Global Business Mobility · IAA-regulated advice
UK Graduate Trainee Visa Advice in Birmingham & London
Do the UK placement of your employer’s graduate training programme. We check that you, the programme and the job qualify, review your evidence and prepare your application, for a fixed fee agreed in writing.
Last checked 11 October 2026 · Reviewed by Vishal Gautam, IAA-regulated adviser
Overview
What is a UK Graduate Trainee visa?
A Graduate Trainee visa lets you come to the UK for a work placement that’s part of your employer’s graduate training programme, at a UK business linked to your employer. It replaced the Intra-company Graduate Trainee visa.
It’s one of the five Global Business Mobility routes in the Immigration Rules. The programme must lead to a managerial or specialist role, the job must be at graduate level and pay at least £27,300, and the visa lasts up to 12 months. The route doesn’t lead to settlement.
✓This is your visa if…
- You’re on a structured graduate training programme leading to a managerial or specialist role
- Your placement is with a linked UK business that’s licensed to sponsor you
- You’ve worked for the group outside the UK for the 3 months before you apply
- The job is at graduate level and pays at least £27,300, or 70% of the going rate if higher
Quick check
Could you qualify? Six questions, one minute
Answer honestly. Nothing is saved or sent: this is a general guide, not advice on your case.
Are you on a structured graduate training programme that leads to a managerial or specialist role?The UK placement must be part of that programme.
Is the UK business linked to your employer, and licensed to sponsor Graduate Trainees?Linked means common ownership or control, or a joint venture.
Have you worked for the group outside the UK for at least 3 months in a row, right up to when you’ll apply?This is why you apply from outside the UK.
Is the UK job at graduate level (RQF 6 or above) and on the list of eligible occupations?Your employer can tell you the job’s 4-digit occupation code.
Will you be paid at least £27,300 a year, and 70% of the going rate for the job?Some health and education jobs need the full going rate.
Can you show £1,270 in savings, or will your employer cover your first month?Your employer confirms this on your certificate of sponsorship.
Eligibility
Graduate Trainee visa requirements
You must meet every requirement on the day you apply. Some depend on your employer’s programme, so we check both sides.
The programme and your sponsor
- The job is part of a structured graduate training programme, with clearly defined progression towards a managerial or specialist role
- The UK business is licensed to sponsor Graduate Trainees and gives you a certificate of sponsorship
- It’s linked to your overseas employer by common ownership or control, or by a joint venture
- The job is genuine, and you’re not being hired out to a third party or used to provide an ongoing routine service for another business
Your employer may be asked for details of the programme, such as a brochure or recruitment information.
Your work for the group overseas
- You work for the group now
- You’ve worked for the group outside the UK without a break for at least 3 months, right up to the date you apply
- So in practice you apply from outside the UK: you can’t switch to this visa, or extend it, in the UK
You may be asked for payslips or bank statements covering the 3 months.
The job and your salary
- The job’s occupation code is on the list of eligible occupations for the Global Business Mobility routes
- You don’t need a degree yourself, but the work must be at graduate level
- Guaranteed basic pay counts, plus guaranteed allowances such as London weighting or a mobility premium. Accommodation allowances count up to 40% of the package
- Bonuses, overtime, employer pension contributions and benefits in kind don’t count, and hours over 48 a week don’t count towards £27,300
Each occupation code has its own going rate, adjusted for your weekly hours. Your employer must choose the code that fits the job.
Money, health and English
- £1,270 held for 28 days in a row, ending within 31 days of applying, unless your employer certifies maintenance on your certificate
- A TB test certificate if you’re applying from a listed country
- No English language requirement on this route
Family members applying with you need their own funds, unless your employer covers them too.
Length of stay and conditions
- Your visa lasts for the job on your certificate plus 14 days, up to 12 months after your start date
- Time on all Global Business Mobility and Intra-Company visas counts towards the 5 years in any 6
- You can work only in your sponsored job, plus voluntary work. You can study, but can’t claim public funds
- The route doesn’t lead to settlement
Your role changes within the programme? Your employer tells the Home Office; you don’t need a new visa.
Documents
Graduate Trainee visa documents: the easy part
The document list is short. Refusals come from what sits behind it: the programme, the job and the dates.
What everyone needs
- Your passport or other travel document
- Your certificate of sponsorship reference number
- Your job title, occupation code and salary
- Proof of your recent work for the group, if asked
- £Proof of your savings, unless your employer covers you
- Proof of your relationship, for family applying with you
Plus details of your training programme if asked, a TB test if you’re applying from a listed country, an ATAS certificate if your employer says you need one, and certified translations of anything not in English or Welsh.
Costs & timeline
Graduate Trainee visa cost and processing time
The Home Office fee is £340, plus the health surcharge of £1,035 for a visa of up to 12 months. Most decisions take about 3 weeks.
Applying from outside the UK
| Visa feesame for each family member | £340 |
| Immigration Health Surchargevisa of 12 months or less | £1,035 |
| Home Office total, per applicantbefore TB test and translations | £1,375 |
Visa fee from the Home Office fees table in force from 8 October 2026, and the surcharge from GOV.UK, checked 11 October 2026. Each family member pays the same fee and the surcharge too (£776 a year for children under 18). If your visa runs for more than 12 months, for example because it starts before your job does, the surcharge is £1,552.50. Your employer pays the certificate of sponsorship fee (£55). There’s no Immigration Skills Charge on this route. Our consultation fees →
Work for the group overseas
At least 3 monthsWork for the group outside the UK without a break, right up to the day you apply.
Certificate and application
Up to 3 months before you startYour employer assigns your certificate. Apply online within 3 months of getting it, pay the fee and surcharge, and prove your identity.
Decision
Usually within 3 weeksYou may be able to pay for a faster decision.
Your UK placement
Up to 12 monthsWork in the job on your certificate. If your role changes within the programme, your employer tells the Home Office.
After the placement
Leave, or apply againYou can’t extend in the UK. You can apply for another Graduate Trainee visa from outside the UK, within the 5 years in any 6.
Avoid a refusal
Common Graduate Trainee visa refusal reasons
Most problems come from the programme, the dates or the pay. These are the issues we check first.
Not a real training programme
The job must be part of a structured graduate training programme with clearly defined progression, not an ordinary vacancy.
We check: how the programme and the UK placement are described.
A gap before you apply
You need 3 months’ unbroken work for the group outside the UK immediately before you apply. A gap, or time in the UK, can break it.
We check: your dates, so you apply on the right day.
Pay that doesn’t count
Bonuses, overtime, benefits in kind and most allowances don’t count, and some health and education jobs need the full going rate, not 70%.
We check: which parts of your package count, and which rate applies.
The wrong occupation code
The Home Office can refuse if it thinks a less suitable code was chosen, for example one with a lower going rate.
We check: the code against the real duties of the placement.
Client placements
You can’t be hired out to a client, or used to provide an ongoing routine service for another business.
We check: where and for whom you’ll actually work.
Not enough time left
Earlier time on any Global Business Mobility or Intra-Company visa counts towards the 5 years in any 6, and can shorten or rule out a new visa.
We check: your past visas before you apply again.
How we help
Our Graduate Trainee visa services
Choose a one-off consultation, or let us handle your application from start to finish for a fixed fee.
Eligibility consultation
We check the programme, the job, your salary and your dates against the Rules, and tell you the risks.
Evidence review
We check your certificate details, recent employment and funds before you apply.
Full application
We prepare and submit your application, and your family’s, with a cover letter that sets out how you qualify.
Your next visa
We help you plan what comes after the placement, such as a Senior or Specialist Worker or Skilled Worker visa.
Our scope: we’re regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority at Level 1. If you’re refused, we explain your options, including administrative review, and refer you to a solicitor or higher-level adviser where your case needs a higher level of advice.
FAQs
Graduate Trainee visa questions, answered
Can I extend a Graduate Trainee visa?
No. You must have worked for the group outside the UK for the 3 months right before you apply, so you can’t extend or switch in the UK. You can apply for another Graduate Trainee visa from outside the UK, within the limit of 5 years in any 6.
Can my family come with me?
Yes. Your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner, and your children under 18, can apply as your dependants. Each pays the £340 fee and the health surcharge, and may need to show funds: £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each other child. They can work (except as a sportsperson or coach) and study.
Do I need a degree?
Not necessarily. The Rules require the job to be at graduate level (RQF 6 or above) and part of a structured graduate training programme. Home Office guidance says the work must be at that level, but you don’t need to hold a degree yourself.
What if my role changes during the programme?
If the new role is part of the same graduate training programme, with the same sponsor, your employer tells the Home Office and you don’t need to apply again. Outside the programme, you can’t change jobs on this visa.
Do I need to pass an English test?
No. There’s no English language requirement on this route, for you or your family.
Can I take a second job?
No. You can work only in your sponsored job, do unpaid voluntary work and study. You can’t claim most benefits.
Can I stay in the UK after the placement?
Not on this visa, and the time doesn’t count towards settlement. You may be able to switch in the UK to a route such as Skilled Worker, if you get an eligible job and meet that route’s own salary, skill and English rules.
How long does a decision take?
Usually within 3 weeks. You can apply up to 3 months before your start date, and you may be able to pay for a faster decision.
Related routes
Other Global Business Mobility options
Senior or Specialist Worker visa
Transfer to a linked UK business for up to 5 years.
Read more →UK Expansion Worker visa
Set up your employer’s first UK branch.
Read more →Skilled Worker visa
A sponsored job that can lead to settlement.
Read more →Global Business Mobility licence
For employers: get licensed to sponsor.
Read more →Ready when you are
Placement, sorted.
Book a consultation, or start with the free quick check on this page.