Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether students who arrive in the UK to complete their studies by 6 April 2021 will be eligible for the Graduate Immigration Route.

It is a core principle of the Graduate route that someone must have spent some time studying in the UK.

As we have stated for some time, in light of the impact Covid-19 has had on international students those who began studying overseas in Autumn 2020 and who enter the UK before 6 April 2021 to complete their course will be eligible for the Graduate route if they meet the requirements.

On 24 December we published further guidance confirming those who begin study overseas in January 2021 will also be eligible for the route if they enter the UK to complete their course before 27 September 2021 and meet the requirements.

Any period of distance learning in the current academic year will not count against eligible students who graduate after 2021, providing they complete their course in the UK under the Student route. Those who do not complete their studies in the UK will be ineligible.