FT or SA and delaying

Fast Facts Goal: FT in London Status: master student graduating in 2020 Background: non-EU citizen, top grade at a continental target(but non-target in London), internship at AM/BB Question: SA 2020 or Graduate Program 2020

I'm a 1st-year Master student in continental Europe. Since I'm a non-EU citizen, SA/Graduate Programs seem to be the only chances to eventually land a job in London without any visa issue. I failed all the applications for SA last year (partly because I applied very late in Nov/Dec) but landed an off-cycle internship at a BB and will be finishing it before October. I remember most of the banks would suggest "penultimate year - SA" or "final year - Graduate", so I could either (1) apply for the (supposedly easier) SA and extend my study for a year until the potential FT offer or (2) simply apply for the graduate program. My questions are:

(1) Are internship experiences at BB a plus or minus for SA recruiting? (2) I know most of the spots in the graduate programs are filled by the summer interns. Should I apply for SA and hope for a FT offer 2021 or simply apply for Graduate program 2020?

Thank you!

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