Frequently Asked Questions

Continuous residence means time spent in the UK without significant breaks. You are generally allowed to be outside the UK for up to 180 days in any 12-month period. For absences before April 11, 2024, total absences should not exceed 548 days, and no single absence should be longer than 184 days.

The Graduate Visa does not lead directly to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). However, time spent lawfully on a Graduate Visa counts toward the 10-Year Long Residence settlement route, and you can switch into a settlement-track visa (e.g. Skilled Worker) while your visa is valid.

You must show that the reasonable costs of your visit and your return journey can be met without working or accessing public funds. A third party may provide that support, provided they have a genuine relationship with you, are complying with immigration laws, and can and will support you for the whole visit.

Where someone else is funding you, expect to evidence both their means and the relationship.

Only within limits. A visitor may undertake a short course at an accredited institution. Longer or formal study needs the Student route. Check the current permitted duration on GOV.UK before booking a course.

It can be your own account, or your parent's or legal guardian's account with their written consent and evidence of the relationship. Not every account type is accepted, and money held by other relatives or friends generally is not. Check the current rules on acceptable accounts before relying on funds held by someone else.

Usually yes, but with limits on hours during term time and restrictions on the type of work — including a general prohibition on self-employment and on filling a permanent full-time role. The exact conditions depend on your course level and provider, and they are stated on your visa. Read the conditions attached to your own grant rather than relying on what another student tells you.

The requirement applies at each stage, but the level rises as you progress towards settlement. If you met it for your first application, you may still need a higher level later. Some applicants are exempt — by age, or on medical grounds among others.

The child must be under 18 on the date you apply, or have been under 18 when you were first granted permission on this route. Turning 18 during your permission does not automatically end it, but it affects future applications. Plan the next step before the child's eighteenth birthday rather than after it.

Eligibility is by occupation code, not by employer or by job title, and the list of eligible roles has been revised more than once. A role that qualified previously may not now. Check the current list of eligible occupation codes on GOV.UK before relying on a job offer.

Faster than most routes, and how fast depends on the field and the basis of your endorsement. Because it varies, work it out against your own dates rather than assuming the shortest period applies to you.

No. The Scale-up route requires a sponsored period at the start, after which you are not tied to that employer for the remainder of the permission. That is the feature that distinguishes it from Skilled Worker.

What you do after the sponsored period still affects any extension or settlement application, so check the requirements before changing direction.

No. It cannot be extended. If you want to stay beyond it you need to switch to another route — most commonly Skilled Worker, which requires a licensed sponsor. Start looking early in the Graduate period, because sponsorship takes time on the employer's side.

Not on your application. Family members cannot be included and must qualify and apply in their own right. This surprises people who expect dependant rights similar to the work routes.

By the year your qualification was awarded, not the current year. The list is published annually and changes, so check the list for your own graduation year. A university on this year's list may not have been on the list when you graduated, and the reverse is also true.

It means evidence of planning for growth: creating jobs, and expanding into national and international markets. An endorsing body will look for that evidence in your business plan, not simply for an assertion that the business could grow.