Student Visa and Graduate Route

Help with your Student visa application, extensions and the Graduate route.

For students with an offer from a licensed student sponsor, and for graduates deciding what to do next.

The Student route is for study with a licensed student sponsor. We help with the immigration application; we are not an education agent, and we do not place students with universities or colleges.

Student visa basics

An unconditional offer and a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from a licensed student sponsor.
Enough money for course fees and living costs, held for the required period in an acceptable account, unless an exemption applies.
English at the level required for the course.
An ATAS certificate for certain subjects.
Biometrics or identity verification, followed by an eVisa you view in your UKVI account.

Dependants

Only students on postgraduate research courses, and certain government-sponsored students on longer courses, can normally bring a partner or children. Check this before accepting an offer, because the course decides the answer.

Graduate route

Eligible graduates apply from inside the UK after their education provider confirms successful completion. The route is unsponsored and is not itself a route to settlement. For non-doctoral graduates, permission is two years for applications made on or before 31 December 2026 and 18 months for applications made on or after 1 January 2027. Doctoral graduates receive three years.

Planning ahead
The Graduate route does not lead directly to settlement, so it is worth considering the next route early — such as Skilled Worker or a family route.

How WLIS can help

1 We check that the route suits your plans and that the matter is a straightforward one within our IAA Level 1 authorisation.
2 We review your eligibility and your documents, and explain plainly anything that needs attention.
3 We give you a document checklist written for your circumstances rather than a generic one.
4 We prepare the application form and supporting documents, and you check and approve the final information before anything is submitted.
5 We help with submission, biometrics or identity steps, and your eVisa and UKVI account after the decision.

What we can and cannot help with

We provide advice and application assistance for straightforward immigration matters within our IAA Level 1 Immigration authorisation. Where a matter falls outside that authorisation — for example because it involves adverse immigration history, a discretionary or human-rights claim, an administrative review, an appeal or tribunal work — we will tell you and signpost or refer you to an adviser authorised at the appropriate level.

If an application is refused, we will explain the decision and whether any further work remains within our Level 1 authorisation. Where an administrative review, an appeal or other higher-level casework is needed, we will signpost or refer you to an appropriately authorised adviser. We do not provide appeal or tribunal representation.

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) makes the final decision on every application. No immigration adviser can guarantee that an application will be approved.

Our IAA regulation How we work Fees

Questions clients often ask

How much can I work while I am studying?

Work rights depend on the level of your course and on whether you are in term time or outside it, and the exact conditions are shown on your eVisa. Check them there rather than relying on what other students tell you: breaching the condition can end your permission and harm later applications.

Can I bring my partner or children?

Only some students can. Dependants are generally limited to students on postgraduate research courses and certain government-sponsored students on longer courses. If bringing family matters to you, check the position before you accept an offer, because the course you choose decides the answer.

What can I do after my course finishes?

The Graduate route allows unsponsored work or job-seeking after a successfully completed eligible course. It lasts two years for applications made on or before 31 December 2026 and 18 months for applications made on or after 1 January 2027, with three years for doctoral graduates. Switching into a sponsored work route is the other common option.

Official sources we check

We check what we publish against the Home Office's own guidance. These are the GOV.UK pages behind the advice on this site — use them to confirm anything you read here, because the rules change and the official page is always the current one.

GOV.UK content is published by the UK government and is not part of this website.

Talk to us about student visa and graduate route

Tell us what you want to apply for, the status you hold now and when your current permission ends. We will confirm whether the matter is within our Level 1 authorisation and offer a suitable appointment.

Start an enquiry See how we work

The enquiry button opens the secure WLIS enquiry form on enquiry.wlisuk.com in a new tab. Please do not send identity documents until we ask for them.