Petition · past parliament

remove Visa sponsorship screening criterion for job seekers with graduate visa

Rejected 9 signatures

What the petition asks

The parliament should implement a law that will stop employers from using future visa sponsorship as an employment screening criterium for job seekers with Graduate Visa.
Equal Opportunities for All: Candidates should be judged based on merit rather than their immigration status.
Economic Growth and Innovation: Restricting job opportunities based on graduate visas, limits the UK's ability to retain highly skilled individuals who can drive progress across various sectors of the economy.
Diverse Workforce Benefits: By eliminating visa sponsorship for skilled graduates, we encourage diversity in workplaces which ultimately leads to enhanced productivity and competitiveness.
International Student Contributions: These graduates bring fresh perspectives, cultural diversity, and global networks benefiting companies seeking expansion.
Global Talent Retention: Removing the visa sponsorship challenge will help retain valuable talent trained in the UK.

Why it was rejected

The UK Government or Parliament was already taking the action it asked for.

Government guidance states that job applicants should not be treated less favourably if they produce acceptable documents showing a time-limited right to work in the UK:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-work-checks-code-of-practice-on-avoiding-discrimination/code-of-practice-for-employers-avoiding-unlawful-discrimination-while-preventing-illegal-working-in-force-from-6-april-2022-accessible-version

Timeline

28 Jun 2023 Petition opened for signatures
4 Jul 2023 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 9
Status Rejected
Rejected 4 Jul 2023

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.