Graduate Visa
The Graduate Visa lets international students who have completed a qualifying UK degree stay to work, look for work or start a business without needing a sponsor.
Key Overviews
- You must have studied at a UK university with a Student visa.
- Applications on or before 31 December 2026 grant two years. Applications from 1 January 2027 grant 18 months. PhD and doctoral graduates receive three years throughout.
- No sponsor, no job offer, no salary test. You can work in almost any role, switch employers freely and run your own business.
- It does not lead to settlement. Time on a Graduate Visa does not count towards Indefinite Leave to Remain on any route.
- One attempt only. You can hold a Graduate Visa once in your lifetime, and it cannot be extended.
What Is the Graduate Visa?
The Graduate Visa is the UK’s post-study work route for international students who have completed a qualifying course at a recognised UK higher education institution. It was launched in July 2021 to let graduates stay on after their studies without needing a job offer or employer sponsorship.
It is a bridging visa. It gives you time to find work in the UK, test the market and decide whether to move onto a long-term route. Time spent on a Graduate Visa does not count towards the five-year clock for ILR, and the visa cannot be extended.
Graduate Visa Requirements
Under Appendix Graduate of the Immigration Rules, you must demonstrate that:
- You have successfully completed a qualifying course at a UK higher education provider with a track record of compliance
- Your course is a UK bachelors degree, postgraduate degree, PhD or other eligible qualification
- Your provider has reported course completion to UK Visas and Immigration
- You are physically in the UK on a valid Student or legacy Tier 4 (General) visa at the date of application
- You have not previously been granted a Graduate Visa or Doctorate Extension Scheme permission
- You have not overstayed or breached any conditions on your current or previous UK visa
- You can pay the application fee (£937 from 8 April 2026) and the Immigration Health Surcharge at £1,035 per year
- You can provide a TB certificate if you are from a country on the Home Office TB screening list
There is no minimum salary, no English language test and no financial maintenance requirement at this stage because you have already met these under your Student Visa.
Eligible UK Course and Provider
Your qualification must have been awarded by a UK higher education provider with a track record of compliance with the Home Office. Most UK universities fall into this category, but smaller or newer providers may not.
Key points:
- Bachelors, postgraduate and doctoral qualifications are all accepted
- Professional qualifications such as PGCE and recognised law conversion courses can qualify
- Short courses, foundation-only programmes and English language courses do not qualify on their own
- Online-only study does not count, even with a UK university. For study during the COVID-19 period, transitional rules allowed some distance learning to count, but those concessions have now ended
- Courses where the majority of study was delivered outside the UK do not qualify
- Branch campuses of UK universities outside the UK do not qualify
Your provider must report your successful completion directly to UK Visas and Immigration. You do not need to wait for your graduation ceremony or the physical certificate, but you do need confirmation that completion has been reported before applying.
Visa Duration: 2 Years, 3 Years or 18 Months
The Graduate Visa was reduced from two years to 18 months for bachelors and masters graduates, with the change taking effect from 1 January 2027. Doctoral graduates are unaffected.
The rules that apply in 2026 are:
- Bachelors or masters graduates applying on or before 31 December 2026: two years
- Bachelors or masters graduates applying on or after 1 January 2027: 18 months
- PhD or other doctoral qualification, at any application date: three years
The application date is what matters, not the graduation date. Someone who graduates in December 2026 but whose provider takes until January 2027 to report course completion will receive the 18-month visa. If you are due to complete in late 2026, ask your provider to confirm their reporting timeline and submit as soon as completion is reported.
Doctoral qualifications include PhD, DM, MD, DBA and other doctorates classified at Credit and Qualifications Framework for Wales Level 8 or equivalent. Honorary doctorates do not qualify.
Planning to move to sponsored work? See our Skilled Worker Visa UK 2026 guide for the salary, sponsorship and English requirements you will need to meet before your Graduate Visa expires.
Work Rights and Restrictions
The Graduate Visa is among the most flexible UK work permissions. Once in the UK you can:
- Work in almost any role, full-time or part-time, at any skill level
- Switch employers freely without notifying the Home Office
- Be self-employed or run a registered business
- Take on multiple jobs at the same time
- Study alongside work (some courses, such as in sensitive scientific fields, require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate)
- Travel outside the UK and return, provided your visa remains valid
The restrictions are narrow but firm:
- You cannot work as a professional sportsperson, including as a coach
- You cannot claim public funds or state benefits
- You cannot extend the Graduate Visa or re-apply once it has expired
- You cannot switch into the Graduate route from any other visa category
Because there is no salary, skill or occupation test, most refusals on the Graduate route arise from overstaying a previous visa, gaps in student attendance records or late notification of course completion.
Bringing Dependants
Dependant rules on the Graduate Visa mirror the restrictions introduced to the Student route in January 2024. You cannot add a new dependant to a Graduate Visa.
You can apply for dependant permission only for a partner or child who:
- Already holds valid permission in the UK as your dependant on your Student Visa, or
- Is your child who was born in the UK during your Student Visa and can be added as a new dependant
If you studied a postgraduate research course (a PhD or other research-based higher degree) and were able to bring dependants on your Student Visa, those dependants can continue with you onto the Graduate route. If you studied a taught masters or bachelors after January 2024, you are unlikely to have dependants on your Student Visa in the first place, and you cannot add them now.
Dependants must show:
- A genuine and subsisting relationship (for partners)
- Sufficient funds alongside the main applicant: £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each additional child, held for 28 consecutive days
- That the child will be cared for and maintained without public funds
Dependant permission runs in parallel with the main applicant and ends on the same date. Dependants’ time on the Graduate route also does not count towards settlement.
No Route to Settlement — What Happens Next
The Graduate Visa does not lead to Indefinite Leave to Remain. Time spent on the route does not count towards the five-year qualifying period on any settlement route, and it cannot be combined with other routes for that purpose.
To stay in the UK long term, you must switch to a settlement route before your Graduate Visa expires. Common onward options are:
- Skilled Worker Visa if you find a role at RQF Level 6 or above with a licensed sponsor
- Health and Care Worker Visa if you secure a clinical, care or NHS-sponsored role
- Global Talent Visa if you qualify as a leader or emerging leader in a specialist field
- Innovator Founder Visa if you are setting up a business endorsed by an approved body
- Spouse or Partner Visa if you meet the family route requirements
Switching must be completed before your Graduate Visa expires. Your five-year ILR clock starts from the date your new visa takes effect, not from the start of your Graduate Visa.
For graduates moving into NHS or social care roles, see our Health and Care Worker Visa UK 2026 guide.
How Whytecroft Ford Can Help
At Whytecroft Ford we are IAA-regulated immigration advisers. We assist with:
- Eligibility checks and application timing strategy, including late 2026 submissions
- Full Graduate Visa application preparation and submission
- Dependant applications for existing partners and children, including UK-born children
- Planning and executing a switch to Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Global Talent, Innovator Founder or Spouse Visa before Graduate expiry
- Long-term settlement strategy from Graduate to ILR through an onward route
To discuss your application, call +44 (0)208 757 5751, email info@whytecroftford.com or book a consultation.
Sources
Official Home Office guidance:
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