Graduate Visa UK: How Long You Get, What It Costs, and the 18-Month Rule From 2027

60 Seconds Overview of Graduate Visa UK

What it is: The Graduate visa UK route lets eligible graduates stay in the UK after completing a course. You can look for work, work in most jobs or be self-employed. [1]

Who can apply for a Graduate visa

You can apply if you meet all four core conditions. You must be in the UK, hold a current Student or Tier 4 (General) student visa, have successfully completed an eligible course, and have a provider that has told the Home Office about your completion. There are also rules about the provider and the time you studied in the UK. The Immigration Rules Appendix Graduate sets out the route requirements. [1][12] Ask your university or college whether it has sent the completion report. Finishing your final assignment and your provider reporting completion to the Home Office are different steps. A report does not itself mean your application will be approved. You do not need a job offer, an employer sponsor or a minimum salary for the Graduate route. You can apply before you find work, provided you meet its other requirements. [1][4]

Which courses count

A UK bachelor's degree, master's degree, PhD or other doctorate can qualify. Some other courses also qualify, including a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE), certain law conversion and legal practice courses, Bar courses and courses needed to enter a regulated profession. The GOV.UK course list gives the detail. [3] Your education provider must be a licensed student sponsor with a track record of compliance. Check the student sponsor register and ask your provider if you are unsure about its status or your qualification. A course title alone is not a complete eligibility check. [3][5]

How long you must have studied in the UK

For a course longer than 12 months, you normally need to have studied in the UK for at least 12 months on your Student or Tier 4 visa. For a course lasting 12 months or less, you normally need to have studied the full course in the UK. [3] Check the course and study rules with your provider if your timetable included time outside the UK. Keep your own course dates to hand when you ask. The requirement is about the qualifying period of study; it is separate from the date your provider reports successful completion.

How long a Graduate visa lasts — and the 1 January 2027 change

For eligible qualifications other than doctorates, the Graduate visa lasts two years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026. If you apply on or after 1 January 2027, it lasts 18 months. A PhD or other doctoral qualification gives three years under either application date. [1] The deciding date is when you apply, not your course end, ceremony or decision date. Your visa starts on the day your application is approved. Use your application date to work out which duration applies under the 2027 change; then check your Student visa expiry and whether your provider has reported completion. [1]

What the change means for courses ending in late 2026 and in 2027

The table shows the rule once you are eligible to apply. It does not suggest that your provider can report completion by a particular date, or that applying on a particular date guarantees a grant. For example, if your course ends in late 2026, ask when the provider expects to report completion. You can apply only after the report and before your current visa expires. If the report is made in 2027, an eligible non-doctoral application made then falls under the 18-month rule. [1] If your course ends in 2027, use the same checks: wait for the report, check your expiry date and plan your application from inside the UK. The course end date does not start the Graduate visa. Approval does. [1]

What a Graduate visa costs

The Graduate visa has an application fee and an Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). GOV.UK lists the application fee as £937 and the standard IHS as £1,035 per year. The table adds the fee to the GOV.UK surcharge amounts for a standard adult main applicant. We checked these figures on 31 October 2026. [2] For 18 months, the calculation is £937 plus £1,552.50, giving £2,489.50. The table covers official fee and surcharge only. Charges can change, and your own application will tell you the amount due. Check the current GOV.UK costs page before applying. [2]

What dependants pay

Each eligible partner or child makes a separate application and pays their own fee and healthcare surcharge. If successful, their permission ends on the same date as yours. Do not multiply the adult total in the table without checking each person's charge. [6] For example, the healthcare surcharge has a lower rate for an applicant who is under 18 when applying. The amount depends on the applicant and permission period; use the GOV.UK surcharge guidance and the application calculation. [7]

How to apply, step by step

Apply online from inside the UK after your provider has reported successful completion and before your Student or Tier 4 visa expires. You do not need to wait for a graduation ceremony or certificate. [1] Confirm the report. Ask your provider's international team if it has told the Home Office that you successfully completed your course. If it has not, ask when it expects to do so and explain when your current visa expires. Gather your documents. GOV.UK asks for a valid passport or other travel document, the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) reference number from your Student visa application, and your biometric residence permit (BRP) if you were given one. You do not need to request a new CAS for this reference. Check current instructions for using an expired BRP. [8] Check sponsorship consent. If a government or international scholarship agency paid both your course fees and living costs in the 12 months before your application, you need its written consent to apply. Read the document guidance for your circumstances. [8] Apply and prove your identity. Follow the online form. Depending on the instructions you receive, you may use the UK Immigration: ID Check app or attend a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) appointment for fingerprints and a photograph. Provide the requested documents. [9] Wait for the decision. Once you have applied online, proved your identity and supplied your documents, a decision usually arrives within eight weeks. You can stay in the UK while you wait. It may take longer, so treat eight weeks as a usual time, not a promise. [1][9] Do not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man while your application is pending. If you do, the application will be withdrawn. This rule applies during the wait; the position after a successful grant is different. Follow your decision instructions and use your UK Visas and Immigration account to access your eVisa if your application succeeds. [9]

What you can and cannot do on a Graduate visa

You can work in most jobs, look for work, be self-employed and travel abroad and return after your visa is granted. You can also do voluntary work, but it must be unpaid and for a qualifying organisation, such as a registered charity, voluntary organisation, associated fundraising body or statutory body. [1] You cannot work as a professional sportsperson or claim most public funds, including most benefits, or the State Pension. Read the conditions in your decision: GOV.UK says a successful applicant receives a full list of what they can and cannot do. [1]

Studying on a Graduate visa

You can study on the Graduate route only if the course is not eligible for a Student visa. If your chosen course is eligible for a Student visa, check whether you can extend your Student visa instead; an extension has its own requirements. [1] Some sensitive subjects may require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate. Check the ATAS guidance and ask the course provider what applies to your subject and nationality. [10]

Your partner and children

A partner or child who was already your dependant on your current Student or Tier 4 visa may be able to apply to stay as your Graduate visa dependant. They must meet the relevant family requirements and apply separately. A partner must also show that the relationship continues. [6] There is an exception for an eligible child born in the UK while you held your current Student, Tier 4 or Graduate visa. Check the evidence and other requirements on the GOV.UK family page. Apart from the permitted child exception, a new partner or child cannot normally join you as a new dependant on this route. [6]

References

GOV.UK. Graduate visa: overview. Checked 31 October 2026. https://www.gov.uk/graduate-visa GOV.UK. Graduate visa: how much it costs. Checked 31 October 2026. https://www.gov.uk/graduate-visa/how-much-it-costs GOV.UK. Graduate visa: the course you studied. Checked 31 October 2026. https://www.gov.uk/graduate-visa/course-you-studied Home Office. Graduate caseworker guidance. Checked 31 October 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/graduate-caseworker-guidance/graduate-caseworker-guidance-accessible-version GOV.UK. Register of licensed student sponsors. Checked 31 October 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-licensed-sponsors-students GOV.UK. Graduate visa: your partner and children. Checked 31 October 2026. https://www.gov.uk/graduate-visa/your-partner-and-children GOV.UK. Immigration health surcharge: how much you have to pay. Checked 31 October 2026. https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application/how-much-pay GOV.UK. Graduate visa: documents you'll need to apply. Checked 31 October 2026. https://www.gov.uk/graduate-visa/documents-youll-need-to-apply GOV.UK. Graduate visa: apply. Checked 31 October 2026. https://www.gov.uk/graduate-visa/apply GOV.UK. Academic Technology Approval Scheme. Checked 31 October 2026. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/academic-technology-approval-scheme GOV.UK. Skilled Worker visa. Checked 31 October 2026. https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa GOV.UK. Immigration Rules Appendix Graduate. Checked 31 October 2026. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-graduate

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