Graduate & Work Visa Routes
UK & Ireland Graduate & Work Visa Routes
Staying to work — the Graduate Route, the Skilled Worker route and sponsorship, Global Talent and High Potential Individual, and Ireland’s Stamp 1G. Not immigration advice.
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What this hub covers
- Switching from the Graduate Route to a Skilled Worker Visa in the UKWhy graduates switch routes · What the Skilled Worker visa requires · Switching in-country (no need to leave the UK)
- UK Skilled Worker Sponsorship and Finding a Licensed Sponsor ExplainedWhat 'sponsorship' actually means · The Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) · How to check the official register of licensed sponsors
- UK Global Talent and High Potential Individual Visa Routes ExplainedTwo routes that don't need an employer sponsor · The Global Talent visa (endorsement-based) · The High Potential Individual (HPI) visa (university-based)
- Ireland: From Stamp 1G to an Employment Permit and Stamp 1What Stamp 1G gives you · The employment permit system · Critical Skills vs General Employment Permit
- Path to Settlement in the UK and Ireland After Work VisasWhat 'settlement' means in each country · UK: Indefinite Leave to Remain after a work visa · Ireland: reaching Stamp 4 from an employment permit
Guides for United Kingdom & Ireland
5 of 5 guides in this hub are for the UK & Ireland.
Switching from the Graduate Route to a Skilled Worker Visa in the UK
How international graduates move from the unsponsored UK Graduate Route to a sponsored Skilled Worker visa, with links to the GOV.UK rules. General information, not immigration advice.
Read guideUK Skilled Worker Sponsorship and Finding a Licensed Sponsor Explained
What employer sponsorship means for the UK Skilled Worker visa, how the Certificate of Sponsorship works, and how to check the official register of sponsors. General information, not immigration advice.
Read guideUK Global Talent and High Potential Individual Visa Routes Explained
Two non-Skilled-Worker UK options: the endorsement-based Global Talent visa and the university-based High Potential Individual visa. General information, not immigration advice.
Read guideIreland: From Stamp 1G to an Employment Permit and Stamp 1
How an Ireland graduate moves from Stamp 1G to longer-term work via an employment permit and Stamp 1, with links to the official Irish immigration and employment-permit pages. General information, not immigration advice.
Read guidePath to Settlement in the UK and Ireland After Work Visas
How time on UK and Irish work routes can count toward UK Indefinite Leave to Remain or Irish Stamp 4, with links to official sources. General information, not immigration advice.
Read guideStudying in the UK & Ireland
Continue exploring the UK & Ireland
Universities, entrance tests, costs and visa facts for the UK & Ireland — all in one place, each linked to its official source.
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