Petitions/Create route for student visa holding spouses of Graduate visas to switch visa
StatusOngoing
Opened13 Aug 2026
Closes
Government response
Parliamentary debateNot eligible
Milestones

We call on the Government to create a route for student visa holding spouses of Graduate visas to switch visa to Graduate Dependent Visas. Spouses who are both legally in the UK on separate Student Visas can face disruption as they switch onto the primary applicant's Graduate Visa.

In our experience current rules can force international student couples to separate upon graduation if they held separate Student Visas, even if they have children born in the UK. We believe this loophole breaks families apart by forcing one parent to leave or apply for a completely different visa route. This can cause massive emotional and financial distress for families who already legally reside here. We urge the government to fix this loophole and allow existing student families to remain united on the Graduate Route.

10,000
100,000

Constituency engagement ranking

Rushanara Ali
1Rushanara Ali MP
Bethnal Green and Stepney
6
Sir Christopher Chope
2Sir Christopher Chope MP
Christchurch
1
Mike Wood
3Mike Wood MP
Kingswinford and South Staffordshire
1
Apsana Begum
4Apsana Begum MP
Poplar and Limehouse
1