Australian/non-UK applicants

[futureTS2025hopeful]

Hi everyone!

I am a non-law (Australian) citizen looking to apply for Vac Schemes/TCs in the UK. I was wondering whether anyone has a list compiled as to firms that are willing to sponsor students seeking to move to the UK despite studying in a non-UK university?

I note that it's been mentioned earlier that firms are unlikely to sponsor for a Vacation Scheme (since it's 2-3 weeks with visas costing upwards of hundreds/thousands of dollars). But I was wondering whether anyone has any anecdotes/insights as to whether the likelihood is improved for Direct Training Contract applications?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Jessica Booker]

It will be very different for a training contract. Firms will be willing to invest money in a visa when other costs are much higher anyway (there was a stat from years ago that estimated firms spend about over £250,000 employing, recruiting and training each trainee).

I haven’t got a list, but to stress to you it may soon be out of date anyway. The visa system in the U.K. changes on 1 January 2021 and because of everything going on, it isn’t 100% clear what the new process will be. It is expected however that visa will be a lot easier to obtain. It would have been near on impossible to get a visa for someone like yourself (who hasn’t been in the U.K. on a study visa) because the employer had to prove they couldn’t have recruited someone from within the U.K./EU. That requirement will no longer exist, meaning the visa processes will be much more straight forward, and therefore more firms could be willing to get visas.

 

[futureTS2025hopeful]

Thanks as always Jess!

 

[Adam Gilchrist]

Just on a slight tangent - an alternative that I have seen work (albeit in my limited experience) for Australians is joining an alliance firm and subsequently transferring to the U.K. firm.

There are more than a few London-based Australian associates at Linklaters - for example - who came over from Allen’s, having done the clerkship programme there.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Just on a slight tangent - an alternative that I have seen work (albeit in my limited experience) for Australians is joining an alliance firm and subsequently transferring to the U.K. firm.

There are more than a few London-based Australian associates at Linklaters - for example - who came over from Allen’s, having done the clerkship programme there.

This is actually the most common way really. Very few Australian grads come to the U.K. now to start their careers - use to be more pre 2010, but generally the Australian job market got more attractive post 2010 onwards, and so you didn’t really see the same numbers. The GDL/LPC used to make it a much more convoluted route too.

SQE may change things back though.