Graduate Visa
The Graduate visa is a UK immigration route that allows international students to stay and work in the UK after completing their studies. It is one of the most popular post-study options available to graduates from UK universities.
Whether you are finishing a UK bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, or a PhD, this guide covers what you need to know about the UK Graduate visa and what to do after it.
If you are ready to apply for the Graduate visa or want expert advice on your post-study immigration options, Newcastle Immigration Lawyers can help. Call us on 0191 303 8965 or contact us online today.
What Is the Graduate Visa?
The Graduate visa, also known as the graduate route, is a UK visa that lets eligible international students remain in the UK and work after successfully completing their studies at a UK institution.
Unlike most UK visas, the graduate route visa is unsponsored. Graduate visa applicants do not need a job offer or a Certificate of Sponsorship to be eligible for the graduate immigration route.
This gives international students the freedom to take their time finding work, trying out different roles, or starting a business while their permission remains valid.
The graduate immigration route sits between the student route and long-term work visas, like the Skilled Worker visa.
It gives international graduates time to find work, explore different roles, or start a business before moving to a sponsored employment route.
Page Contents
- What Is the Graduate Visa?
- Does a Graduate Visa Still Grant a 2 Year Stay?
- Graduate Visa Eligibility
- Student Sponsor and Scholarship Requirements
- How Long Can You Stay on the Graduate Visa?
- How to Apply for the Graduate Visa
- How Much Is a 2-Year Graduate Visa?
- Conditions of the Graduate Route
- Graduate Visa Dependants
- Completing Your Studies Earlier Than Expected
- What Happens When the Graduate Visa Expires?
- Working After Studies: Transitioning to Skilled Work
- How Newcastle Immigration Lawyers Can Help
- Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Graduate Visa Still Grant a 2 Year Stay?
The UK Graduate visa is currently granted for two years for those who completed a UK bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree; and three years for a PhD or other doctoral qualifications.
However, this is changing. For Graduate visa applications made on or after 1 January 2027, the duration for undergraduate and taught master’s graduates will be reduced from two years to 18 months. PhD and other doctoral graduates will continue to receive three years of permission.
The cut‑off is based on when you apply for the Graduate visa, not when you start your course: applications submitted on or before 31 December 2026 will still receive the full 2 years.
For prospective Student visa holders, who are yet to start a course in the UK or who have only just begun a course, eligibility will only be established for a Graduate visa after their course ends, therefore they will be subject to the new rules.
This means the Graduate visa will be valid for 18 months instead of 2 years. For PhD or doctoral candidates, it remains unchanged however, and 3 years will remain the validity period.
If you want to make use of the full two years, apply before that date. Newcastle Immigration Lawyers can help you plan ahead. Call us on 0191 303 8965.
Graduate Visa Eligibility
Overview
Not every international student who studies in the UK will qualify for the Graduate visa. Several conditions must all be met, and missing any one of them means you cannot apply.
The Graduate route is entirely separate from the Doctorate Extension Scheme (DES). If you previously held DES permission, the Graduate visa is not available to you.
For everyone else, the Home Office looks at four things:
- Whether you hold a valid Student visa at the time of application
- Whether you have successfully completed an eligible course with a Home Office licensed education provider that has a sponsor licence with a track record of compliance and can issue a Certificate of Acceptance (CAS) to you
- Whether your qualification is at the required level, a UK bachelor’s degree, master’s, PhD, or a regulated professional course
- Whether you spent the minimum required period studying in the UK under that visa
All four must be satisfied. The Home Office does not make exceptions for partial compliance.
Successful Completion Requirement
You must have successfully completed the course linked to your current Student visa at a higher education provider that holds a valid student sponsor licence with a track record of compliance.
Your university reports your completion directly to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), you do not submit this yourself. The timing is down to your institution, not the Home Office. Most universities send completion records within a fixed window after results are released, but the window varies.
Ask your international student team when they expect to submit records for your cohort. If UKVI has not received the report by the time you apply, your application can be delayed or refused.
Qualifications that meet this requirement include:
- UK bachelor’s degrees
- Master’s degrees
- PhDs and other doctorates
- Certain postgraduate diplomas
- Specified regulated professional courses under UK law, including law conversion courses, the LPC, Bar training courses, PGCE and PGDE
Qualification Requirement
Your course must have been taken at a UK higher education provider that holds a student sponsor licence and has a track record of compliance. If your institution did not hold a valid licence at the time of your course and at the time its completion was reported, you will not qualify; there are no exceptions to this.
Your qualification must be at a UK bachelor’s degree level or above. A bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, postgraduate diploma, PhD, or a specified professional qualification awarded by a qualifying UK provider will all satisfy the requirement.
Residency (Study in the UK) Requirement
You must have physically studied in the UK on your Student visa for the required minimum period. For courses of 12 months or shorter, you need the full duration. For anything longer than 12 months, you need at least 12 months of in-UK study.
If you had significant time outside the UK during your studies, you may not meet this threshold. Seek advice before applying rather than assuming you are fine.
No Financial or English Language Evidence
The Graduate route does not require fresh financial evidence or a new English language test. UKVI assessed both when your Student visa was granted and when it was renewed, and did not ask again.
This makes the Graduate visa considerably lighter to apply for than most sponsored work routes. Bear in mind that some government scholarship sponsors still require written permission before you can remain in the UK after finishing your studies. Check your scholarship conditions if this could apply to you.
Student Sponsor and Scholarship Requirements
Your sponsoring institution is central to your Graduate visa eligibility. The education provider where you studied must hold a valid student sponsor licence, have a track record of compliance, and have reported your successful course completion to UK Visas and Immigration.
Being funded by a government scholarship or grant doesn’t affect your Graduate route eligibility.
The Home Office looks at your Student visa status and the course you completed, that’s it. Who paid the fees isn’t part of the assessment.
Your scholarship agreement is a different issue. Some funders require you to return home for a set period after finishing your studies, or to get written permission before staying on in the UK.
These are contractual obligations between you and your sponsor, not extra visa conditions, but they are still binding, and ignoring them can have consequences beyond your immigration status.
Check your scholarship agreement before you apply for the Graduate route. If there are any restrictions on staying in the UK after your course, you need to know about them before submitting your application, not after.
Newcastle Immigration Lawyers can help you review the terms and work out your options. Call us on 0191 303 8965 or contact us online.
How Long Can You Stay on the Graduate Visa?
How long you get depends on your qualification level and when you apply.
Bachelor’s and master’s graduates currently get 2 years. PhD and other doctoral graduates get 3. From 1 January 2027, that changes, bachelor’s and master’s graduates will get 18 months instead of 2 years.
The 3-year period for doctoral graduates is not affected.The Graduate visa cannot be extended. When it expires, you leave the UK or switch to another route, typically the Skilled Worker visa or Innovator Founder visa if eligible.
Time spent on the Graduate route does not count towards the 5-year qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain on work routes, such as the Skilled Worker route.
If settlement is your goal, you need to be on a qualifying route for 5 years; the Graduate visa does not contribute to that clock. Most graduates who want to settle in the UK switch to the Skilled Worker visa and begin the qualifying period from there.
Graduate visa time can count towards the 10-year long residence route. That pathway has its own rules and is a separate conversation, but it is worth being aware of if the standard 5-year work route is not available to you.
Graduate route time doesn’t count toward the 5-year clock for ILR on work routes like Skilled Worker. It does count toward the 10-year long-residence route, and so does your earlier time as a student, as long as your residence has remained continuous and lawful and you tick the other boxes.
Take someone who spent 3 years on a Student visa and 2 on the Graduate visa: that’s 5 years banked, so they’d need 5 more on a qualifying route to reach 10. Someone who did a 3-year PhD gets a 3-year Graduate visa to go with it, which puts them at 6 years already, just 4 short of the threshold.
Going the standard 5-year work route instead (Skilled Worker, say)? Only time on those qualifying work visas counts. Neither your Student nor Graduate visa years shorten that 5-year period.
How to Apply for the Graduate Visa
You apply online through the UK immigration system. You must be physically in the UK when you submit. Applications from overseas are not accepted. If you leave before applying and your Student visa expires, you lose access to the Graduate route.
When You Can Apply
You can only apply after your university has submitted a completion report to UK Visas and Immigration confirming you have finished your course. Your institution submits this directly, you cannot do it on their behalf.
Until that report’s filed, your Student visa is what’s keeping you in the UK, so don’t overstay in the meantime. Most universities get it done within a few weeks of results coming out.
Ask your international student team when they expect to report your cohort, do not assume it happens automatically on results day.
If Your Student Visa Is Running Out
If your visa is close to expiring and your university has not yet submitted your completion report, get advice now. Do not wait.
Section 3C leave can keep your permission running if you submit a valid immigration application before your visa expires. But submitting a Graduate visa application before your university has confirmed your completion risks refusal, and a refused application does not extend your stay.
You need to time this carefully, and the window can be narrow.
What You Need to Apply
When completing the online form, you will need:
- Your passport or travel document
- Your current Student visa details
- Your biometric residence permit (BRP), if you have one, or your eVisa (online immigration status) details
- Payment for the application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge
You do not need a job offer, Certificate of Sponsorship, financial evidence, or an English language test.
Processing Time and Travel
The Home Office aims to decide most Graduate visa applications within eight weeks. Stay in the UK while yours is pending, leave the country, and it’ll count as withdrawn.
Priority processing is sometimes available for an extra fee. Once you’re approved, your Graduate visa appears as a digital immigration status record (eVisa) with your expiry date.
Already have a biometric residence permit (BRP) from an earlier grant? Your status might be linked to that card, too, but any new permission is now recorded digitally, not stamped onto a BRP.
How Much Is a 2-Year Graduate Visa?
There are two costs: the application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), which covers your access to the NHS for the duration of your stay. Both are paid upfront when you submit your application. Your application will not be processed until both are paid.
| Application fee | IHS | |
|---|---|---|
| 2-year Graduate visa (bachelor’s or master’s) | £937 | £1035 |
| 3-year Graduate visa (PhD/doctoral) | £937 | £3,105 |
| Graduate dependent visa (per person) | £937 | £1035 per year |
The same fees apply to all dependants, partners and children where dependants are allowed. For eligible cases, each dependant pays the £1035 application fee plus the IHS for the full length of the main Graduate visa.
Only PhD and similar doctoral Graduate visas can have dependants; dependants are not permitted on bachelor’s or master’s Graduate visas.
The IHS is charged at £1035 per year of permission, £1035 for a two-year visa, and £3,105 for a three-year visa. Each dependent pays the same application fee and IHS rate as the main applicant.
For most international graduates, the IHS is the bigger number to plan around. Unlike the application fee, which is fixed, the IHS scales with the length of your permission, so doctoral graduates pay more than £1035 in surcharge alone before the application fee is added.
Conditions of the Graduate Route
The Graduate visa is less restrictive than most UK work visas. You do not need a sponsor, a job offer, or Home Office permission to work, you just need the visa.
Work Rights on the Graduate Visa
You can work full-time or part-time, hold multiple jobs at the same time, do freelance or contract work, and carry out voluntary work. You can also take time to look for work without being in employment straight away.
There is one restriction: you cannot work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach, whether paid or unpaid. That is it. Every other role and sector is open to you.
Studying While on the Graduate Visa
You can study while on a Graduate visa. Short courses, professional training, and non-sponsored study are all allowed
It gets more complicated if you want to start a new higher-education qualification, the kind that would require a Student visa and a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).
In that situation, you will need to switch back to the Student route and get sponsorship from a licensed education provider. If you are not sure whether a course you have in mind falls into this category, check before you enrol, not after.
Self-Employment on the Graduate Visa
Self-employment is allowed on the Graduate route without any endorsement or additional permission. You can set up a business, work as a freelancer or consultant, or take on contract work from the day your visa is granted. You can then switch, if successful to an Innovator Founder visa after holding a Graduate visa.
There’s no waiting period, no sponsor, no separate application to file. Once your Graduate visa comes through, you can start working for yourself, you just need to stay on the right side of the usual UK business and tax rules.
Graduate Visa Dependants
If your family members are already in the UK as dependants on your Student visa, they can apply to remain under the Graduate route while you hold a Graduate visa.
Who Can Apply as a Graduate Dependant?
Only dependants who already hold permission under the Student at the time you submit your Graduate visa application are eligible. They must apply at the same time as you, or after, not before.
Dependants who are currently outside the UK, or who were not in the UK on the Student route when you applied, cannot come to the UK under the Graduate route. There is no route to bring new dependants in at this stage, and no exceptions.
Duration and Work Rights
A Graduate dependant visa expires on the same date as the sponsors’. Their permission is tied directly to your Graduate visa. f yours ends, so does theirs.
Adult dependants have the same work rights as the main Graduate visa holder: any skill level, any employer, self-employment, and multiple jobs at once. The only restriction is the same one that applies to you; no professional sportsperson or sports coach roles, paid or unpaid.
Once the Graduate visa expires, dependants cannot extend under the Graduate route. If they want to remain in the UK, they need to qualify for a different visa in their own right.
Completing Your Studies Earlier Than Expected
Finishing early does not disqualify you from the Graduate visa. The only thing the Home Office cares about is whether you genuinely completed your programme and whether your university has confirmed that to them.
Resits and Supplementary Assessments
If you have outstanding resits, deferred exams, or incomplete assessments, your institution cannot confirm successful course completion until all of them are resolved.
Until that confirmation goes in, you are still on the Student route and must hold a valid Student visa.
Academic Appeals
Do not apply for the Graduate visa while an academic appeal is pending. Your outcome is not final until the appeal concludes, which means you may not yet meet the completion requirement.
Applying before that point risks refusal, and a refusal at this stage can create real difficulties for future UK immigration applications.
Repeating a Year of Study
If you are repeating a year, you remain on your current Student visa for that additional period. You cannot apply for the Graduate route until every element of your course, including repeated years, has been completed and confirmed to the Home Office by your institution.
What If Your Student Visa Expires Before Completion?
If your Student visa expires before your university confirms your completion, you risk overstaying. Overstaying, even unintentionally, is an immigration breach.
It can lead to curtailment of your leave, refusal of your Graduate visa application, and problems with any future UK visa.
If your visa is about to expire and you are still waiting for confirmation of completion, call Newcastle Immigration Lawyers now on 0191 303 8965.
What Happens When the Graduate Visa Expires?
The Graduate visa cannot be extended and does not lead to settlement. When it expires, you either leave the UK or switch to another visa.
Most graduates who want to stay move to one of these routes:
- Skilled Worker route — you have a job offer from a licensed UK sponsor, the role is on the eligible occupation list, and the salary meets the threshold
- Innovator Founder visa — you are starting or growing a business in the UK and can get an endorsement from an approved endorsing body confirming the idea is credible and viable
- Family visas — you have a British citizen or settled partner or close family member in the UK and meet the relationship and financial requirements
- Global Talent visa — you are recognised as a leader or emerging leader in academia, research, technology, the arts, or another eligible field
- High Potential Individual (HPI) visa — for graduates of specific top-ranked global universities. No job offer needed. You get 2 years in the UK, or 3 if you completed a PhD
- Scale-up visa — for those with a job offer from an approved UK scale-up company. You work for that sponsor for the first 6 months, then gain unsponsored work rights
Working After Studies: Transitioning to Skilled Work
If you find employment while on the Graduate route, you can switch to a work visa from inside the UK; there is no need to leave and reapply from abroad.
For most graduates, this means the Skilled Worker route, and the sooner you switch, the sooner your 5-year qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain begins.
Skilled Worker Route Requirements
To qualify, you need:
- A confirmed job offer from a UK employer with a valid sponsor licence
- A role on the eligible occupation list
- A salary that meets the minimum threshold — currently £41,700 for most roles, or the going rate for the occupation, whichever is higher
- English language ability at the required level
The salary threshold and occupation list change periodically. Check the current figures before you apply, not after you have accepted an offer.
How Newcastle Immigration Lawyers Can Help
Getting your graduate visa application right matters more than most people realise.
A refusal, whether because you applied too early, missed a document, or did not meet the eligibility criteria, can delay your plans and affect future visa applications. Many visa holders only seek help after receiving one. It is better to get it right the first time.
At Newcastle Immigration Lawyers, our advisers work with international graduates at every stage, from checking eligibility and preparing the application to planning what comes after the graduate route ends.
We can help you with:
- Confirming your graduate visa eligibility before you apply
- Reviewing your current student visa conditions
- Preparing and submitting your application for the graduate route
- Advising on graduate dependent visa applications
- Advising on the January 2027 changes to the graduate visa duration
- Representing you if your application is refused
Whether you are planning ahead or dealing with an unexpected refusal, our team can help.
Call Newcastle Immigration Lawyers today on 0191 303 8965 or contact us online to speak with one of our immigration advisers.
Legal Disclaimer
The information provided is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. While we make every effort to ensure accuracy, the law may change, and the information may not reflect the most current legal developments. No warranty is given regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information, and we do not accept liability in such cases. We recommend consulting with a qualified lawyer at Newcastle Immigration Lawyers before making any decisions based on the content provided.
Last modified on August 10th, 2026 at 8:06 am
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Home Office targets 8 weeks for most Graduate visa applications. Stay in the UK while it is being processed, leaving will result in your application being withdrawn.
Priority processing is sometimes available at extra cost. Bear in mind that your application cannot move forward until your university has reported your successful course completion to the Home Office, so that step often determines the actual timeline.
No. Time on a Graduate visa does not count towards the 5-year qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain on work routes such as the Skilled Worker route.
To build towards settlement, most graduates switch to the Skilled Worker visa or another qualifying route once their Graduate permission ends, and the 5-year clock starts from there, not from when they first arrived.
