Applying for the Graduate visa: marking boycott
Some students have not yet been awarded their degree, despite being finished, because of ongoing industrial action. The UKVI has announced some concessions which will allow students in this position to stay in the UK while they are waiting on their results.
If your visa expires on or before 1 October 2023 and you have not yet received your award
Your eligibility to apply for the Graduate visa will be affected if you have finished your studies, but your award will not be confirmed before the expiry date of your visa. The UKVI has put concessions in place due to the marking boycott, and you may be able to extend your Student visa or apply for the Graduate visa before your results are released.
If you have been impacted by the Marking and Assessment Boycott, you should have by now received an email with information on how to extend your Student visa permission under these concessions.
The email has information on how to request your CAS in these circumstances.
Once you have requested an obtained a CAS, you will need to make a visa application from the UK (you cannot apply from overseas). The application MUST be submitted before your current permission runs out. You will need to pay for a visa application fee and an Immigration Health Surcharge fee when applying.
- The CAS issued will have 22 December 2023 end date (as this is the end of semester one). When you extend your visa, your new visa end date should be 23 April 2024, which should allow you enough time to get your results and apply for the Graduate visa.
- You must meet all application requirements and intend to apply for the Graduate visa. If you intend to apply for further studies or wish to stay in the UK for any other reason, you cannot use this concession.
- You must request a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) by no later than Tuesday 26 September 2023. You will receive your CAS as soon as possible and before 30 September 2023.
- Once you have your CAS, you can make a Student visa application. You must make your application in the UK and you cannot travel outside the UK while your visa application is pending.
Once you apply to extend your visa, you permission to stay will continue. This means that you will have the same immigration permission as you currently do with your Student visa, and you will be able to work on a full-time, temporary basis while it remains valid, or until you make an application for the Graduate visa.
If this does not apply to you, then please contact us using the contact form below