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Switching from the Graduate visa to a Skilled Worker visa

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

Can you switch from a Graduate visa to a Skilled Worker visa?

Yes. You can switch from inside the UK once a licensed employer offers you an eligible job and assigns you a Certificate of Sponsorship, as long as you apply before your Graduate visa expires. As a switcher you can usually use the new-entrant salary rate, 70% of the going rate with at least £33,400, for up to 4 years in total across both visas.

On this page
  1. Can you switch
  2. When to start
  3. What your employer must do
  4. Salary rules for switchers
  5. What it costs you
  6. While you wait
  7. What goes wrong
  8. Partner and children
  9. Go deeper
  10. FAQs
  11. 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

Can you switch from a Graduate visa to a Skilled Worker visa?

Yes. The Graduate visa is not one of the visas you cannot switch from, so you can apply from inside the UK. You need the same things as any Skilled Worker applicant: a job offer from a licensed sponsor, an eligible occupation code, a salary that meets the rules, English at level B2 and a Certificate of Sponsorship.

Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: switch to this visa

A degree taught in English and awarded by a UK institution usually proves your English, so if that describes your degree you do not need to sit a test.

Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: knowledge of English

The job has to qualify in its own right. Many graduate roles are classed as 'higher skilled', but check the occupation code your employer intends to use against the salary calculator before you accept.

Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: your job

Timing

When should you start the switch?

Work backwards from the day your Graduate visa ends. You must apply before it expires. You must apply within 3 months of your certificate being assigned, and no more than 3 months before the start date on it. A decision on an application made inside the UK usually takes 8 weeks.

Checked against gov.uk on : Graduate visa: overviewUK visa sponsorship for employers: certificates of sponsorshipSkilled Worker visa: switch to this visa

The usual order of events
StepWhoWhat to watch
Get a job offer from a licensed sponsorYouCheck the employer on the register before you invest time in it
Agree the occupation code and salaryYou and the employerThe salary must meet the new-entrant or standard rate for that code
Assign a Certificate of SponsorshipEmployerUsually an undefined certificate, the kind used for people already in the UK
Apply online to switchYouWithin 3 months of the certificate, and before your Graduate visa expires
Prove your identityYouWith the ID Check app or at an appointment
DecisionHome OfficeUsually within 8 weeks

Checked against gov.uk on : UK visa sponsorship for employers: certificates of sponsorshipSkilled Worker visa: switch to this visa

If your employer does not yet hold a licence, add its licence application to the timeline: gov.uk says that usually takes around 8 weeks on its own. If your Graduate visa ends within a few months and nothing is in place, talk to your employer and a regulated adviser early.

Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: your job

The employer

What does your employer have to do?

  • Hold a Skilled Worker sponsor licence with an A rating.
  • Choose the correct occupation code. The Home Office can refuse the application if it thinks a less appropriate code was chosen, for example to get a lower going rate.
  • Assign you a Certificate of Sponsorship showing the job, salary and start date, and pay the £525 certificate fee.
  • Pay the Immigration Skills Charge: £1,320 for the first 12 months and £660 for each further 6 months for a medium or large sponsor, or £480 and £240 for a small or charitable one. There is no exemption for a worker switching from a Graduate visa, unlike one switching straight from a Student visa.
  • Check your right to work, keep records about you, and report changes to the Home Office while it sponsors you.

Checked against gov.uk on : Immigration Rules: Appendix Skilled WorkerUK visa sponsorship for employers: certificates of sponsorshipUK visa sponsorship for employers: immigration skills chargeSponsor guidance part 2: sponsor a workerUK visa sponsorship for employers: your responsibilities

An employer must not ask you to pay the certificate fee or the Immigration Skills Charge, or take the money back from your pay. Sponsor guidance lists that as grounds on which the Home Office will normally revoke its licence.

Checked against gov.uk on : Sponsor guidance part 3: sponsor duties and compliance

The number

What salary do you need as a switcher?

You count as a new entrant if the Graduate visa is your most recent visa, or it expired less than 2 years before you apply. New entrants need at least 70% of the going rate for the occupation code, and never less than £33,400 a year. Anyone under 26 on the date they apply qualifies on age alone.

Checked against gov.uk on : Immigration Rules: Appendix Skilled WorkerSkilled Worker visa: when you can be paid less

Once you are no longer a new entrant, the standard rule applies: at least £41,700 or the full going rate, whichever is higher. Going rates are scaled to your contracted hours but the flat floor is not, and only guaranteed basic pay counts.

Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: your jobImmigration Rules: Appendix Skilled Worker

The 4-year limit

When you use the new-entrant rate, your total time on the Skilled Worker, Graduate and older Tier 2 routes cannot go over 4 years. If you used the whole of a Graduate visa lasting 2 years, that leaves up to 2 years at the new-entrant rate; after one lasting 18 months, up to 2 years and 6 months. Your employer can only assign a new-entrant certificate for the time that is left.

Checked against gov.uk on : Immigration Rules: Appendix Skilled WorkerSponsor guidance part 2: sponsor a worker

To extend beyond that, your salary has to meet another option, usually the standard rate. It is worth knowing early whether your pay is expected to get there.

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

Money

What does the switch cost you?

Applying from inside the UK costs £943 for up to 3 years or £1,865 for longer, plus the immigration health surcharge, usually £1,035 for each year. If you have been in the UK for at least 12 months you do not need to show savings.

Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: how much it costsSkilled Worker visa: switch to this visa

The wait

Can you start work while the application is decided?

Sponsor guidance says a person switching to a sponsored route must not start work for the sponsor before the application is granted, unless their current permission already allows that work. A Graduate visa allows most work, so in most cases you can start. If the switch is refused, the employer must stop sponsoring you.

Checked against gov.uk on : Sponsor guidance part 2: sponsor a worker

Do not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man while you wait, or the application will be withdrawn.

Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: switch to this visa

Avoid these

What commonly goes wrong?

  • Leaving it too late: the Graduate visa cannot be extended, so the switch has to be applied for before it ends.
  • An employer with no licence, or with a B rating, which stops it assigning a certificate to a new worker.
  • An occupation code that is not eligible, or whose going rate is above the salary offered.
  • Counting allowances, bonuses or overtime towards the salary.
  • Running past the 4-year new-entrant limit without a salary that meets the standard rate.
  • Being asked to pay the Immigration Skills Charge or the certificate fee yourself.

Checked against gov.uk on : Graduate visa: overviewUK visa sponsorship for employers: your licence ratingSkilled Worker visa: your jobImmigration Rules: Appendix Skilled WorkerSponsor guidance part 3: sponsor duties and compliance

Family

What happens to your partner and children?

Their visas do not switch automatically. If they are in the UK as your Graduate dependants, they need to apply to switch as your Skilled Worker dependants, at the same time as you or later, and their current visa stays valid until its original end date. Once you are on the Skilled Worker route, new dependants may be able to join you from outside the UK if your job is classed as 'higher skilled'.

Checked against gov.uk on : Skilled Worker visa: switch to this visaGraduate visa: your partner and childrenSkilled Worker visa: your partner and children

Go deeper

Where to go next

Articles

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.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.Skilled Worker Salary Thresholds in 2026: The Real Figures for 15 Graduate JobsThe gov.uk going rate and new-entrant minimum for 15 graduate jobs by SOC code, who counts as a new entrant, and the pay-period rule in force since 8 April 2026.Will You Require Visa Sponsorship? How to Answer Honestly on UK Applications (2026)On a Student, Graduate or HPI visa the honest answer to "now or in the future" is usually yes. The right answer for each visa, and how to check an employer first.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.Which UK Companies Sponsor Graduate Visas in 2026 (and How to Check Any Employer)More than 126,000 UK organisations can sponsor Skilled Worker visas. Which graduate employers actually do, and how to check any company in under a minute.

Tools

Skilled Worker salary calculatorThe general threshold and the going rate for an occupation code, with the higher one binding.Sponsor licence checkCheck one employer against the register before you spend an evening on its application form.Graduate schemes that sponsorProgramme by programme, what each employer says about sponsoring graduates.Visa sponsorship jobsLive roles at licensed sponsors, taken from the employers' own careers sites.

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 visaHow long it lasts (2 years or 18 months, depending on when you apply), what you can do on it, and how to switch out.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

When can I switch from a Graduate visa to a Skilled Worker visa?

At any point while your Graduate visa is valid, once a licensed sponsor has assigned you a Certificate of Sponsorship. You must apply within 3 months of the certificate being assigned and before your Graduate visa expires.

Do I qualify for the new-entrant salary rate after a Graduate visa?

Usually, yes, if the Graduate visa is your most recent visa or expired less than 2 years before you apply. The rate is 70% of the going rate with at least £33,400, and your total time on the Graduate and Skilled Worker routes cannot go over 4 years while you use it.

Who pays the Immigration Skills Charge when I switch?

Your employer. There is no exemption for someone switching from a Graduate visa, and the employer must not ask you to pay it or take it back from your wages.

Can I keep working while my switch application is decided?

Usually, yes. Sponsor guidance allows a person to start work for the sponsor before the decision if their current permission already allows that work, and the Graduate visa allows most work.

Do I need an English test to switch?

Usually not. You need English at level B2, and a degree taught in English and awarded by a UK institution normally proves it.

Can I switch while staying with my current employer?

Yes, if your employer holds a Skilled Worker licence and the job and salary meet the rules. It assigns you a Certificate of Sponsorship for your current role and you apply to switch before your Graduate visa ends.

What if my Graduate visa ends before I find a sponsor?

It cannot be extended, so you would need another route that you qualify for, or to leave the UK and apply from outside if you later get a job offer. A regulated immigration adviser can look at your own position.

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, Skilled Worker visa: switch to this visa
  2. 2.GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: knowledge of English
  3. 3.GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: your job
  4. 4.GOV.UK, Graduate visa: overview
  5. 5.GOV.UK, UK visa sponsorship for employers: certificates of sponsorship
  6. 6.GOV.UK, Immigration Rules: Appendix Skilled Worker
  7. 7.GOV.UK, UK visa sponsorship for employers: immigration skills charge
  8. 8.GOV.UK, Sponsor guidance part 2: sponsor a worker
  9. 9.GOV.UK, UK visa sponsorship for employers: your responsibilities
  10. 10.GOV.UK, Sponsor guidance part 3: sponsor duties and compliance
  11. 11.GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: when you can be paid less
  12. 12.GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: how much it costs
  13. 13.GOV.UK, UK visa sponsorship for employers: your licence rating
  14. 14.GOV.UK, Graduate visa: your partner and children
  15. 15.GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: your partner and children
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.