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The whole playbook, stop by stop

Four lines. Ride them in order, or start where you stand and set your route.

Set your route

Line

S Shortlist line

Find employers that hold a licence and actually use it

  1. S1 Shortlist sponsors in your field Worksheet 5 min Change for A4
  2. S2 Read the advert Decoder 9 min
  3. S3 Check the scheme's policy Tracker 58 min Change for A2
  4. S4 Sector shortlists Plates 4 min
  5. S5 Myths checked Plates 7 min

O Outreach line

What to say to recruiters, alumni and careers fairs

  1. O1 Ask about sponsorship Cue card 6 min Change for A2
  2. O2 Explain the Graduate visa Cue card 6 min
  3. O3 Make the business case Cue card 6 min
  4. O4 The script library Cue card 12 min

A Application line

Timing, the sponsorship question, salary and Plan B

  1. A1 Time it against your visa Instrument 7 min
  2. A2 Answer "Do you require sponsorship?" Cue card 6 min Change for S3 and O1
  3. A3 Salary below the threshold Instrument 9 min Change for F1
  4. A4 Plan B Plates 9 min Change for S1

F Offer line

The offer, the Certificate of Sponsorship, scams and switching

  1. F1 Check the offer Checklist 6 min Change for A3
  2. F2 Visa cost clauses Plates 6 min
  3. F3 From offer to visa Plates 5 min
  4. F4 Spot a scam Checklist 6 min
  5. F5 If a sponsor loses its licence Plates 7 min

Branch lines join at the first stop

Each branch is a shortlist for one group of graduates, joining the Shortlist line at S1.

Every stop ends with a checkpoint. Flip its switches and the stop fills in here, on the strip and on your printed route card.

Not sure where to start? The graduate scheme tracker and the script library work on their own.

A pale platform runs past white columns towards daylight, its edge marked in yellow beside the track.
Birmingham New Street, platform 3a, Birmingham.G-13114, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and colour-graded.

Updated

What changed

  • 7 October 2026: First published.

This is a playbook, not immigration advice. Before you act, check the rule on gov.uk or ask a regulated immigration adviser or a solicitor.