Graduate Visa Inquiry

The Graduate Visa was launched in 2021 to offer international students studying at degree level in the UK the opportunity to work here for two years after study. On the 1st July 2023 the visa will officially have been available for two years and the first of the students to access the visa will start to take their next steps. To mark this anniversary the APPG for International Students are conducting a short inquiry into the effectiveness of the Graduate Visa route in its first two years.

The inquiry will explore the effectiveness of the Graduate Visa in three areas:

  1. To support international student ambitions to work in the UK after study.
  2. To support the international student experience and positive perceptions of the UK as a study destination.
  3. To support local, regional and national employers and economies by contributing to the skilled workforce and encouraging new entrepreneurs.

Expert Roundtable 23 May 2023: Inquiry into Graduate Visa- Committee Room G, House of Lords

Tuesday 23 May 2023, 14:30-16:00

This expert roundtable will be one of two events hosted by the APPG for International Students to inform its inquiry. APPG members will have the opportunity to explore the evaluations of the route which have been done to date, and to ask questions of their expert authors. The experts include the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS), the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA), IDP Education, and others.

The expert roundtable will be the main method of collecting evidence for the inquiry as we will not be holding an open call for evidence. The roundtable will seek to:

  • Identify where there is consensus and disagreement on the effectiveness of the Graduate Visa as it relates to the scope of the inquiry.
  • Identify where there are gaps in available evidence that could and should be addressed to better support the effectiveness of the Graduate Visa.
  • Explore possible recommendations for government, the education sector and students to enhance the effectiveness of the Graduate Visa to meet the aims identified by the inquiry.

A summary of the evidence from the experts will be circulated ahead of the roundtable.