Theory www.agcas.org.uk/agcas_resources/598


A Guide to Recruiting International Graduates


“Is it true that it is now too difficult to sponsor a graduate and not worth the effort?” “Can an international student get their own work permit?” “Is it OK for us to put a statement on our website stating that all applicants must have permission to work in the UK?”


The full


guide aims to demystify the immigration options available to international graduates…


international students, and under what conditions licenses and work permits can be obtained? The Internationalisation Task Group of the Association of Graduate Careers Services (AGCAS) has produced a short guide to help employers navigate the complexities of recruiting international graduates from UK universities. The guide has been checked for accuracy by immigration law specialists Carter Thomas Solicitors and Nicholas Moore Specialist Employment Lawyers. The


A


full guide aims to demystify the immigration options available to international graduates and offers


further useful sources of information and support. Here is an overview of the key schemes in place (as of June 2013):


re you confused about international graduates’ permission to work in the UK, how to go about sponsoring


1. Tier 2 Sponsored Skilled Workers (student route) This category enables employers to directly sponsor UK-trained graduates for up to a maximum of six years. After five years’ continuous employment the individual would be able to apply for settlement or permanent residence provided they earn the minimum salary (currently set at £35,000) or are in a job that requires a PhD. Employers will be exempt from applying the Resident Labour Market Test (RLMT) in this category and no cap applies, but you will need a licence under Tier 2 to sponsor migrants. The majority of graduates can only apply for their Tier 2 visa after they have been awarded their degree and an employer has issued a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). A PhD student can be sponsored before they have completed their degree, as long as they have completed at least 12 months of their course. The graduate can start work before they get their visa, provided they have submitted their Tier 2 visa to the Home Office and had a Tier 4 visa that was issued after 6 April 2012.


2. Doctorate Extension Scheme (DES) This is a new scheme to allow PhD students to remain in the UK for 12 months to look for work or start work without needing an employer to sponsor them. Instead, they are sponsored by the Tier 4 university sponsor where they studied their degree. PhD students can only apply for the DES once they are very close to completing their degrees. They will be able to start working full time in a graduate role as soon as their degree has been awarded, provided they have submitted their DES application to the


Home Office. If you want to employ a PhD student earlier than this you would need to look at sponsoring them under Tier 2. If you want to retain an employee holding a DES visa you can then sponsor them under Tier 2 with all the benefits of no RLMT or cap, providing they meet all the requirements. Most universities provide some form of support to their international students who wish to apply under this category.


3. Tier 5 Internships/work placements Employers may be able to recruit an international student under Tier 5 (Government Authorised Exchange) for a stay of up to two years in the UK for work. The government states that the aim of this scheme is to “share knowledge, experience and best practice, and to experience the social and cultural life of the UK”. Sponsorship under this route is mainly for internships, training or supernumerary roles. In these cases, the overarching Tier 5 sponsor (rather than the employer) issues the Certificate of Sponsorship (COS) and the employer simply ensures that the international student works in line with the terms of their sponsorship.


Download Recruiting International Graduates – A Guide for Employers from the AGCAS website at: www.agcas.org.uk/agcas_resources/598


You can contact the AGCAS Internationalisation Task Group at: www.agcas.org.uk/people/task_groups_ and_advisory_groups n


www.agr.org.uk | Graduate Recruiter 19


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36