What you should know about visas (if you're an international student looking for work in the UK)

Solving the challenge of International students, UK Jobsearch and Visas (Part 3)

In part 1 of this series, we explored employer concerns about visas. We looked at ways you can offset these concerns by highlighting brilliant reasons to hire you. In part 2 we learned about negotiation strategies. We explained how to uncover any visa-related factors that are preventing UK employers from making you a job offer. Now, in part 3, I am going to provide enough knowledge so that you can talk more confidently with employers about visas. You do not have to become a visa expert. You only need to learn enough to answer common employer questions about visas to keep your hiring conversations flowing. You will learn about costs, which will help you with employers who are worried that visas are too expensive. Don't worry about memorising every detail. Once you have dealt with their initial worries, you can direct them to the resources mentioned in this article that are written for employers.

This blog focuses on the Graduate visa and the Skilled Worker visa. If you want to know about other types of visas, check out UKCISA - international student advice and guidance - Working after studies.

Let's start with the Graduate visa

The Graduate visa in a nutshell

2 years for graduates, 3 years for PhDs • No minimum salary • Sponsorship NOT required• No minimum work hours • Can change jobs multiple times • Can do any type of job (except professional sportsperson) • Can be self employed or work freelance

What does it cost?

• Fees are for the applicant (i.e. you pay them)
• Application fee - £715 (covers 2 years)
• Immigration Health Surcharge - £624 per year
• This is your personal visa, so it's unusual for an employer to pay for the Graduate visa
• Total = £1963

What to tell an employer about the Graduate visa

The approach here is to reassure. Explain to the employer or recruiter that it's a personal visa. The employer doesn't have to do anything or pay anything with the Graduate visa.

What to highlight about the Graduate visa to an employer:

• The Graduate visa doesn't require sponsorship
• No employer fees to pay
• Trial opportunity – you can see how I perform, and if you like what I do, we could discuss the possibility of sponsorship later.

So you might say something like:

"It's a personal visa, which I have already paid for. You don't need to do anything to employ me on this visa. There are no costs or paperwork for you, as I have already taken care of it. There are no restrictions on the type of work I can do, or rules around a minimum salary. It's a really flexible visa and there's no sponsorship or licence required"

Don't call it a PSW / post study work visa. The visa is known as the Graduate visa, and you will cause more confusion by calling it a PSW visa.

Should I mention the length of the Graduate visa?

This one's a bit tricky. We know from part 1 that some employers are concerned about the length of the visa. Does "I have 2 years on my visa" sound longer or shorter than "I can stay until 2024"? I'm not sure.

However, this ISE article Why are so many young people quitting jobs and what do they want? | ISE is based on a recent piece of Prospects research. It suggests that nearly a third (30%) of working graduates said they plan to leave their current employer this year. 2021's graduates are most likely to want to change jobs (40%), compared to those who graduated in 2020 or earlier. Graduate retention is at an all time low. Employers currently lose around 17% of graduates within two years of hiring.

It strikes me that international students, extremely motivated to stay in the UK, might show a higher level of commitment to an employer. For international students, staying with an employer for 2 years is an attractive option. Showing loyalty to an employer is a great piece of leverage that you could use when talking to employers (check out part 2 if you want to know more about leverage). Maybe you would be especially loyal to a company that offers the Skilled Worker visa at the end of your Graduate visa? Why not point this out in your hiring conversations?

The Skilled Worker visa (sponsorship from an employer)

Imagine this. You're talking with an employer. They are impressed by you. You've convinced them that the Graduate visa is an easy way for them to hire you. It feels like you are going to get a job offer. Then they say:

So your Graduate visa ends in 2025, what will you do in 2025, quit and leave? 

This is where you can introduce the idea of sponsorship. Point out that they will have seen two years of your work by then. Tell them in 2 years time, they will be confident of your value to the team. Explain that if they are not, they have no obligation to sponsor you. Then you can give them an outline of the Skilled Worker visa.

The Skilled Worker visa in a nutshell

The company must be registered as a sponsor with the Home Office • the role must be at a particular skill level • the salary must meet a minimum requirement • the applicant must satisfy an English language requirement.

What to highlight to the employer:

In short, sponsorship is now easier, cheaper, faster and less complex than it was before 2021. Employers probably don't know this. Tell them:

• No Resident Labour Market Test. Many employers are not aware that this has been removed, so it's definitely worth pointing out. Under old sponsorship rules, UK employers couldn't hire international talent unless they proved that the role couldn't be filled by a UK jobseeker.
• All graduates will meet the minimum skill level for a sponsored role (RQF 3 which is A-level or equivalent). Similarly, all graduates will meet the minimum English level as they need to reach this level to get a place at a university.
• No cap on numbers of sponsorships for employers.
• Hiring international graduates is more affordable than it was with previous visas. The minimum salary requirements ("new entrant" rate) are £25,600, £23,040 or £20,480 and this "new entrant" rate can now be paid for four years (used to be 3).
• The Skilled Worker visa is much faster than it was. Government currently advises that most applications (8 out of 10) are completed in less than 8 weeks.

What does it cost?

This is where it gets a bit more complex, as there are different costs depending on the size of the employer and the visa you are currently on. There are some added complications if you are outside of the UK when applying for the Skilled Worker visa. You don't have to learn all of these costs or remember all of the details. It's enough to have a rough idea of costs. Most employers will think that sponsoring a Skilled Worker visa is very expensive. They probably think it will be more expensive than it actually is. They may be surprised to find that sponsoring you could be more cost effective than searching the job market to hire and train a new recruit. 

Fees for the employer

This guide for employers Recruiting International Graduates - Institute of Student Employers | ISE contains more in-depth information but here's an overview of the costs.

• One-off cost of £536 (small companies or charities) or £1,476 (medium or large sponsors) to become a registered sponsor.
• Plus £199 for the Certificate of Sponsorship (1 for each person sponsored)
• An Immigration Skills Charge: £364 per year, per individual (Small organisations) or £1,000 per year, per individual (Medium or large organisations). If an employer sponsors you straight from your Student visa, they don't have to pay the Immigration Skills Charge.

Individual Fees

Individual Fees. These fees are designed to be paid by the student / graduate being sponsored, although many sponsoring employers do cover these costs.

• Immigration Health Surcharge: £624 per year.
• Visa application fee: £719 (3 years or less) or £1,423 (3-5 years)

You've probably noticed that these fees are very similar to the Graduate visa.

So what costs can I point out to the employer?

• Small company, sponsoring someone who currently has a Student visa: £536 + £199
• Small company or charity, sponsoring: £536 + £199 + £364
• Large company, sponsoring someone who currently has a Student visa: £1,476 + £199
• Large company, sponsoring: £1,476 + £199 + £1,000

I hope you are still with me! I know this feels complicated with lots of different costs. Having a grasp of some of these costs may help you persuade employers that they could afford to sponsor you.

Remember, if questions about costs get complicated, you can share this guide Recruiting International Graduates - Institute of Student Employers | ISE with employers.

How hard is it for an employer to sponsor for the first time?

Probably less than they think! Look at this recent post on LinkedIn from an employer, who says the process was much simpler than he thought.

What an employer needs to do to become a sponsor

The employer will need to complete an online application as well as submitting these documents:

• Latest business bank statement • Employers Liability Insurance • Accounts • Proof of business premises • HMRC registrations • People Hierarchy Chart (if 50 or less people employed in the company) • Details of applicant

They will also need to assign some key personnel:

• An Authorising Officer – senior person in the organisation responsible for recruitment and who will take responsibility for the licence
• Key Contact - the main point of contact with the UKVI
• Level 1 User – day to day manager who reports on the licence 

A few final tips

Choose your words carefully

Coax and encourage employers. Be careful not to scare them off. Say "you could sponsor me" instead of "you will have to sponsor me".

My ultimate goal is sponsorship- should I bother with the Graduate visa?

I get asked this all the time. It's a tricky one to answer. This is what I think:

1) There are no certainties in job hunting. Chance plays a big part in people's careers. Outcomes are impossible to guarantee. There's a vacancy with a great employer- but you go out that day for coffee and you miss the advert. You apply, but so does someone else who has more experience. We can't control these variables. Therefore there is no perfect strategy that will guarantee you will get a specific type of job, or a job by a certain time, or an employer who wants to sponsor you.

2) The Graduate visa is much more easier for employers than sponsoring you. Based on home office data, it seems that you have a better chance of finding work in the UK with a Graduate visa.

3) Employers are people. Gloriously unique and individual. Some of them are open to changing their minds about visas. Some are persuadable. Some are not. It is hard to tell which is which until you know them better.

4) It's not an "either / or" situation. The Graduate visa might provide a good Plan B or even a route to sponsorship. For example:

• You search for a sponsored role. You start early and get help with applications from your university careers service to give you the best chance of success.
• Your Student visa expires but you haven't found a sponsored job yet, so you get a Graduate visa and apply for jobs.
• After 1-3 months in your new job, you have a conversation with your boss. You tell them all about sponsorship. You use the strategies from part 1 and part 2 of this series. You explain that you love working for them and you want to stay if possible. You ask them if they would consider sponsoring you in the future.
• If your boss is completely closed to the idea of sponsorship, you start searching for another job. This gives you time before your Graduate visa expires. You can target employers on the Register of licensed sponsors: workers - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) or employers who seem open to the idea of sponsorship. It will be easier to find another job now that you have UK experience.

Now for the hard truth. Some of you will never get sponsorship. Even if you work really hard. So let's imagine that you can't stay in the UK for the long term. Would 2 years of UK experience make a difference for you? Would it impress employers in your home country? Are there other countries you might want to work in that would value UK work experience? Thinking about these questions will help you decide if the Graduate visa is for you or not.

Should I mention that I want sponsorship / have a Graduate visa on my CV or in my cover letter?

I'm not sure about this one either. I suspect it's better to save conversations about visas until the employer is interested in you (i.e. your skills, knowledge and experiences). My advice would be that if you decide to include it on your CV or in your letter, don't make it the very first thing they see. Tell them great stuff about you first. If you include your visa status, put it at the bottom of the page so they see it last. Employers reading your CV and cover letter are forming an opinion of you as they read- by thinking about the order of what you tell them, you have more control over the opinion they form.

In conclusion

If you made it through part 1 and part 2 then you've viewed recruitment from an employer's perspective. You've considered your unique strengths as an international student and how they benefit UK employers. You've learned some negotiation strategies to uncover employer concerns about visas. Finally, you know more about the Graduate and Skilled Worker visas. I really hope this blog series has made you feel more confident about overcoming some of the barriers to finding work in the UK. I wish you the very best of luck in your journey!

Need more help?

There are careers professionals like me based within every university in the UK. Many are able to help you even after graduation. Reach out to them. Ask for help. I know they will be waiting to hear from you.