Extra fees topping £700 could be needed to secure graduate visa with late results
International students who want to switch to a graduate work visa, but do not have their results due to the marking and assessment boycott, could have to pay an extra £700-plus to extend their student visas if they wish to remain in the UK.
Universities nationwide have been warning that some students are not able to graduate on time with their full degree results because of the impact of the University and College Union’s marking and assessment boycott, which has seen union members at nearly 150 universities refuse to grade students’ work as part of an ongoing row over pay and working conditions.
Students usually need their degree results before they can apply for a graduate visa, which lets them stay and work in the UK for two years after their studies—but some international students may not have their results when they want to apply for the visa.
The Home Office has said it will hold graduate visa applications for eight weeks after it receives them, to allow more time for universities to rubber stamp their awards. However, if international students do not receive their results within that period and wish to extend their student visas while they wait, they will have to pay hundreds of pounds in fees.
Visa gamble
According to the University of Edinburgh, which is one of the institutions affected by the boycott, if international students are not able to graduate in July but want to apply for a graduate visa, they can extend their student visa to January 2024 to give them enough time to get their results—but this will cost £490 for a new student visa application and £235 for the Immigrant Health Surcharge.
In advice for international students, Edinburgh says that if students choose to take a risk on getting their results within the eight-week period but are unable to do so, they “must take into consideration that your visa application may be refused” if results are not confirmed.
“If your visa is refused, you will not be able to apply again for a graduate visa, and you will no longer be able to extend your student visa under these concessions. You will also lose the application fee,” the university writes. The application fee for a graduate visa is £715.
The University of Edinburgh was approached for comment.
Although the Home Office has introduced the concessions for international students, it will not cover the cost of any extra visa fees incurred as a result of the marking and assessment boycott.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Our points-based system is designed to be flexible according to the UK’s needs, including attracting top-class talent from across the world to contribute to the UK’s excellent academic reputation and to help keep our universities competitive on the world stage.
“Students who do not know when they will receive their results due to the marking and assessment boycott will be able to apply to extend their permission while they wait for their results.”