In a major blow to Indian, international students in the UK, most employers unaware of Graduate Route visa: Report

A study by Higher Education Policy institute (HEPI), which surveyed 656 members of the Institute of Directors – an organisation catering to company directors, senior business leaders and entrepreneurs, found that just under half of them were aware of the Graduate Route Visa scheme.

Graduate Route visa benefits thousands of international students in the UK, especially Indians, who are able to stay in the UK for at least 2 years after successfully completing a course and finding work. In the case of doctoral students, they can stay for three years.

The study threw up more shocking statistics, as 27% of the surveyed individuals were not aware of the Graduate Route scheme while only 3% of the employers had used it or were in the process of using it for the first time, according to a report by the PIE.

“The widespread skills shortages across the public and private sectors will only be filled with the help of international students already in the UK,” stated Nick Hillman, HEPI’s director, as quoted by PIE. Hillman also expressed worry over few employers being aware of the graduate route, which according to him, 'is a brilliant way to recruit highly skilled staff.

Many employers, who took part in the survey, failed to elaborate on their use or lack of use of the scheme and demanded for more 'quality control' for the process.

In addition to not knowing about the Graduate Route visa, respondents to the study gave somewhat inconsistent answers, with 20% having sponsored visas in the past or doing so now—a process that is more challenging than using the Graduate Route, which is unsponsored without requiring employers to fill out any paperwork, and without requiring them to contribute to the cost of the visa or the immigration health fee.

Additionally, it was discovered that larger businesses were consistently significantly more likely than smaller ones to sponsor a visa. 5% of businesses with a revenue of under £250,000 sponsored visas, compared to 18% of businesses with a turnover of over £50 million.

Last year, in July 2022, the UK government had put out an analysis on the performance of Graduate Route, which surveyed 50 graduates who took it up. 50% of the ones surveyed expressed disappointment at the surcharges associated with the visas.