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The Graduate visa: how long it lasts, what you can do, and what comes next

UK visa guide · Checked against gov.uk on · By the GoRizzume team

What is the Graduate visa, and how long does it last?

The Graduate visa lets you stay and work in the UK after completing an eligible UK degree, without an employer sponsoring you. It lasts 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027, and 3 years for a PhD. It cannot be extended and does not count towards settlement, so most people use it to find a job with an employer that can sponsor them.

On this page
  1. Who can apply
  2. How long it lasts
  3. What you can do
  4. Costs
  5. Partner and children
  6. Switching out of it
  7. Using the time well
  8. Settlement
  9. How to apply
  10. Go deeper
  11. FAQs
  12. Sources
This is information, not immigration advice. It explains published Home Office rules and cannot see your own history. Always confirm on gov.uk, check with your employer, and take advice from an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority before making a decision that matters.

Eligibility

Who can apply for a Graduate visa?

You must be in the UK on a Student visa, or the older Tier 4 student visa, and have successfully completed an eligible course with it: usually a UK bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree, or certain other courses such as a law conversion course, the Legal Practice Course, the Bar Practice Course or a PGCE. Your university must have told the Home Office that you have completed the course.

Checked against gov.uk on : Graduate visa: overviewGraduate visa: the course you studied

Your university must be a licensed student sponsor with a track record of compliance, and you usually need to have studied in the UK for at least 12 months, or for the whole course if it was shorter.

Checked against gov.uk on : Graduate visa: the course you studied

Time counts as studying in the UK when you were here whenever your university needed you to be, for lectures or meetings with a tutor. Leaving during term breaks or at weekends does not break it. If your university let you change course without a new Student visa, it is the course you changed to that you must have completed.

Checked against gov.uk on : Graduate visa: the course you studied

You can only ever hold a Graduate visa once, and you must apply from inside the UK before your Student visa expires. You do not need to wait for your graduation ceremony or your certificate.

Checked against gov.uk on : Immigration Rules: Appendix GraduateGraduate visa: overview

The length

How long does the Graduate visa last?

Graduate visa length by application date
When you applyBachelor's or master'sPhD or other doctorate
On or before 31 December 20262 years3 years
On or after 1 January 202718 months3 years

Checked against gov.uk on : Graduate visa: overviewImmigration Rules: Appendix Graduate

What decides the length is the date you apply, not the date your course ended or the day you graduate, and your visa starts on the day it is approved. If your course ends late in 2026, check your dates early: six months is a large part of a graduate job search. The UK work visa checker shows which length applies to you.

Checked against gov.uk on : Graduate visa: overview

Work rules

What can you do on a Graduate visa?

  • work in most jobs, for any employer, without sponsorship
  • look for work
  • be self-employed
  • do voluntary work
  • travel abroad and come back

Checked against gov.uk on : Graduate visa: overview

You cannot work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach, claim most benefits, or study on a course that would qualify for a Student visa.

Checked against gov.uk on : Graduate visa: overviewImmigration Rules: Appendix Graduate

Because no sponsor is involved, the Graduate visa is the window in which any employer can hire you without immigration paperwork. That is why it matters so much what happens when it ends.

Money

How much does a Graduate visa cost?

The application fee is £937. You also pay the immigration health surcharge up front, usually £1,035 a year: £1,552.50 for 18 months, £2,070 for 2 years or £3,105 for 3 years. If you later get a job in public sector healthcare, you may be able to get a refund of the surcharge.

Checked against gov.uk on : Graduate visa: how much it costs

Family

Can your partner and children stay with you?

Only if they are already in the UK as dependants on your Student visa, or your child was born in the UK during your Student or Graduate visa. Their visa ends on the same date as yours.

Checked against gov.uk on : Graduate visa: your partner and children

New dependants cannot join you from outside the UK on the Graduate route. They may be able to if you later switch to a route such as the Skilled Worker visa.

Checked against gov.uk on : Graduate visa: your partner and children

What comes next

How do you switch out of the Graduate visa?

The Graduate visa cannot be extended. To stay, you need to switch to another route before it expires, and for most graduates that means the Skilled Worker visa with a licensed employer.

Checked against gov.uk on : Graduate visa: overview

Switching from a Graduate visa has two advantages. You can usually use the new-entrant salary rate, 70% of the going rate with at least £33,400, as long as your combined time on the Graduate and Skilled Worker routes stays within 4 years. And because the Graduate visa already lets you work, you can usually start the job while the switch is being decided.

Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: when you can be paid lessImmigration Rules: Appendix Skilled WorkerSponsor guidance part 2: sponsor a worker

If you are a doctor or nurse, or will work in health or adult social care, gov.uk suggests checking whether the Health and Care Worker visa fits instead: it is cheaper and has no health surcharge. If you get a job in public sector healthcare after paying the surcharge on your Graduate visa, you may be able to get a refund.

Checked against gov.uk on : Graduate visa: overview

The full process is in our guide to switching from the Graduate visa to a Skilled Worker visa. Other routes suit some people, such as Global Talent, or the Youth Mobility Scheme for some nationalities: the UK work visa checker and our guides by country show which are open to you.

Planning

How do you make the most of a Graduate visa?

These are our suggestions rather than rules, based on how the switch works:

  • Note the date your Graduate visa ends and count back from it. A switch to Skilled Worker has to be applied for before that date, and an employer without a licence may need around 8 weeks to get one.
  • Check whether the employers you apply to hold a sponsor licence, using the register or the licence check, before you invest time in an application.
  • Know the salary bar for the roles you want. The salary calculator shows the going rate for an occupation code and the new-entrant rate.
  • Graduate schemes recruit a year ahead on fixed deadlines. Keep the deadline list and which schemes sponsor to hand.

Staying for good

Does the Graduate visa count towards settlement?

No. The Graduate route is not a route to settlement, and time on it does not count towards the 5 years needed for settlement on the Skilled Worker route. It does count towards the 4-year limit on the new-entrant salary rate.

Checked against gov.uk on : Immigration Rules: Appendix GraduateImmigration Rules: Appendix Skilled Worker

Step by step

How do you apply, and how long does it take?

  1. Wait until your university has told the Home Office you have completed your course.
  2. Find your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number from your Student visa application. Your university can tell you if you have lost it.
  3. If a scholarship or sponsor paid both your course fees and living costs in the last 12 months, get a letter from it approving your application.
  4. Apply online from inside the UK before your Student visa expires, and pay the fee and the surcharge.
  5. Prove your identity, either with the 'UK Immigration: ID Check' app or at an appointment.
  6. Wait for the decision, usually within 8 weeks. You can stay in the UK while you wait, but travelling outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man withdraws the application.
  7. If you are successful you get an eVisa, a digital record of your status.

Checked against gov.uk on : Graduate visa: overviewGraduate visa: documents you'll need to applyGraduate visa: apply

Go deeper

Where to go next

Articles

The Graduate visa drops to 18 months on 1 January 2027: apply by 31 December to keep two yearsApply for the Graduate visa on or before 31 December 2026 and you get two years; apply from 1 January 2027 and you get 18 months. Who is affected, how to beat the cut-off, and what it means for sponsorship.The salary threshold that decides if a graduate scheme can sponsor youWhy a licensed employer still cannot sponsor its own graduate scheme. The two headline numbers, the occupation going rate that overrides them, and the four-year clock most guides never mention.Graduate visa to Skilled Worker: the timelineWhen to start, when sponsorship has to be in place, and how to sequence the switch from the Graduate route to a sponsored Skilled Worker visa without a gap.Which UK graduate schemes sponsor visasWhy there is no fixed list of sponsoring schemes, the sectors more likely to sponsor, and the one reliable check to run on any scheme before you apply.How to find visa-sponsoring graduate schemesA method for finding UK graduate schemes that sponsor international students, cross-referencing scheme lists against the official sponsor register.Which Banks and Trading Firms Sponsor International Students? Spring Weeks and Internships 2027Most banks publish no visa sponsorship position for spring weeks. What Lazard, Bank of America, Barclays and others actually say, who holds a licence, and the deadlines.Which consulting and Big 4 firms sponsor graduate visas in the UK (2027 intake)Firm-by-firm table for 25 consulting and Big 4 graduate programmes: what each firm publishes about visa sponsorship, its Home Office register entry, and Graduate visa timing.

Tools

UK work visa checkerWhich routes let you work, with the published rule behind each answer.Graduate schemes that sponsorProgramme by programme, what each employer says about sponsoring graduates.Application deadlinesEvery UK graduate application deadline, in date order.Guides by countryWhat changes depending on the passport you hold.

Licensed sponsors near you

GoRizzume's copy of the Home Office register lists 126,000+ licensed organisations, last synced 31 October 2026. A licence means an employer can sponsor, not that it will for every role.

Related guides

Visa guideGraduate to Skilled WorkerThe switch step by step: timing, what the employer must do and pay, and the salary rules for switchers.Visa guideSkilled Worker visaThe main UK work visa: who qualifies, the salary rules, what it costs and who pays, family, changing jobs and settlement.HubAll visa guidesEvery guide in the series, the tools, and guides by country.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Can I extend my Graduate visa?

No. The Graduate visa cannot be extended and can only be held once. To stay longer you need to switch to another route, such as the Skilled Worker visa, before it expires.

Will my Graduate visa last 2 years or 18 months?

It depends on when you apply. Applications made on or before 31 December 2026 get 2 years; applications made on or after 1 January 2027 get 18 months. Doctoral graduates get 3 years either way. Checked against gov.uk on 23 October 2026.

Do I need a job offer to apply for a Graduate visa?

No. The Graduate visa needs no job offer and no sponsor. You can work for any employer, look for work or be self-employed.

Can I apply for a Graduate visa from outside the UK?

No. You must be in the UK when you apply, and you must apply before your Student visa expires.

Can I work full time on a Graduate visa?

Yes. You can work in most jobs, for any employer, without sponsorship. The exceptions are work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach.

Does time on a Graduate visa count towards settlement?

No. The Graduate route is not a route to settlement, and time on it does not count towards the 5 years needed on the Skilled Worker route.

Can I study on a Graduate visa?

Only on a course that is not eligible for a Student visa. If your course would qualify for a Student visa, you need to apply for one instead.

When should I apply for a Graduate visa?

After your university has told the Home Office that you have completed your course, and before your Student visa expires. You do not need to wait for your graduation ceremony or certificate.

Can I get a second Graduate visa after another degree?

No. The Immigration Rules say you cannot apply if you have previously been granted permission as a Graduate.

References

Sources

Every page below was read on 23 October 2026. The Immigration Rules change several times a year; if a gov.uk page says something different from this guide, gov.uk is right.

  1. 1.GOV.UK, Graduate visa: overview
  2. 2.GOV.UK, Graduate visa: the course you studied
  3. 3.GOV.UK, Immigration Rules: Appendix Graduate
  4. 4.GOV.UK, Graduate visa: how much it costs
  5. 5.GOV.UK, Graduate visa: your partner and children
  6. 6.GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: when you can be paid less
  7. 7.GOV.UK, Immigration Rules: Appendix Skilled Worker
  8. 8.GOV.UK, Sponsor guidance part 2: sponsor a worker
  9. 9.GOV.UK, Graduate visa: documents you'll need to apply
  10. 10.GOV.UK, Graduate visa: apply
This is information, not immigration advice. It explains published Home Office rules and cannot see your own history. Always confirm on gov.uk, check with your employer, and take advice from an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority before making a decision that matters.