Country guide

Working in the UK after studying: a guide for German students

After a UK degree, German students normally stay on the Graduate visa, then move to the Skilled Worker route with a licensed employer before it expires. The Youth Mobility Scheme, which needs no employer, does not cover Germany.

The route that needs no employer

Germany is not covered. The scheme runs with 13 countries and territories, and this is not one of them. Worth knowing rather than wondering: it means sponsorship is the route that matters for you, so target licensed employers from the start.

EU citizenship on its own gives no right to work in the UK. The EU Settlement Scheme closed to most applicants on 30 June 2021 and only covered people already living in the UK by 31 December 2020, so it is not a route for someone arriving now. The realistic routes are the Graduate visa after a UK degree, or Skilled Worker with a licensed sponsor.

Checked against gov.uk on 2026-09-22. Read the rule on GOV.UK.

Checked against gov.uk on 2026-09-08. Read the rule on GOV.UK.

Your degree, and your documents

Two questions are specific to where you studied, and we deliberately do not answer either here.

What your degree compares to

UK ENIC is the recognised UK body for comparing international qualifications, and issues Statements of Comparability. That statement is what a university or employer accepts. A comparison published in a blog is not, so we do not publish one.

Documents, translation and attestation

Set by the Home Office, different per route, and revised regularly. Check the requirements for your own route on GOV.UK rather than any third-party list, ours included.

Next steps

This is information, not immigration advice. It applies published Home Office rules and cannot see your own history. Always confirm on gov.uk, and take advice from an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority before making a decision that matters.