GRADUATE TRAINEE VISA

The UK Graduate Trainee Visa is a Global Business Mobility route for overseas workers who are undertaking a temporary work placement in the UK as part of a structured graduate training programme leading towards a managerial or specialist role.

The route is designed for existing employees of an overseas business that is linked to a UK sponsor. Applicants must normally have worked for the sponsor group outside the UK for at least three continuous months immediately before applying and must be sponsored for an eligible role in the UK.

A Graduate Trainee Visa can normally be granted for up to one year. It does not lead directly to settlement in the UK, although a Graduate Trainee may subsequently be able to switch into another immigration category that does provide a route to indefinite leave to remain.

A partner and dependent children may also be able to accompany or join a Graduate Trainee in the UK.

1. What Is the UK Graduate Trainee Visa?

The Global Business Mobility – Graduate Trainee route allows an overseas employee to undertake a temporary work assignment in the UK where the placement forms part of a structured graduate training programme.

The training programme must involve clearly defined progression towards a managerial or specialist position and the UK placement must form a genuine part of that programme.

The route is sometimes described as an intra-company transfer graduate trainee route. It replaced the former Intra-Company Graduate Trainee route in April 2022.

The Graduate Trainee route is different from the Graduate Visa. The Graduate Visa is an unsponsored immigration category for certain international students who have successfully completed eligible courses in the UK. The Graduate Trainee Visa, by contrast, is an employer-sponsored Global Business Mobility route for employees of overseas businesses undertaking temporary assignments in the UK.

2. Graduate Trainee Visa Requirements

In order to qualify for a UK Graduate Trainee Visa, you will need to satisfy the relevant validity, suitability and eligibility requirements.

You must be aged 18 or over and, among other requirements, demonstrate that:

• You are currently working for a business or organisation within the same sponsor group as your UK sponsor;
• You have worked for the sponsor group outside the UK for a continuous period of at least three months immediately before the date of your application;
• You have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship issued by an employer authorised to sponsor Graduate Trainees;
• The role that you are being sponsored to perform is genuine;
• Your proposed employment complies with the restrictions on third-party working;
• The role is in an eligible SOC 2020 occupation code;
• The role forms part of a structured graduate training programme with clearly defined progression towards a managerial or specialist role;
• You will be paid at least £27,300 per year and the applicable going rate for your occupation, calculated in accordance with the Immigration Rules;
• You satisfy the financial requirement, unless an exemption applies;
• You meet the genuine intention requirement;
• You provide a valid Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate if the ATAS requirement applies to your work;
• You provide a tuberculosis test certificate if required; and
• You do not fall for refusal under the suitability requirements.

Graduate Trainee applicants must obtain all 60 points available under the route: 20 points for sponsorship, 20 points for a job at the appropriate skill level and 20 points for salary at the required level.

The exact requirements will depend upon the applicant’s circumstances, the proposed role, the sponsor and the structure of the graduate training programme.

3. Three-Month Overseas Work Requirement

A Graduate Trainee must be currently working for the sponsor group and must have worked outside the UK for that sponsor group for a continuous period of at least three months immediately before the date of application.

For these purposes, the sponsor group includes the UK sponsor and businesses or organisations connected to it by the qualifying common ownership, control or joint venture arrangements permitted by the route.

The three-month period must be continuous and immediately precede the application. Time spent working in the UK does not count towards the required period.

The Certificate of Sponsorship must confirm that the requirement has been met. However, supporting evidence can also be requested as part of the visa application.

Where evidence is required, appropriate documents may include payslips, bank statements showing salary payments or online payslips supported by a letter from a senior member of the sponsor organisation.

This requirement is particularly important because it also affects whether an applicant can make an application from within the UK.

4. Certificate of Sponsorship Requirements

Before applying for a Graduate Trainee Visa, you must have been assigned a valid Certificate of Sponsorship by an employer authorised to sponsor workers under the Global Business Mobility – Graduate Trainee route.

A Certificate of Sponsorship is an electronic record rather than a paper certificate. It contains information about the applicant, sponsor, proposed employment and salary.

The Certificate of Sponsorship must have been assigned no more than three months before the date of application.

It must confirm relevant information including:

• The applicant’s identity;
• That the applicant is being sponsored as a Graduate Trainee;
• The job title and relevant SOC 2020 occupation code;
• The applicant’s salary and any relevant allowances;
• The proposed start and end dates;
• The applicant’s normal weekly working hours;
• Relevant PAYE information, where applicable;
• That the required period of overseas work has been completed; and
• Whether the ATAS requirement applies.

The proposed start date stated on the Certificate of Sponsorship must be no more than three months after the date on which the visa application is made.

The Certificate of Sponsorship must not have been withdrawn by the sponsor or cancelled by the Home Office and must not previously have been used in an application that was granted or refused.

Genuine Job and Genuine Intention Requirements

The sponsored position must be genuine.

An application may be refused where there are reasonable grounds to believe that the role does not exist, is a sham or has been created mainly to enable the applicant to obtain immigration permission.

The route also restricts arrangements under which the Graduate Trainee is effectively hired out to another organisation to fill a position, or undertakes an ongoing routine role or provides an ongoing routine service for a third party.

Separately, the applicant must genuinely intend and be able to undertake the sponsored role and must not intend to take employment other than work permitted by the conditions of the Graduate Trainee route.

The sponsored employment must also comply with applicable National Minimum Wage and Working Time legislation.

5. Structured Graduate Training Programme Requirement

The UK placement must form part of a structured graduate training programme.

The programme must provide clearly defined progression towards a managerial or specialist role within the sponsoring organisation. It is not sufficient simply to describe an ordinary vacancy as a graduate position.

The UK sponsor should therefore be able to demonstrate both the existence of the wider graduate training programme and the legitimate role of the UK placement within it.

When applying for a Graduate Trainee sponsor licence, an employer may be required to provide evidence of its training programme. Depending upon the business, relevant evidence might include programme brochures, recruitment materials or information published on a corporate website.

The sponsor should also be able to explain how the particular UK assignment relates to the trainee’s development and anticipated progression within the organisation.

6. Eligible Jobs and Occupation Codes

A Graduate Trainee must be sponsored in an eligible SOC 2020 occupation code.

For most applicants, the occupation must be listed in Table 2 or Table 3 of Appendix Skilled Occupations.

The sponsor must select the occupation code which most accurately reflects the actual work that the Graduate Trainee will undertake. It is not sufficient for an occupation code merely to produce a more favourable salary requirement or fall within an eligible category.

When assessing whether the correct occupation code has been selected, relevant considerations can include:

• The actual duties of the role;
• Whether there is a genuine need for the job described;
• Whether the applicant has the skills, qualifications and experience required to perform it;
• Whether another occupation code more accurately reflects the proposed employment; and
• The sponsor’s compliance history.

An applicant does not necessarily need to hold a university degree merely because the role is graduate-level. The focus is on whether the particular occupation is eligible under the Immigration Rules and whether the role genuinely corresponds to the occupation code selected.

Transitional Table 2b Occupations

A limited transitional provision applies to some existing Graduate Trainees.

An applicant applying before 4 April 2030 may be sponsored in an occupation listed in Table 2b where they were granted Graduate Trainee permission under the Rules in force before 4 April 2024 and have maintained continuous permission as a Graduate Trainee since then, subject to the applicable overstaying provisions.

This transitional arrangement is therefore unlikely to be relevant to a person making their first Graduate Trainee application.

ATAS Requirement

An Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate may be required where the sponsored work involves research at PhD level or above in certain sensitive academic subjects.

Where ATAS applies, a valid certificate must be provided.

7. Graduate Trainee Visa Salary Requirement

Graduate Trainees must satisfy both a general salary threshold and the applicable going rate for their occupation.

General Salary Threshold

As at 6 October 2026, the general salary requirement for a Graduate Trainee is £27,300 per year.

The applicant must also receive the applicable going rate for the relevant occupation code. It is therefore not enough simply to be paid £27,300 if the relevant going-rate calculation produces a higher figure.

Going Rate Requirement

For occupations in Table 2 or, where the transitional provisions apply, Table 2b of Appendix Skilled Occupations, a Graduate Trainee must normally be paid at least 70% of the pro-rated going rate.

The calculation is:

% × applicable going rate × weekly working hours ÷ 37.5

For specified health and education occupations in Table 3, the applicant must instead be paid 100% of the pro-rated going rate.

The salary therefore has to meet both tests:

Salary Test	Graduate Trainee Requirement
General threshold	At least £27,300 per year
Table 2 / eligible Table 2b occupation	At least 70% of the pro-rated going rate
Relevant Table 3 health or education occupation	At least 100% of the pro-rated going rate

The higher applicable figure will determine the minimum salary required.

Working Hours and Salary Calculations

The general salary threshold is assessed using no more than 48 hours of work per week, subject to special provisions for certain regular working patterns involving uneven hours.

The going-rate calculation is different: the applicant’s full sponsored weekly working hours are taken into account even where they exceed 48 hours.

This distinction can be important where a trainee is sponsored to work particularly long hours.

What Pay Can Be Counted?

Salary calculations can include guaranteed basic gross pay and certain allowances which are guaranteed for the duration of the UK employment or paid as a mobility premium or to meet additional costs of living in the UK.

Certain accommodation allowances can also be taken into account. For Graduate Trainees, an accommodation allowance can be included up to a maximum of 40% of the total salary package.

Payments that cannot generally be counted include, among other things:

• Overtime, shift or bonus pay;
• Employer pension contributions;
• Most benefits in kind;
• One-off payments;
• Immigration costs; and
• Payments for business expenses such as travel, equipment or subsistence.

Sponsors should calculate the required salary before assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship. A salary which appears adequate in headline terms can still fail the Immigration Rules once the permitted components, weekly hours and relevant going rate are applied.

8. Graduate Trainee Visa Financial Requirement

A Graduate Trainee who is required to satisfy the financial requirement must normally have at least £1,270 available.

The funds must generally have been held for at least 28 consecutive days and the end of the 28-day period must fall within the prescribed period before the application.

There are important exceptions.

An A-rated sponsor can certify on the Certificate of Sponsorship that, if necessary, it will maintain and accommodate the applicant during the first month of their employment up to an amount of at least £1,270.

An applicant applying for permission to stay who has already been living in the UK with permission for at least 12 months will also meet the financial requirement without having to demonstrate the specified funds.

Given the separate three-month overseas-work requirement, however, most Graduate Trainee applications will in practice be made from outside the UK.

9. Is There an English Language Requirement?

There is no English language requirement for the Global Business Mobility – Graduate Trainee route.

An applicant does not therefore need to take an approved English language test or rely upon an academic qualification taught in English in order to meet the requirements of this immigration category.

This is one of the significant differences between the Graduate Trainee route and some longer-term sponsored work categories, such as the Skilled Worker route.

10. Can You Switch Into or Extend a Graduate Trainee Visa?

As a practical matter, a person in the UK will not ordinarily be able to switch into the Graduate Trainee route.

This is because a Graduate Trainee must have worked outside the UK for the sponsor group continuously for at least three months immediately before the date of application. A person who is currently living and working in the UK will therefore normally be unable to satisfy this requirement.

A prospective Graduate Trainee who is already in the UK will generally need to leave the UK, complete the required continuous period working for the sponsor group overseas and then apply for entry clearance from abroad.

The same issue means that an existing Graduate Trainee will not ordinarily be able simply to extend their Graduate Trainee permission from within the UK.

The Immigration Rules contain provisions dealing with permission-to-stay applications, but any applicant must still satisfy the three-month overseas-work requirement. The public application process consequently states that applicants cannot switch to this route from inside the UK because of that requirement.

A Graduate Trainee who returns overseas and again satisfies all the requirements may potentially make a further application from abroad, subject to the maximum cumulative period permitted under the Global Business Mobility routes.

11. How Long Can You Stay on a Graduate Trainee Visa?

Graduate Trainee permission is granted for the shortest of:

• One year after the start date of the job stated on the Certificate of Sponsorship;
• 14 days after the end date of the job stated on the Certificate of Sponsorship; or
• The date on which the applicant would reach the maximum cumulative period permitted under the relevant Global Business Mobility and predecessor Intra-Company routes.

A Graduate Trainee cannot accumulate more than five years of permission in any six-year period across the relevant Global Business Mobility and Intra-Company routes.

When calculating the five-year maximum, periods spent on other Global Business Mobility routes and relevant predecessor Intra-Company routes may therefore need to be taken into account.

12. What Can You Do on a Graduate Trainee Visa?

A Graduate Trainee is principally permitted to work in the sponsored role described on their Certificate of Sponsorship.

They may also:

• Undertake voluntary work;
• Study, subject to the ATAS requirement where applicable; and
• Travel outside the UK and return while their permission remains valid.

A Graduate Trainee does not have access to public funds and cannot ordinarily take a second job.

Moving Between Roles During the Training Programme

The nature of a genuine graduate programme may involve rotations between different roles.

A sponsor can move a Graduate Trainee between different job roles during their period of permission without requiring a fresh visa application where the relevant sponsor reporting requirements are met, each role remains connected to the graduate training programme and the worker continues to satisfy the requirements of the route.

This can provide useful flexibility for structured programmes involving placements across different departments or functions.

13. Can Your Partner and Children Join You?

A Graduate Trainee can generally be accompanied or joined by an eligible dependent partner and dependent children.

A dependent partner may be a:

• Husband or wife;
• Civil partner; or
• Unmarried partner who meets the applicable relationship requirements.

Where the couple are not married or in a civil partnership, the relationship requirements will need to be considered carefully. The rules allow qualifying durable relationships even where a couple have been unable to live together continuously for reasons such as work, study or cultural circumstances, provided the relevant requirements are met.

A dependent child may include a child under the age of 18 and, in certain circumstances, a child aged 18 or over who already holds permission in the UK as the parent’s dependant and continues to satisfy the requirements for a dependent child.

Financial Requirements for Dependants

Where the financial requirement applies, the additional amounts are:

Family Member	Required Funds
Dependent partner	£285
First dependent child	£315
Each additional dependent child	£200

These amounts are additional to the £1,270 required for the Graduate Trainee.

The funds must normally have been held for the required 28-day period. Alternatively, where permitted, the Graduate Trainee’s sponsor can certify maintenance for the family as well as for the principal applicant.

Can Graduate Trainee Dependants Work?

Dependent partners and eligible dependent children who are granted permission can generally work, including on a self-employed basis, subject to the prohibition on employment as a professional sportsperson or sports coach.

They may also study, subject to ATAS where relevant, but will not normally have access to public funds.

14. How to Apply for a UK Graduate Trainee Visa

A person coming to the UK as a Graduate Trainee must apply for and obtain entry clearance before travelling to the UK.

An application can normally be made up to three months before the proposed start date stated on the Certificate of Sponsorship.

Applications are submitted online. The applicant will also need to prove their identity, either through the relevant digital identity process where available or by attending a visa application centre.

Graduate Trainee Visa Documents

The documents required will depend upon the circumstances of the application, but may include:

• A valid passport or other acceptable identity and nationality document;
• The Certificate of Sponsorship reference number;
• Details of the sponsored job, salary and occupation code;
• Details of the employer and sponsor licence number;
• Evidence of sufficient maintenance funds, where required;
• Evidence of the three months’ continuous overseas employment where requested;
• Information concerning the graduate training programme where requested;
• An ATAS certificate where required;
• A tuberculosis certificate where applicable;
• Evidence of the relationship with accompanying dependants; and
• Certified translations of documents that are not in English or Welsh.

Applicants who received an award covering both tuition fees and living costs from a Government or international scholarship agency during the 12 months before applying may also require the written consent of that Government or agency.

Graduate Trainee Visa Application Fee

As at 6 October 2026, the application fee for a Graduate Trainee Visa is £340.

Each dependant must submit a separate application and pay the applicable fee.

Immigration Health Surcharge

Applicants and their dependants are also generally required to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge.

For an adult Graduate Trainee, the surcharge is normally £1,035 for each year of permission. The precise amount payable will depend upon the period of leave requested and the applicant’s circumstances.

Graduate Trainee Visa Processing Time

Once an applicant has submitted their online application, proved their identity and provided the necessary documents, a decision on an overseas Graduate Trainee Visa application is usually made within approximately three weeks.

A faster decision service may be available in some locations for an additional fee.

Applicants should nevertheless avoid making non-refundable travel arrangements until their immigration permission has been granted.

15. Does the Graduate Trainee Visa Lead to Settlement?

The Graduate Trainee route does not lead directly to settlement in the UK.

Time spent on the Graduate Trainee route cannot therefore, by itself, produce eligibility for indefinite leave to remain under this category.

However, a Graduate Trainee who qualifies under another immigration category may be able to switch into a route which does provide a path to settlement.

For example, depending upon the circumstances, a worker may subsequently qualify under the Skilled Worker route. Any new application will need independently to satisfy the requirements of the immigration category relied upon.

Periods of lawful residence as a Graduate Trainee may also be relevant to an eventual application under the Long Residence route where all of the requirements of that route are met.

Employers planning to retain an employee in the UK beyond the temporary graduate placement should therefore consider the longer-term immigration strategy at an early stage rather than waiting until the Graduate Trainee permission is about to expire.

16. Sponsor Requirements for the Graduate Trainee Route

A UK employer cannot sponsor a Graduate Trainee unless it holds an appropriate sponsor licence covering the Global Business Mobility – Graduate Trainee route.

The sponsoring UK business must have a qualifying relationship with the overseas business employing or providing the trainee.

For the Graduate Trainee route, the qualifying relationship can generally arise through:

• Common ownership or control; or
• A qualifying joint venture agreement.

An informal commercial relationship or arrangement for cooperation will not, by itself, necessarily establish the qualifying link required for sponsorship.

The linked overseas business must also operate a structured graduate training programme with a legitimate work placement in the UK.

Evidence of the Graduate Training Programme

When applying for a Graduate Trainee sponsor licence, an organisation should be prepared to provide evidence of its structured graduate training programme.

Evidence might include:

• Training programme materials;
• Recruitment information;
• Corporate information describing the programme;
• Details of the planned progression towards managerial or specialist roles; and
• Information establishing how the UK placement fits within the programme.

Sponsor Compliance

A Graduate Trainee sponsor must comply with the general duties imposed upon licensed sponsors.

These include record-keeping, reporting relevant changes, monitoring sponsored workers and ensuring that sponsored roles continue to meet the applicable immigration requirements.

The sponsor must also ensure that the proposed employment complies with National Minimum Wage and Working Time legislation.

Immigration Skills Charge

The Immigration Skills Charge is not payable when sponsoring a worker under the Graduate Trainee route.

The sponsor will, however, be responsible for the applicable Certificate of Sponsorship fee and other sponsor-related costs. Sponsor licence and Certificate of Sponsorship fees must not be improperly passed on to sponsored workers where the sponsor rules prohibit recovery.

Employers should therefore review both the worker’s eligibility and their own sponsor compliance position before assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship.

17. Graduate Trainee Visa Refusals and Administrative Review

A Graduate Trainee Visa application may be refused where the applicant does not satisfy the validity, suitability or eligibility requirements.

Common areas of difficulty can include:

• Failure to establish the required three-month continuous period of overseas employment;
• An invalid or incorrectly assigned Certificate of Sponsorship;
• Selection of an inappropriate occupation code;
• A salary that does not satisfy both the general threshold and applicable going rate;
• Doubts about whether the vacancy is genuine;
• A UK placement that does not genuinely form part of a structured graduate training programme;
• Failure to meet the financial requirement;
• Missing ATAS or tuberculosis documentation where required; or
• A previous immigration history giving rise to a suitability issue.

Where an application is refused, the Immigration Rules provide for an application for Administrative Review.

Administrative Review is not a general opportunity to make a fresh application or simply provide an improved case. Its purpose is principally to identify eligible caseworking errors in the decision under challenge.

The appropriate response to a refusal will depend upon the reason given, the evidence available and whether the underlying problem can be addressed through Administrative Review or is better dealt with by a fresh application.

Professional advice should therefore be sought promptly following a refusal.

18. Frequently Asked Questions: Graduate Trainee Visa

Is the Graduate Trainee Visa the Same as the Graduate Visa?

No. The Graduate Trainee Visa is a sponsored Global Business Mobility route for an employee of an overseas business undertaking a UK placement as part of a structured graduate training programme. The Graduate Visa is an unsponsored route for certain people who have successfully completed eligible studies in the UK.

Do I Need a University Degree for a Graduate Trainee Visa?

Not necessarily. The Immigration Rules focus on whether the sponsored role falls within an eligible SOC 2020 occupation code and forms part of a qualifying structured graduate training programme. An applicant does not automatically need to hold a degree simply because the immigration route is called Graduate Trainee.

How Long Must I Have Worked for My Employer Overseas?

You must have worked outside the UK for the sponsor group for a continuous period of at least three months immediately before you apply. You must also still be working for the sponsor group at the time of your application.

Can I Switch to a Graduate Trainee Visa From Inside the UK?

Ordinarily, no. The requirement to have worked outside the UK for the sponsor group continuously for the three months immediately before the application means that a person currently in the UK will normally be unable to satisfy the route’s overseas-work requirement.

Can I Extend a Graduate Trainee Visa?

An in-country extension will not ordinarily be possible because the applicant must satisfy the three-month continuous overseas-work requirement immediately before applying. A further application may potentially be made from overseas if all requirements are met and the applicant remains within the five-years-in-six maximum.

What Is the Minimum Salary for a Graduate Trainee Visa?

As at 6 October 2026, the general salary threshold is £27,300 per year. The worker must also satisfy the applicable going-rate requirement. For most eligible occupations this is 70% of the pro-rated going rate, although certain health and education occupations require 100% of the relevant pro-rated going rate.

Can I Bring My Partner and Children to the UK?

Yes, an eligible partner and dependent children can generally apply as your dependants. Separate eligibility and financial requirements apply. A child aged 18 or over may qualify in certain circumstances where they already hold dependant permission and continue to satisfy the dependent-child requirements.

Can My Partner Work in the UK?

Yes. A dependant partner of a Graduate Trainee can generally work, including on a self-employed basis. They cannot normally work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach.

Can I Take a Second Job on a Graduate Trainee Visa?

No. Graduate Trainees are generally limited to the sponsored employment for which permission was granted, although voluntary work is permitted. Genuine rotations between roles within the graduate programme can be possible where the sponsor complies with the relevant reporting requirements and the requirements of the route continue to be met.

Does a Graduate Trainee Visa Lead to Indefinite Leave to Remain?

No. The Graduate Trainee route is not a route to settlement. A Graduate Trainee may, however, be able to switch into another immigration category, such as Skilled Worker, which can lead to settlement if the requirements of that route are satisfied.