If you are finishing a degree in Britain, the post-study work visa UK option, officially called the Graduate visa (or Graduate route), lets you stay on and work without needing an employer to sponsor you. You can take almost any job, change employers freely, freelance or start your own business while you build UK work experience.
The route is changing. After the UK government’s May 2025 immigration white paper, the standard length of the visa is being cut from 2 years to 18 months. The cut is not in force yet, though. Whether you get 2 years or 18 months depends on the date you apply, so timing matters a great deal for anyone graduating in late 2026.
Below we cover eligibility, duration, costs, documents, family rules and switching to a Skilled Worker visa, using GOV.UK figures as of November 2026.
Table of Contents
- What Is the UK Graduate Visa?
- Eligibility Requirements
- How Long the Visa Lasts: 2 Years vs 18 Months
- Application Fee and Immigration Health Surcharge
- Documents You Need
- How to Apply, Step by Step
- What You Can and Cannot Do
- Bringing Your Partner and Children
- Switching to a Skilled Worker Visa
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
- Official References
What Is the UK Graduate Visa?
Launched in July 2021, the Graduate route is unsponsored: no job offer, minimum salary or employer sponsor is needed. Permission starts on the day your application is approved, not on the day you graduate.
- You must apply from inside the UK, and your current permission must be a Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa.
- The Graduate visa cannot be extended. When it ends, you either switch to another visa (for example, Skilled Worker) or leave the UK.
- You can hold Graduate permission only once. Under Appendix Graduate of the Immigration Rules, you cannot apply if you have already had Graduate permission or permission under the old Doctorate Extension Scheme.
Eligibility Requirements
According to GOV.UK, you can apply for a Graduate visa if all of the following are true:
- you are in the UK;
- your current visa is a Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa;
- you studied a UK bachelor’s degree, postgraduate degree or other eligible course for the minimum period with that visa;
- your education provider has told the Home Office that you have successfully completed your course.
Your education provider
Your university or college must be a licensed student sponsor with a track record of compliance. You can check this on the Home Office register of licensed student sponsors, where the status column should read “Student Sponsor – Track Record”.
Eligible courses
You usually need a UK bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or PhD/doctorate. The following also qualify:
- an SRA-approved law conversion course, the Legal Practice Course, Solicitors Course or Diploma in Professional Legal Practice;
- the Bar Practice Course or Bar Course;
- a PGCE or PGDE;
- certain courses leading to a UK-regulated job (your provider can confirm).
If your provider let you change course without a new Student visa, only the course you changed to needs to be completed.
Minimum time studying in the UK
| Total length of your course | Minimum study in the UK |
|---|---|
| 12 months or less | The full length of the course |
| More than 12 months | At least 12 months |
Time away during term breaks or weekends still counts as studying in the UK.
How Long the Visa Lasts: 2 Years vs 18 Months
This is the biggest change to the route since it launched. The Home Office white paper Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published on 12 May 2025, announced a plan to cut the Graduate route to 18 months. That change was written into the Immigration Rules by the Statement of Changes HC 1333, laid on 14 October 2025. Its explanatory memorandum says the 18-month period applies to applications submitted on or after 1 January 2027, and that PhD graduates keep three years.
| Your qualification | Apply on or before 31 December 2026 | Apply on or after 1 January 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree | 2 years | 18 months |
| Master’s degree (taught or research) | 2 years | 18 months |
| Other eligible courses (law, PGCE, PGDE, etc.) | 2 years | 18 months |
| PhD or other doctoral qualification | 3 years | 3 years |
What applies right now (November 2026)
As of November 2026, the 2-year grant still applies to bachelor’s and master’s graduates, as long as the application is made on or before 31 December 2026. The date that counts is when you submit the application, not when your degree is awarded or when the decision arrives. You can apply as soon as your university has reported your successful completion to the Home Office. You do not need to wait for your graduation ceremony or certificate.
Practical tip: If your results are due in November or December 2026, ask your university’s international student team when it will send the completion notification. Getting your application in before 1 January 2027 could give you six extra months of work rights.
Application Fee and Immigration Health Surcharge
As of November 2026, GOV.UK lists two charges for the main applicant:
- Application fee: £937
- Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS): usually £1,035 for each year of the visa. It is paid upfront with your application.
| Visa length | Application fee | Health surcharge (IHS) | Total upfront cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 months (applications from 1 Jan 2027) | £937 | £1,552.50 | £2,489.50 |
| 2 years (applications up to 31 Dec 2026) | £937 | £2,070 | £3,007 |
| 3 years (PhD / doctorate) | £937 | £3,105 | £4,042 |
The totals above simply add the GOV.UK fee to the GOV.UK surcharge amounts. You will be told the exact amount when you apply. The IHS guidance says applicants who are under 18 when they apply pay a lower rate of £776 per year. This matters for child dependants. Dependants aged 18 or over usually pay the same surcharge as the main applicant.
Health and social care workers should also check the Health and Care Worker visa, which GOV.UK says is cheaper and exempt from the surcharge. Fees change regularly, so check GOV.UK on the day you apply.
Documents You Need
GOV.UK lists the following:
- a valid passport or other travel document showing your identity and nationality;
- your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) reference number from the Student visa you completed your course on. Your university sent this when it offered you a place, and it can tell you the number if you have lost it;
- proof of your current Student permission. If you have a biometric residence permit (BRP), you can use it for up to 24 months after its printed expiry date or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first.
Depending on your circumstances, you may also need:
- proof of your relationship with a partner or child applying as your dependant;
- a letter of approval from your scholarship or sponsorship provider, if it paid both your course fees and your living costs in the last 12 months;
- certified translations of any document not in English or Welsh.
You do not need to show savings, a job offer or a new English language test for the Graduate visa.
How to Apply, Step by Step
- Confirm completion has been reported. Check with your university that it has told the Home Office you completed your course.
- Check your Student visa end date. You must apply before your Student permission expires.
- Start the online application on GOV.UK (“Apply for a Graduate visa”). You can save the form and finish it later.
- Pay the fee and the IHS online as part of the application.
- Prove your identity. You will either use the “UK Immigration: ID Check” app and sign into your UKVI account, or book a biometrics appointment at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point. You will be told which one applies to you.
- Wait for a decision. GOV.UK says you will usually get one within 8 weeks. You can stay in the UK while you wait.
- Access your eVisa. If approved, you get an eVisa, a digital record of your status, which you view through your UKVI account.
Important: Do not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. If you do, your application will be treated as withdrawn. If the application is refused, Appendix Graduate allows you to apply for an Administrative Review.
What You Can and Cannot Do
| Allowed on a Graduate visa | Not allowed on a Graduate visa |
|---|---|
| Work in most jobs, at any skill or salary level | Claim most benefits (public funds) or the State Pension |
| Look for work | Work as a professional sportsperson |
| Be self-employed or freelance | Extend the Graduate visa itself |
| Do unpaid voluntary work for charities and similar bodies | Study a course that is eligible for a Student visa (extend your Student visa instead) |
| Travel abroad and return to the UK | Apply for a second Graduate visa later |
Bringing Your Partner and Children
The Graduate visa does not let you bring new family members from abroad. Your partner and children can stay as your dependants only if they were already in the UK as dependants on your current Student visa. The one exception is a child born in the UK during your current Student visa or Graduate visa.
This links to the Student visa rules. For courses starting on or after 1 January 2024, students can bring dependants only if they are on a PhD or other doctorate, a research-based higher degree, or a government-sponsored course longer than 6 months. In practice, most taught master’s graduates will have no eligible dependants to carry over.
Partner and child requirements
- Partners must show marriage, civil partnership, or at least 2 years living together or in a committed relationship.
- Children must live with you (unless in full-time education elsewhere) and not be married. A UK-born child applies with a full UK birth certificate.
Each family member applies separately, pays their own fee and IHS, and quotes your Unique Application Number (UAN). Their permission ends when yours does.
Switching to a Skilled Worker Visa
Because the Graduate visa cannot be extended, most graduates who want to stay longer move to the Skilled Worker visa. You can switch from inside the UK, as long as you apply before your Graduate permission expires. Here is what that involves as of November 2026:
- A job offer from a Home Office-approved sponsor in an eligible occupation code.
- Salary: the standard minimum is the higher of £41,700 a year or the job’s going rate. Graduates can often use the “new entrant” discount. If you are on a Graduate visa (or held one in the last 2 years, with that or a visit visa as your latest visa), you can be paid 70% of the going rate, as long as the salary is at least £33,400 a year. Your total UK stay on new-entrant terms cannot be more than 4 years, and this includes time already spent on the Graduate visa.
- English: applicants switching from another visa need level B2. A degree taught in English and awarded by a UK institution can be used to prove it.
- Fees (applying inside the UK): £943 for up to 3 years or £1,865 for more than 3 years, plus the IHS of usually £1,035 per year. Jobs on the immigration salary list pay lower fees.
| Feature | Graduate visa | Skilled Worker visa |
|---|---|---|
| Employer sponsor needed | No | Yes |
| Minimum salary | None | £41,700 or going rate (new entrants: from £33,400 at 70% of going rate) |
| Can be extended | No | Yes |
| Main applicant fee (in UK) | £937 | £943 (up to 3 years) / £1,865 (over 3 years) |
| Freedom to change jobs | Full | Must update the visa for a new employer |
Start looking for a sponsor early. With an 18-month visa from 2027, there is less time to find one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the UK post-study work visa now 18 months?
Not yet for current applicants. Bachelor’s and master’s graduates who apply on or before 31 December 2026 get 2 years. Applications made on or after 1 January 2027 get 18 months. PhD graduates get 3 years either way.
Do I need a job offer to get a Graduate visa?
No. The Graduate visa is unsponsored, so you do not need a job offer, a minimum salary or an employer sponsor. You can also look for work, be self-employed or volunteer.
How much does the Graduate visa cost in total?
As of November 2026, the application fee is £937 and the health surcharge is £1,035 per year. That comes to about £3,007 for a 2-year visa, £2,489.50 for an 18-month visa and £4,042 for a 3-year PhD visa.
Can I apply before my graduation ceremony?
Yes. You can apply once your university has told the Home Office you successfully completed your course. You do not need to wait for the ceremony or your certificate, but you must apply before your Student visa expires.
Can I extend my Graduate visa?
No. The Graduate visa cannot be extended, and you can only hold it once. To stay longer, you need to switch to another route, such as the Skilled Worker visa, before it expires.
Can my spouse join me on a Graduate visa?
Only if your spouse was already your dependant on your Student visa. A child born in the UK during your stay can also be added. New family members cannot join you from abroad on the Graduate route.
Conclusion
The UK Graduate visa remains one of the most flexible post-study work options: no sponsor, no salary threshold. Timing is the key issue now. Bachelor’s and master’s graduates who apply on or before 31 December 2026 get 2 years, while those who apply from 1 January 2027 get 18 months. Budget roughly £2,500 to £4,000 for the fee and health surcharge, depending on the length of your visa. Use the visa to find a sponsoring employer, since switching to a Skilled Worker visa is the usual long-term path.
Official References
- Graduate visa overview
- Graduate visa: the course you studied
- Graduate visa: how much it costs
- Graduate visa: documents you’ll need
- Graduate visa: apply
- Graduate visa: your partner and children
- Immigration Rules Appendix Graduate
- Explanatory memorandum to Statement of Changes HC 1333 (14 October 2025)
- Restoring Control over the Immigration System (white paper, May 2025)
- Immigration Health Surcharge, how much you pay
- Student visa, your partner and children
- Skilled Worker visa: switch to this visa
- Skilled Worker visa: when you can be paid less
- Skilled Worker visa: knowledge of English
- Skilled Worker visa: how much it costs