Can I Apply for A UK Graduate Trainee Visa?

The Graduate Trainee Visa lets employees of an overseas business come to the UK for a work placement with a linked UK business as part of a structured graduate training programme. It is a different route from the Graduate visa for UK university graduates.

What Is The Graduate Trainee Visa?

The Graduate Trainee visa is one of the Global Business Mobility routes, set out in Appendix Global Business Mobility of the Immigration Rules. It covers workers on a structured graduate training programme leading to a senior management or specialist position with an overseas business, who need to do a work placement in the UK as part of that programme.

The UK sponsor must be linked to the overseas employer by common ownership or control (for example, a UK branch or subsidiary of the same group). You can stay for up to 12 months, or the time on your certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days, whichever is shorter. The route does not lead to settlement.

You can work for your sponsor in the role on your certificate of sponsorship. Provided the sponsor notifies the Home Office, you can move between roles that are part of your training programme without a new application. You can also study, and your partner and children can apply to join you as dependants if they are eligible. You cannot take a second job, access most public funds, or apply to settle on this route.

Graduate Trainee Visa or Graduate Visa?

The Graduate Trainee visa and the Graduate visa are separate routes:

If you have just finished studying at a UK university and want to stay and work, the Graduate visa (or a sponsored route such as the Skilled Worker visa) is likely to suit you better.

Overview of The Points Requirement

You must score 60 points, made up of:

There is no English language requirement on this route.

Who Can Apply? Basic Eligibility

To qualify, you must be 18 or over, be an existing employee of the overseas business, and have been sponsored by a linked UK business for a role that forms part of your graduate training programme.

Overseas Employment Requirement

You must have worked for your employer (or another business in the same group) outside the UK for at least three months immediately before the date you apply. Your certificate of sponsorship must confirm this.

Where and When to Apply

You must apply from outside the UK. GOV.UK guidance says you cannot switch to this visa from inside the UK or extend it, although you can apply for another Graduate Trainee visa from outside the UK. Time spent on the Global Business Mobility routes is subject to an overall limit, normally five years in any six-year period.

You can apply up to three months before the start date on your certificate of sponsorship, and you must apply within three months of the certificate being assigned.

The Graduate Training Programme and Skill Level

The job must be part of a structured graduate training programme with clearly defined progression towards a managerial or specialist role within the sponsor group. The sponsor must provide evidence of the programme when it applies for its sponsor licence.

The job must be in an eligible occupation code listed in Appendix Skilled Occupations, which in most cases means work skilled to RQF level 6 (graduate level) or above. The Immigration Rules test the level of the job, not the level of your own qualifications.

Salary Requirements

You must be paid at least £27,300 a year or 70% of the going rate for your occupation, whichever is higher. For some health and education occupations, you must be paid at least the full going rate. Appendix Skilled Occupations sets the going rate for each occupation code, adjusted pro rata for working hours.

Salary is based on guaranteed basic gross pay plus certain guaranteed allowances, such as London weighting or allowances paid to cover the extra cost of living in the UK. For Graduate Trainees, accommodation allowances count only up to 40% of the total salary package. Other benefits, such as bonuses, do not count. Your employer must also comply with National Minimum Wage and working time rules.

Financial Requirements

You will usually need to show that you have held at least £1,270 in your bank account for 28 consecutive days, ending within 31 days of the date you apply.

You do not need to show these funds if you have been in the UK with valid permission for 12 months or more, or if your A-rated sponsor confirms on your certificate of sponsorship that it will maintain and accommodate you, up to £1,270, until the end of your first month in the UK. Partners and children applying as dependants must also show that they can support themselves; check GOV.UK for the current amounts.

Job Offer and Sponsor Requirements

Your UK employer must hold a sponsor licence covering the Graduate Trainee route and must be A-rated when it assigns your certificate of sponsorship.

Sponsor Licence

This route covers placements within a corporate group, so you cannot find a sponsor through job adverts. The UK business must be linked to your overseas employer and must apply for a licence on the Graduate Trainee route, providing evidence of the graduate training programme. The sponsor licence fee is currently £611 for small or charitable sponsors and £1,682 for large sponsors. Once licensed, the sponsor appears on the register of licensed sponsors on GOV.UK.

Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) Details

Your sponsor assigns the certificate of sponsorship, an electronic record, through the sponsorship management system. It confirms your name, your job and occupation code, your salary and any allowances, your start date (no more than three months after your application date), and that you meet the overseas employment requirement. The sponsor pays the certificate fee, currently £55. You can only use each certificate for one application.

Application Process Step-by-Step

You apply online on GOV.UK. You will usually get a decision within three weeks of proving your identity and providing your documents. Faster decision services may be available for an extra fee in some locations.

1. Get your certificate of sponsorship reference number from your UK sponsor.
2. Complete the online Global Business Mobility application, selecting the Graduate Trainee route.
3. Pay the £340 application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge.
4. Prove your identity, either by using the UK Immigration: ID Check app or by attending an appointment at a visa application centre to have your fingerprints and photograph taken, depending on your nationality and documents.
5. Provide your supporting documents.

If your application succeeds, you will receive an eVisa, a digital record of your immigration status that you access through your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account. The Home Office no longer issues Biometric Residence Permits.

Required Documents

Check the current GOV.UK document list before applying. You will usually need:

• a current passport or other valid travel document;
• your certificate of sponsorship reference number;
• evidence of your maintenance funds, such as bank statements (unless you are exempt or your sponsor certifies maintenance);
• a tuberculosis (TB) test certificate, if you are coming from a country where screening is required; and
• certified translations of any documents that are not in English or Welsh.

The Home Office may ask for more information depending on your circumstances. The details in your application must match your certificate of sponsorship exactly.

Visa Duration, Fees, and Extensions

The application fee is £340 per person, including for any dependants. The Immigration Health Surcharge is usually £1,035 per person per year, charged pro rata for part years. For a 12-month visa, a single applicant would pay £340 plus £1,035 (£1,375 in total), before any optional services.

You can stay for up to 12 months, or the time on your certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days, whichever is shorter. You cannot extend the visa, but you may be able to apply for another Graduate Trainee visa from outside the UK, subject to the overall Global Business Mobility time limit. If you want to remain in the UK longer term, you would need to qualify for a different route, such as the Skilled Worker visa, which has its own salary, skill level and English language requirements.