UK Graduate Trainee Visa: Criteria & Requirements
30 September 2024 | United Kingdom
UK Graduate Trainee Visa: Criteria & Requirements
International businesses may temporarily send graduates to the UK as part of approved structured graduate training programs under the UK’s Graduate Trainee visa. The Graduate Trainee visa, which took the role of the Intra-Company Graduate Trainee route, gives graduates from other countries the chance to gain experience in the UK on a personal and professional level.
What is the UK Graduate Trainee Visa?
In order to take part in a graduate training program at a UK branch or subsidiary of a foreign employer, international graduate trainees must apply for a visa through the recently established Graduate Trainee visa route. One of the five Global Business Mobility (GBM) immigration pathways is the UK Graduate Trainee visa. The GBM umbrella is intended for foreign companies who want to send employees or set up shop in the UK.
The Graduate Trainee route is intended primarily for foreign employees who are enrolled in an organized graduate training program that will lead to a senior management or specialized role and who must complete a work placement in the UK as a requirement of that program.
The duration of stay permitted under the Graduate Trainee visa is 12 months, or the period specified on the worker’s Certificate of Sponsorship plus 14 days, whichever is less.
A successful candidate will be granted permission to enter the UK under a Graduate Trainee visa in order to take part in the graduate training program for which the application was submitted. Intra-Company trainees were allowed to take on additional work under the previous approach, but the current GBM regulations prohibit this. The new regulations state that a Graduate Trainee may pursue voluntary work or a course of study in the UK, but they cannot accept jobs on top of their sponsored work. During their vacation, they will also be able to travel overseas and return to the UK.
However, during the duration of their permission, a Graduate Trainee visa holder may work in various capacities for their UK sponsor without submitting a new application, so long as the sponsor notifies the Home Office of any changes. Every job must also be relevant to the graduate training program of the visa holder and continue to fulfill the route requirements. Nevertheless, the visa holder’s leave cannot be extended by changing jobs.
Eligibility Requirements for UK Graduate Trainee Visa
To be eligible for a UK Graduate Trainee visa, the applicant must:
- be aged 18 years old or more at the date of application
- be part of a structured graduate training programme for a managerial or specialist role with an overseas business that has a legitimate work placement in the UK
- be an existing employee of an organisation that’s been approved by the Home Office as a UK sponsor and have been assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from that sponsor
- be doing an eligible job to the appropriate skill level as set out in the Immigration Rules
- be paid the minimum eligible salary required for the job role
- be working for the linked overseas business at the date of application and have worked for that business outside the UK for at least 3 months before applying
- satisfy a financial requirement, where applicable.
Points-Based Requirements
Every applicant on the GBM routes needs to fulfill a minimum point criteria. In order to be considered for a Graduate Trainee position, candidates must score 60 points (20 points for each of the following three criteria):
a. Sponsorship (20 points)
The applicant must be sponsored by a company that has been authorized by the Home Office as a sponsor of workers in this category in order to get a UK Graduate Trainee visa.
The sponsor must be connected to an international company through joint venture agreements, common ownership or control, or both when requesting a Global Business Mobility license to sponsor a Graduate Trainee. The associated foreign company must also provide a structured graduate training program that leads to a senior management or specialized role with a valid work placement in the UK. In order to be granted permission to sponsor through this channel, the sponsor needs to submit proof of their training program, such as a course brochure and recruitment records.
The UK sponsor may not always need to apply for a license in order to sponsor employees under the Graduate Trainee route if they are covered under the transitional rules for current license holders under the previous route. According to these provisions, the new Graduate Trainee route should be automatically added to the UK sponsor’s current license if they had requested a CoS allocation for the Intra-Company Graduate Trainee route since December 1, 2020, or if they had assigned a CoS to a graduate trainee either before or after this date.
A CoS can only be issued by the UK sponsor once they have a legal licence in place. The number of CoS that may be assigned on this route within a given fiscal year is unlimited.
In order to receive 20 points for sponsorship, the candidate must complete the overseas work requirements, have a valid CoS on their Graduate Trainee route, and be sponsored for a legitimate job. This means that, even in cases when a break would be allowed for under another GBM route, the applicant must have worked for the associated foreign company for the related overseas business for a minimum of three months straight before to the date of their application. Additionally, any time worked in the UK cannot be included in this
b. Job at an appropriate skill level (20 points)
The position has to be listed on the UK Government’s
Global Business Mobility: List of codes and eligible occupations. A four-digit code is given to each qualifying role; this code will be utilized on the CoS.
The job the candidate is being sponsored to do must be skilled to level 6 or above (graduate level) on the Regulated Qualifications Framework for England and Northern Ireland, or the equivalent level in Wales or Scotland, in order for the application to receive 20 points for skill level. In cases where this criteria is met, the employee need just hold a graduate-level position; a degree is not a prerequisite for the work.
c. Salary at the required level (20 points)
Candidates must earn at least £25,410 annually, or the relevant going rate for the profession code, whichever is higher, in order to receive 20 points for pay. The appropriate going rate for the majority of occupations is 70% of the full going rate; however, in certain sectors related to health and education, workers must get the entire going rate. It should be noted that the worker’s application for a visa will be denied if the sponsor plans to pay them less than these amounts. Should authorization be given but it later turn out that the employee is not being paid at these rates, the employee’s leave might be terminated and the sponsor’s license could be canceled.
Additional Requirements
For the candidate to be granted a UK Graduate Trainee visa, they must receive the required 60 points. They will not be granted a visa, nevertheless, unless they also fulfill all other non-points requirements outlined in the regulations.
In particular, the applicant must be able to sustain themselves upon arrival in the UK, where they must provide proof of money of at least £1,270, unless their sponsor is willing to certify maintenance on their CoS. This quantity of money must have been available in the applicant’s bank account for at least 28 days in a row.
What you can and cannot do for UK Graduate Trainee Visa
With a Graduate Trainee visa you can:
- Work for your sponsor in the job described in your certificate of sponsorship
- Study
- Bring your partner and children with you as your ‘dependants’, if they’re eligible
- Do voluntary work
- Travel abroad and return to the UK
You cannot:
- Apply for most benefits (public funds), or the State Pension
- Change jobs
- Do a second job
- Apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’)
If your application is successful, you’ll get a full list of what you can and cannot do with a Graduate Trainee visa.
Required Documents for UK Graduate Trainee Visa
You will need to provide the following documents when applying for a Graduate Trainee visa:
- Certificate of Sponsorship reference number
- Valid passport or other identity document
- Job title and annual salary
- Job’s occupation code
- Employer’s name and sponsor licence number
- Evidence of personal savings
- Proof of relationship with partner or children
- Tuberculosis test results
- Blank page in passport
- Certified translation
- Evidence of employment outside the UK for 3 months
- Details of your training programme
- Valid ATAS certificate
- Printed payslips
- Online payslips with supporting letter
- Bank or building society statements
- Building society passbook
How Long does a UK Graduate Trainee Visa Holder can stay in UK?
Graduate Trainees are permitted to stay in the UK for a maximum of one year. This is only valid for the maximum cumulative time of five years during any six-year period that is allowed on the GBM routes. This means that the Home Office will consider the worker’s prior permissions from any GBM routes or the old ICT routes when determining whether to grant them permission under the Graduate Trainee route, if applicable.
Similarly, a holder of a Graduate Trainee visa cannot extend its validity due to the three-month requirement for work abroad; however, they may apply for a new Graduate Trainee visa from outside the UK, as long as they don’t go over the maximum cumulative period allowed.
UK Graduate Trainee Visa Dependants
Graduate Trainee visa holders can bring their dependant family members to the UK to be with them. Dependants can remain in the UK as long as the Graduate Trainee visa holder remains here. Dependent family members include:
- Husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner (if unmarried, you must have been in a relationship with your partner for at least 2 years)
- Children under the age of 18
- Children over the age of 18 if they are dependant on you and not living a fully independent life.
Family members applying from outside the UK must submit their own application as the main applicant’s partner4 or child5. The unique application reference number of the main applicant should be included to ensure all applications are processed together. To apply for a visa, dependant family members will also need to prove their identity, pay the required application fees, and submit any documents requested.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
To be eligible, you must be a recent graduate with a relevant degree, have a job offer from a UK employer with a valid sponsor licence and be part of a structured graduate training programme that leads to a managerial or specialist role.
To be eligible for a UK Graduate Trainee visa, the applicant must be sponsored by a Home Office approved sponsor authorised to sponsor this category of workers.
The visa is typically valid for up to 12 months, depending on the duration of the training programme specified by the employer.
All applications for the Graduate Trainee Visa need to be made from outside the UK. One of the requirements is that you must have worked for your employer outside the UK for the last 3 consecutive months. Therefore, there is no valid reason for wanting or needing to apply within the UK.
Yes, you can bring any dependant partners or children under 18 years old on a Graduate Trainee Visa. You should note that a separate application fee will be payable for each dependant, and they will also need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge.
No, the Graduate Trainee visa does not lead to ILR. The individual would have to switch to a visa that lead to ILR.
For more details & questions, Kindly contact us and one of our Immigration Consultants & Immigration Lawyers will respond to you.
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