NATS: does its graduate scheme sponsor a UK visa?

No published policyGraduate Scheme

Unconfirmed. NATS publishes no sponsorship policy for its graduate scheme, so we cannot state a firm answer. NATS runs a Graduate Scheme lasting 24 to 36 months depending on the scheme, based at Whiteley in Hampshire or Prestwick in Scotland. Graduates join one of five areas: Safety and Cyber, People and Transformation, Finance and Analytics, Engineering and Technology, or Operations. The minimum entry requirement is a Lower Second-Class Honours (2:2) degree, and the published salary is £31,000 a year plus a £1,000 welcome bonus. The process runs from an online application with CV, through a seven day online assessment and a virtual assessment centre, to a conditional offer that is confirmed only after medical and security clearances. NATS asks applicants to confirm their right to work in the UK but says nothing on its early careers pages about visa sponsorship either way.

Sponsors grads?: Not published
Pay vs threshold: Below the threshold
Opportunity: graduate scheme
Pay: £31,000 per annum plus £1,000 welcome bonus
2027 cycle: No published date as of 1 October 2026. The page says our opportunities are now closed and invites you to register your interest
Confidence: medium

The catch: Offers are conditional on NATS security clearance and a medical, so a fast offer is not a final offer. The page also says opportunities are closed right now; registering interest is the only action available until the next window opens.

NATS early careers Verify on gov.uk See the licence record

Applying to NATS? Check your CV first.

Most graduate applications are filtered by an ATS before a human ever sees them. Scan your CV against a real job description in 30 seconds, free.

Will your CV pass NATS’s ATS? Run a free scan

What NATS publishes about this programme

Checked against NATS's own careers pages on 2026-10-01. Anything not published is worth asking the early careers team before you apply.

Visa sponsorship policy: not published
Application dates: not published
Pay: published
Locations: not published
Degree requirement: not published
Recruitment stages: not published

More early careers programmes at NATS

Industrial Placementplacement, no published policy

Sources

Verdict last checked 2026-10-01.

Common questions

Does NATS sponsor visas for its graduate scheme?

Does the pay clear the UK Skilled Worker salary threshold?

The pay for this scheme sits below the Skilled Worker salary threshold, which is itself a reason sponsorship is not possible.

What is the catch international students miss with NATS?

Offers are conditional on NATS security clearance and a medical, so a fast offer is not a final offer. The page also says opportunities are closed right now; registering interest is the only action available until the next window opens.

When do applications open for the NATS graduate scheme?

No published date as of 1 October 2026. The page says our opportunities are now closed and invites you to register your interest. Checked on 2026-10-01 against NATS's own site.

How should I confirm NATS's sponsorship before applying?

Read the specific vacancy on NATS's careers site, ask its early-careers team directly, and check the employer on the gov.uk Register of Licensed Sponsors. Policies and thresholds change, so treat this page as a starting point and confirm for the exact role and cycle.

Other engineering & industrial schemes

Before you apply

Scan your CV against UK applicant tracking systems for free, then tailor it to the schemes that can actually sponsor you.

Will your CV pass NATS’s ATS? Run a free scan Create a free account See all graduate schemes

Sponsorship data: Home Office register + job ad wording. Not immigration advice, verify on gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.