Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of removing application fees and healthcare surcharges from the Graduate visa on the likelihood of additional graduates remaining in the UK for work after completing their studies.

The Graduate route was introduced in 2021 to help new graduates who have successfully completed their eligible study in eligible UK universities get a head-start on their career by allowing these graduates to work or look for work for up to three years immediately following their graduation.

A full impact assessment of the route was published in March 2021 and can be found on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-changes-to-the-immigration-rules-hc-1248-4-march-2021

The Home Office has no plans to remove the application fee or to extend the length of stay for the Graduate route.