Graduate Trainee Visa
This route is usually taken by applicants who are part of their company’s graduate trainee programme and are looking to work for their company’s UK branch. The applicant must have worked for the company for at least 3 months outside of the UK. If this is something that you think matches your current job role, then this may be the route for you.
Requirements For Graduate Trainee Visa
The Home Office have set out specific requirements.
Similar to the Senior or Specialist Worker route, it is not as straightforward as just being employed by a company.
- The applicant must be an existing employee of an organisation that’s been approved by the Home Office as a sponsor
- The applicant must have worked at the company, overseas for at least 3 months
- The applicant must have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ (COS) from their employer
- The applicant must do a job that’s on the list of eligible occupations
- The applicant must be paid at least £23,100 per year or 70% of the ‘going rate’ for that role
- The applicant must show that they have at least £1,270 to support themselves
Certificate of Sponsorship
Like most work visas, the applicant must be sponsored by their employer. This means they must be issued with a certificate of sponsorship (COS). The COS must provide specific information about the applicant’s role in the company and the work that is to be undertaken by the applicant.
Therefore, before making an application for this visa route, it is essential to ensure that the applicant’s company has provided them with the COS. The COS can be provided up to 3 months prior to the application.
Can I switch from another visa?
No. Unlike the Senior or Specialist worker route, it is not possible to switch into the graduate trainee route. The Home Office requires that the applicant has been working for the sponsoring company for at least 3 months outside of the UK. Therefore, ‘switching’ from another route will not satisfy this requirement.
Can my family join me?
When an applicant applies under this route, they can also apply for their dependants to join them. A separate application will need to be completed for each dependant, and where the applications are successful, they will be granted the same leave as the applicant. A dependent can be:
- A spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner
- Dependent children
Where an applicant wishes to apply with their dependants, they must show they have the relevant funds to support them, in addition to the £1,270 to support the applicant themselves. The required funds are as follows:
- £285 for a dependant spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner
- £315 for a first child
- £200 for each subsequent child
If you are currently on a graduate training programme outside of the UK and are thinking about working in another branch, we can help make this happen for you. It can often be confusing as to what the Home Office expects from you in order to satisfy the relevant requirements and the evidence that is to be submitted with them. This is something that you will not need to worry about as we can handle this for you. We will advise you about the requirements and set out the required documents that are to be submitted.