If you’re finishing a degree in the UK, the Graduate visa (sometimes called the Graduate Route) is the main way to stay on and work afterwards without needing a job offer first. It’s unsponsored, it’s relatively cheap to apply for compared to other UK work routes, and — unlike almost every other UK work visa — it doesn’t require an employer to sponsor you. Here’s exactly who qualifies, what it costs in 2026, and the timing change coming in 2027 that matters if you’re planning your application now.
Who qualifies
Per gov.uk’s Graduate visa page, to apply you must:
- Currently hold a Student visa (or the older Tier 4 General visa)
- Have completed an eligible course — a bachelor’s degree, postgraduate degree, or another qualifying course of the minimum required length — at a UK Higher Education Provider with a track record of sponsoring Student visas
- Have your sponsor (your university) report your course completion to the Home Office before you apply — you can’t apply until this happens, so check with your university’s international office on timing
- Apply from inside the UK, before your current Student visa expires
There’s no job offer requirement, no minimum salary, and no employer sponsorship involved — the whole point of the route is to give graduates unrestricted time to find work.
How long it lasts — and what’s changing in 2027
- 2 years for bachelor’s and master’s graduates who apply by 31 December 2026
- 18 months for bachelor’s and master’s graduates applying from 1 January 2027 onward — a confirmed policy tightening, so if you’re close to the cutoff, applying before the end of 2026 gets you the longer grant
- 3 years for PhD and other doctoral graduates, regardless of when you apply
Visa validity starts on the date your application is approved, not the date you apply, so don’t leave it to the last minute.
Fee and Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)
- Application fee: £937, per gov.uk
- Immigration Health Surcharge: the Graduate visa is charged at the standard adult IHS rate of £1,035 per year (not the discounted £776/year student rate, since the Graduate route is a work-permitting category, not a Student visa), paid upfront for your whole grant period — per gov.uk’s IHS calculator
- That means a ~£3,007 total for a 2-year grant (£937 + £2,070 IHS) or ~£4,042 for the 3-year PhD grant (£937 + £3,105 IHS) — budget for this well before your Student visa expires, since the IHS is paid in full at application, not spread over the visa’s life
How to apply
- Confirm with your university that they’ve reported your course completion to the Home Office — this usually happens automatically once your final results are confirmed, but delays do happen, so ask directly if you’re close to your Student visa expiry
- Apply online at gov.uk while still in the UK and while your Student visa is still valid
- You may be asked to attend an identity-verification appointment
- Standard processing is a decision within 8 weeks, though many applicants hear back sooner
What you can and can’t do on a Graduate visa
You can:
- Work in most jobs, at any skill level or salary
- Be self-employed or start a business
- Look for work with no restrictions
- Do unpaid voluntary work
- Travel abroad and return
You can’t:
- Work as a professional sportsperson
- Access most public benefits or the State Pension
- Extend the Graduate visa itself — it’s a fixed, one-time grant. To stay in the UK longer you need to switch into another category, most commonly the Skilled Worker visa once you have a qualifying job offer
Distance-learning courses generally don’t count toward Graduate visa eligibility — the route is built around students who studied in person in the UK.
Is the route under threat?
In March 2024, the Home Secretary asked the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the Graduate route. The MAC’s findings found no evidence of widespread abuse, concluded the route wasn’t undermining UK higher education, and estimated it’s likely net fiscally positive — around 70% of Graduate visa holders were working within 12 months, at a median salary near £21,000. The MAC recommended keeping the route broadly as-is, though it flagged concerns about recruitment agents mis-selling UK study to prospective international students. The confirmed shortening to 18 months from January 2027 is a separate, later policy change, not a result of that review.
FAQ
Do I need a job offer to apply for the Graduate visa? No. It’s entirely unsponsored — you can apply as soon as your course is confirmed complete, regardless of your job search progress.
Can I switch to the Graduate visa from a different UK visa? No — you must be switching from a Student visa (or Tier 4 General) held at the point of application; you can’t apply for the Graduate route from most other UK visa categories.
What happens if I don’t find a job before my Graduate visa expires? You’d need to leave the UK, apply for a different eligible visa category from abroad, or — if you’ve secured a qualifying job offer in time — switch to the Skilled Worker visa before your Graduate visa runs out.
Can my dependants come with me on a Graduate visa? Yes, if they were already your dependants on your Student visa immediately before you switch, they can generally apply to extend as your dependants on the Graduate route too.
This is general preparation guidance, not legal advice — course eligibility, fees and the IHS rate change periodically, so confirm current details on gov.uk/graduate-visa before applying. If you’re planning your route from Student visa through to long-term UK work, join the VisaMet waitlist for help mapping out the switch to Skilled Worker.