiry Form

Last updated 10 June 2021

It is still possible to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme both in the UK and overseas.  However, the EU Settlement Scheme guidance has always allowed for absences up to a maximum of 6 months (12 months in some permitted circumstances) and more information can be found in the Qualifying Residence section of the following guide:

EU Settlement Scheme Guidance

We have been advised that an absence of 12 months is permitted under the current circumstances if it is related to COVID-19. Further details can be founbd on the UKCISA web pages:

UKCISA: Coronavirus guidance for students

There is also new guidance from the UKVI on absences due to COVID:

Absences due to COVID

Any period in excess of 12 months including time abroad for field work and due to COVID is likely to affect your period of time in the UK and when you will become eligible for Settled Status.

You may also wish to refer to the following Free Movement articles:

How do Covid-related absences from the UK affect EU settled status?

Lengthy absences from the UK can put EU settled status at risk

If you have any concerns about your ability to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme, please contact ISVAT for advice.

If you are applying for Settled Status or Citizenship, we may refer you for external advice.  ISVAT does not advise students on settlement routes regardless of their nationality or immigration status (EU Settlement Scheme is an immigration status).

New EU/EEA/Swiss students must have arrived by the 31 December 2020 to be eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme.  

Last updated 14 June 2021

FAQ:  I am a postgraduate/undergraduate student. If I defer assessments,  will my eligibility for the Graduate Route be affected?

If you are a postgraduate/undergraduate student  considering deferring/who has deferred assessments, you should note that this may affect your ability to remain sponsored. 

The re-sit period for postgraduate students will be held in January 2022 and it may not be possible to sponsor students for this period  as your current visa may still be valid and because the resit and deferred assessment period can be completed during the validity of your visa. 

We are now also aware that the Home Office are saying eligibility for the Graduate Route may be based on a continuous period of leave, despite previously advising otherwise.  This means that even if you are able to be sponsored for RDAP/IRDAP if your visa doesn't meet the minimum required period of study you may not be eligible for the Graduate Route. The sector have raised this with the Home Office and we are seeking clarification.

If you missed the UKCISA webinar for students, a recording is available below: 

UKCISA:Graduate Route Event

An updated version will be released soon.

The immigration rules for the Graduate Route were published on the 4 March 2021 and the COVID-19 guidance was updated to reflect these changes.

UKVI: COVID-19 Guidance for Students

There is also a Graduate Route factsheet available from the Home Office:

Graduate Route factsheet

The rules  only give the outline of the route and the application process and operational guidance will not become available until the route becomes live. 

Please note that official advice and confirmation of eligibility on this route should only come from ISVAT and the Visa Compliance Team in the Student Services Centre.  Your department or other divisions of LSE cannot confirm eligibility. 

We will arrange sessions for students on the Graduate Route soon. Details will be given on how to book on this web page and our designated web page for working on a visa:

Working on a Visa in the UK

What are the key points in the immigration rules?

• Deadlines to arrive in the UK to be eligible for the Graduate Route were changed on 11 June 2021.
• You need to have been in the UK before the required deadlines.  Sending in digital copies of your documents without having travelled to the UK does not meet the requirements.
• Students who began a course of 12 months or less in 2020 or 2021 via distance learning, and who have not previously entered the UK to study that course will be able to make a Graduate application if they make a successful Student visa application and arrive in the UK either before their visa ends or by 27 September 2021, whichever is sooner.
  
  This means the latest date for 9/10 month MSc students is now the 18 August 2021. BUT this is also your deadline to apply so you should not plan to arrive as late as this as you may miss the opportunity. 
  
  The latest date for 12 month MSc students who have yet to travel to the UK is the 27 September 2021. We maystill need to verify that you have arrived by this date.
•  If you are a student who started your degree in 2020 and are due to complete in 2021,  you have already travelled to the UK on your visa and campus enrolled, you  need to plan to return to the UK by the expiry date of your current visa.BUT you will need to apply by the expiry of your visa so you should not risk leaving it this late in case of travel issues.
• If you started your degree before 2020 and are due to complete in 2021, you must apply for the Graduate Route in the UK before your current visa expires.
• The route will open for eligible applications on 09:00 am 1 July 2021. Please do not apply until you are eligible.  Simply studying at 'Graduate' level does not mean you are eligible once the route opens. You must wait to be informed that you have been verified to the UKVI.
• You will not be able to apply for the visa until LSE has confirmed to the UKVI you have been awarded your degree.  This will be done via the UKVI database where your CAS was created post-results release. Until you have been informed that your successful completion has been verified to the UKVI, you must not submit an application. You cannot use a letter or transcript to confirm your successful completion. If you do this, you should be refused your visa.
  
  Students who receive their results in July will be verified to the Home Office after the July results release date - you will need to allow time for the verification to take place
  
  Students who receive their results in November will be verified to the Home Office after the November results release date - you will need to allow time for the verification to take place, especially as this is when the majority of international students at LSE will be eligible.
  
  The Home Office require us to verify all student eligiblity regardless of whether you plan to apply for the visa or not.
  
  You cannot apply using provisional results only final resuts.
• You will need your most recent CAS number to be able to apply for the visa.
• The application fee will be £700
• You will need to pay £624 IHS for each year of the visa.  For a two year visa this will be £1,248 and for a three-year visa (PhDs only) this will be £1,872.  This will be payable upfront at the point of application. 
• You can only be granted the Graduate Route once. If you do not use the visa you will lose the opportunity to apply again.
• You cannot study a degree programme at a institution with a Student sponsor licence. For example you cannot use your Graduate Route visa to work full time and study a Masters degree.  

• The degree must have been completed wholly in the UK with some exceptions such as study abroad that is an integral and assessed part of the programme e.g. MSc GMiM. This can only be a maximum of 12 months and any longer periods outside the UK will affect eligiblity e.g. two year field work at PhD level.

  • If you are on a programme of less than 12 months, all study must have been done on a Tier 4/Student visa to be eligible.

  • If you are on a programme of 12 months or more at least 12 months of study must have been done on a Tier 4/Student visa to be eligible.
  • The degree you have been awarded must be the one that was stated on your CAS, unless you have transferred to a programme that you can complete without having to extend your visa.  
  • If you transfer to a new degree programme that requires you to extend your visa, you will not be eligible for the Graduate Route.
  • You must have a valid Tier 4/Student visa to be able to apply for the visa. You cannot apply if you have another type of visa. You must have a valid Tier 4/Student visa to be able to apply for the visa. You cannot apply if you have another type of visa. You will need to have been on a Student visa for the whole course if it is 12 months or less/ at least 12 months if your programme is more than 12 months in length.
  • You can only apply for the visa in the UK.
  • If you have successfully been granted a Doctorate Extension Scheme visa (one year post study work visa for PhD students) you will not be eligible for the Graduate Route.
  • If you were fully, financially sponsored for your studies you will need permission from you scholarship provider to apply e.g. Chevening or Commonwealth Scholarship Commission.
  • Undergraduate and Masters degree level students will be granted a visa for two years. 
  • PhD students will be granted a visa for three years from the date they were awarded their PhD.
  • Diploma in Accounting and Finance/Diploma in Economics students will not be eligible for the route because they are not exiting with a Masters degree.
  • MPhil/PhD students or MRes/PhD students who exit at Masters level will be eligible because they are on an intergrated degree on your CAS and are exiting with a Masters degree.
  • 9/10 months Masters students can apply for the Graduate Route.
  • Double-degree students where year two is in LSE, but you are not sponsored on a visa for 12 months are not eligible.
  • Double-degree students where year one is at LSE and year two is overseas are not eligible because you will not have a UK Student visa for year two of your programme.
  • You will only be eligible to have your dependants with you if they are already in the UK on a dependant visa.  You cannot obtain the Graduate visa and then bring your dependants to the UK.
  • There will be no maintenance (financial) requirements and the English language requirement will be met by you being awarded your degree.