As an international student /graduate, with the new graduate route visa you can apply for any job at any level without employer sponsorship (with few exceptions), which means that there are lots of job opportunities out there, in every sector and every industry. Without needing employer sponsorship, jobs are there for your taking. However, many employers are still unaware of this new visa and therefore may still believe that a sponsorship and complex administrative procedures are still necessary in order to employ an international graduate and this may be an obstacle in your job search. So what can you do to overcome this?
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Put yourself in the employer’s shoes
With Brexit and the pandemic, many companies have struggled to stay afloat and have only recently started recruiting again. The companies may have had enough to worry about to notice the introduction of a new post study work visa. In addition, before the graduate route visa, employing international students was expensive and time – consuming. Therefore, don’t get annoyed if they don’t know what you are talking about when you tell them about the new graduate visa and try and be understanding and polite, putting yourself in their shoes.
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Come armed with information
If the employer has no idea about the new graduate route visa, make sure that you do! Make sure that you have read through the information about the visa from the Student Immigration Service and have link or leaflets ready to email. Student Immigration Service has their own leaflet and can confirm with employers or look here for an even more comprehensive employer leaflet regarding visa options for working after studies for international students.
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Create a sales pitch
In addition to your unique skills and experiences that you can bring to the company, have a think about what benefits someone on the graduate route visa can bring. For example, it doesn’t cost the employer anything and the employer does not need to complete any lengthy sponsorship application. In addition, one advantage that employers have told us; the graduate route visa is a great tool for an employer to assess a candidate's suitability for a company and job role so that they are 100% certain before hiring the candidate permanently. Have a think about what benefits the graduate route visa can give a company in your specific situation and don’t be afraid to voice this to an employer.
For any further job search advice and tips, or how to answer the “right to work” question, make sure to check our Get Started International Students Guide.
The Careers Service wish you all the best in your job search!
This blog is written as part of the Get UK Career Ready week, have a look for what events are on offer and to book a place.
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