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Graduate Trainee Visa

A Grdauate Trainee Visa is ideal for individuals looking to come to the UK who work in an eligible job and are part of their company’s graduate managerial or specialist training programme.

To qualify for this visa, you must show that:

  • you are an existing employee of an organisation with a Home Office-issued sponsor licence
  • you have worked for the company outside the UK for at least 3 months when you apply
  • you are paid at least the equivalent of £24220 per year

If you do not meet these criteria but still want to work in the UK for your non-UK employer, you may be able to apply for a Senior or Specialist Worker Visa instead.

A Graduate Trainee Visa can be issued for up to 12 months, and must be applied for from outside the UK. This visa can not be extended and it is not possible to switch to this visa from inside the UK. It may be possible to apply for a new Graduate Trainee Visa, but only from outside the UK.

Managers and HR: Be careful when considering visa options for an employee who has previously worked in the UK on other types of intra-company or Global Business Mobility category visas. Individuals who have spent time in the UK on many of these visas are usually limited to a maximum stay of five years in any six year period.

Check your eligibility for this visa

Graduate Trainee Visa process and costs

Once an application for a Graduate Trainee Visa has been submitted, a decision is usually received within three weeks. The application itself can be submitted up to three months before work in the UK is intended to begin.

In addition to being able to do the work in the UK for which they have been sponsored, individuals with a Graduate Trainee Visa are also permitted to study, undertake voluntary work, and to travel abroad and return to the UK. They can also bring a partner and/or children with them as dependants, provided they are eligible and submit visa applications of their own.

To apply for a Graduate Trainee Visa costs £298 plus an additional healthcare surcharge, the cost of which can vary. Any dependants will also be required to submit their own application and pay the healthcare surcharge.

Demetris Demetriou

Demetris is a dual-qualified lawyer in the UK (Solicitor) and Cyprus (Advocate) with 10+ years of experience in UK immigration. He completed his legal studies at University College London and City University London. Over the course of his career, he held key roles as Head of Immigration at Legal 500 firms and within the Big4, overseeing teams of 15+ fee earners handling 2000+ applications annually.

Demetris went on to co-establish his firm in London and continues to offer innovative solutions and strategic immigration planning to multinationals, SMEs, and private clients.

He personally represented 1500+ clients in 30+ visa routes including investors, entrepreneurs, innovators, sole representatives, students, family visas, global talent, UK ancestry, administrative reviews and appeals. Demetris has managed corporate relocations, conducted immigration law training and implemented post-Brexit immigration policies for corporate clients.

Demetris has been featured in various events and publications focusing on UK immigration, notably at the Cambridge Network, the Westminster Policy Forum and most recently at DGEMS, a global mobility summit hosted by Forbes India.

If you would like to discuss your UK immigration matter or have any questions about your options for immigrating to the UK, you can book a consultation here.

Tatiani Preifelt

Tatiani has a wealth of expertise in global mobility and corporate immigration. Her ample skills were acquired within leading immigration practices including three out of the Big4 firms in both the UK and Sweden. Tatiani went on to co-establish her firm in London where she continues to advise clients predominantly in corporate, business and skilled work migration.

Having personally relocated to 10 different countries, Tatiani understands the importance of an expedient and successful immigration process and takes pride in delivering a seamless experience to her clients as well.

Over the course of her career, she has assisted over 500 individuals and businesses to obtain the appropriate visa permits in the UK.

Her awarded academic work at The University of Oxford, The London School of Economics, and at The Geneva University is in the fields of Political Science, International Human Rights Law, and Global Migration Governance.

She regularly provides immigration training and has recently participated as a speaker and panellist at DGEMS 2023, a global mobility summit hosted by Forbes India.

If you would like to discuss your UK immigration matter or have any questions about your options for immigrating to the UK, you can book a consultation here.