May 19, 2021

Indian & World Live Breaking News Coverage And Updates

Indian & World Live Breaking News Coverage And Updates

Indian students can now work in UK after graduation without sponsor – Times of India

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LONDON: Indian students who have graduated from a UK university will now be able to apply for a post-work study visa – now known as the Graduate Route – allowing them to work in the UK for two years after they graduate without any need for a sponsor.
The new route?will open for applications on July 1, to international students who successfully complete a degree at undergraduate level or above in the UK. Those who graduate and whose Tier 4 or student visa leave expires before the route is introduced will not be eligible.
International students must have completed an eligible course at a UK higher education provider, with a track record of compliance with the government’s immigration requirements, to apply to the Graduate Route. Students on the Graduate Route will be able to work or look for work after their studies for a maximum period of two years, or three years for PhD students.
The Graduate Route will be ‘unsponsored’, meaning applicants will not need a job offer to apply for the route. There will be no minimum salary requirements nor caps on numbers – they will be able to work flexibly and switch jobs.
Stavan Desai, 43, from Vadodara in Gujarat, who is reading a one-year MSc in international social and public policy at LSE, arrived in the UK in the midst of the pandemic in August.
Desai said it offered Indian students like him “light at the end of the tunnel” as Indian students had faced huge disruption to their courses, with all lessons going online and being confined to their hostel rooms.
“It is great to know that after a few months you would have an opportunity to stay back and possibly land up with employment that makes you earn some money.”
He mortgaged his house with the bank to secure a loan to fund his studies. The tuition fees cost him £22,000 and the hall of residence fees cost £8,300 for 40 weeks.
“Last year there was talk of this Graduate Route being reopened by government and that was one of the biggest drivers for me to take this opportunity to come to UK to study. Now that it is confirmed, it is exciting and great news for people like me who are looking to settle in the UK after graduation Being able to work in the UK will help me pay off the loan and create a base for my family to eventually move here,” said Desai.
“Most Indian students are in financial debt to meet their expense over here. Many students have not been able to get part-time jobs because of the prolonged lockdown as there no jobs as businesses are shut,” he added.
It is anticipated the move will help the UK government meet its goal of increasing the number of international students in higher education in the UK to 600,000 by 2030. The number of student visas issued to students from India increased by 42% in 2020 compared to the previous year – to 53,263.
Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India, said: “The flow of students between India and the UK makes the human connection between our countries – the “living bridge” – ever stronger.”
The Graduate route will require a new visa application, which will only be possible from inside the UK. It will include the payment of a visa fee of £700 and the Immigration Health Surcharge at £624 per year.



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