Graduate Visa UK 2026: Work After Your Degree

The Graduate visa lets international students stay in the UK to work after finishing their course — no sponsor needed, and you can switch to a sponsored job later.

This guide is general information, not immigration advice. Check GOV.UK before you apply or pay anyone. ukjobly.com publishes guides only and cannot promise you a job, a visa, or sponsorship.

What the Graduate visa is

The Graduate visa lets international students stay in the UK to work after finishing an eligible course. You do not need a sponsor or a job offer to apply — the visa is based on your completed UK course, not on an employer.

It is the main route for students who want work experience in the UK after their degree, and a bridge to a longer work visa later. You must be in the UK when you apply, and your education provider must have told the Home Office that you completed the course.

The visa starts on the day the application is approved. It is not a settlement route on its own — settlement comes through the visa you switch to later.

Who can apply

All of the following must be 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 a minimum period of time with your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa;
• your education provider (university or college) has told the Home Office you have successfully completed your course.

Eligible courses are usually a UK bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or PhD/doctorate. They also include a law conversion course approved by the Solicitors Regulation Authority; the Legal Practice Course, the Solicitors Course, or a Diploma in Professional Legal Practice; the Bar Practice Course or the Bar Course; and a PGCE or PGDE. You may also qualify if passing your course made you eligible for a job regulated by UK law or a UK public authority.

Your provider must be a licensed sponsor with a “track record of compliance” (shown as “Student Sponsor – Track Record” in its status). You must have studied in the UK for at least 12 months if the course is longer than 12 months, or for the full length of the course if it is shorter. Time away during term breaks and weekends still counts.

Student Union Sabbatical Officers on a Student visa can apply if they completed one of the eligible courses just before their current visa.

How long it lasts

The length depends on when you apply and what you studied:

• 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026.
• 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027.
• 3 years if you have a PhD or other doctoral qualification.

The visa starts from the day the application is approved. You cannot extend a Graduate visa. Before it ends, you can switch to a different visa — usually Skilled Worker — if you find a sponsored job that meets the rules.

What it costs

The application fee is £937. On top of that you pay the healthcare surcharge, usually £1,035 for each year in the UK. GOV.UK totals: 18 months £1,552.50; 2 years £2,070; 3 years £3,105.

Example totals: a 2-year visa costs £937 + £2,070 = £3,007. An 18-month visa costs £937 + £1,552.50 = £2,489.50.

No savings or maintenance requirement is listed on GOV.UK for this visa, and no English test is listed either — your Student visa already covered English.

Each dependant pays the same fee and surcharge. If you get a job in public sector healthcare after paying the surcharge, you may be able to get a refund.

What you can and cannot do

You can:

• work in most jobs;
• look for work;
• be self-employed;
• continue living in the UK with your partner and children, if they are eligible;
• travel abroad and return to the UK;
• do voluntary work (unpaid, for a registered charity, voluntary organisation, associated fundraising body, or statutory body).

You can work in most jobs, including public sector roles — the Civil Service also hires graduates, so see our guide to Civil Service jobs in London for how its hiring works. You can look for work from day one — see our guide on how to find a job in the UK.

You cannot:

• apply for most benefits (public funds) or the State Pension;
• work as a professional sportsperson.

Studying is allowed only if the course is not eligible for a Student visa — if it is eligible, extend the Student visa instead. An ATAS certificate may be needed for sensitive subjects.

How to apply, step by step

1. Wait until your education provider has told the Home Office you completed the course. You do not have to wait until you have graduated or received a certificate.
2. Apply before your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa expires.
3. Gather your documents: a valid passport or travel document; your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) reference number from your Student visa application; your biometric residence permit (BRP) — usable for 24 months after the expiry date printed on the card or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first. You may also need proof of your relationship with a partner or children applying with you, and a letter from your scholarship or sponsorship provider approving the application, if they paid for both course fees and living costs in the last 12 months.
4. Apply online.
5. Prove your identity with the “UK Immigration: ID Check” app, or give fingerprints and a photo at a UKVCAS service point. If you go to a service point, they may keep your passport and documents while they process the application.
6. Wait for the decision. You must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision — the application will be withdrawn if you do.
7. If successful, you get an eVisa (a digital record of your identity and immigration status). You will need to create a UKVI account.

How long a decision takes

You usually get a decision within 8 weeks of applying online, proving your identity and providing your documents. You can stay in the UK while you wait for a decision.

Do not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man while you wait — travelling withdraws the application.

Bringing your partner and children

If your partner and children joined you in the UK as dependants on your current Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa, they can apply to stay as dependants on your Graduate visa. A dependant’s visa ends on the same date as yours.

Your partner must have been a dependant on your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa, and you must still be partners — marriage or civil partnership recognised in the UK, or living together in a relationship for at least 2 years, or in a relationship for at least 2 years but unable to live together.

A child under 18 usually must have been a dependant on your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa, unless born in the UK during your Student, Tier 4 or Graduate visa. The child must live with you (unless away in full-time education) and not be married or in a civil partnership. A child 18 or over must have been a dependant on one of those visas.

New dependants cannot join you on a Graduate visa. They may be able to join from outside the UK if you switch to a different visa, for example a Skilled Worker visa.

Each family member applies separately and pays the visa fee, and must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until they get a decision. A child born in the UK does not automatically become a British citizen — apply for the child’s dependant visa if you want to travel in and out of the UK with them.

Switching to a Skilled Worker visa

Before the Graduate visa ends, you can switch to Skilled Worker if you find a sponsored job that meets the rules: a licensed employer, an eligible occupation code, and a salary of at least £41,700 a year or the going rate, whichever is higher. For the full rules, see our guide to UK visa sponsorship jobs.

The new-entrant salary rule can help. You can be paid 70% of the going rate (at least £33,400 a year) if you are under 26, studying or a recent graduate, in professional training, or currently on a Graduate visa (or were in the last 2 years and a Graduate or visit visa was your most recent visa).

Watch the 4-year limit. Your total stay in the UK cannot be more than 4 years if you apply under the new-entrant or postdoctoral 70% rate. This includes any time you have already spent in the UK on a Graduate visa.

The Graduate visa itself is not a settlement route. Settlement comes through the visa you switch to — usually Skilled Worker, after 5 years on that route. Check GOV.UK before you apply, as settlement rules are under review.

Start the search early — prepare a UK-style CV and read our interview tips for UK jobs before you apply for sponsored roles.

If you get a health or care job

If you are a doctor or nurse, or you work in health or adult social care, check whether you can apply for a Health and Care Worker visa instead. It is cheaper to apply for and you do not need to pay the annual immigration health surcharge.

If you get a job in public sector healthcare after paying the healthcare surcharge, you may be able to get a refund.

Real NHS roles are listed on NHS Jobs — see our guide to NHS jobs in London for how NHS hiring works.

Scams to avoid

The Graduate visa needs no sponsor. Anyone offering to “sponsor” you for a Graduate visa, or asking you to pay for sponsorship or a Certificate of Sponsorship for this visa, is not genuine.

• Never pay an agent who promises a guaranteed visa or a job without an interview.
• Never pay for a job offer. A real employer hires through a normal application and interview.
• Check any employer offering Skilled Worker sponsorship on GOV.UK’s Register of licensed sponsors before you accept an offer or pay anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• Graduate visa: overview
• Graduate visa: how much it costs
• Graduate visa: your partner and children
• Skilled Worker visa: your job
• Skilled Worker visa: when you can be paid less
• Health and Care Worker visa

Sources checked November 2026.