UK Graduate Route: Duration, Eligibility and Application

The UK Graduate visa lets you stay in the UK after successfully completing a course on a Student visa. You can apply for it if you are already in the UK on a Student visa or a Tier 4 (General) student visa and have completed an eligible course. The visa allows you to stay for 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027, and 3 years if you completed a PhD or other doctoral qualification. You cannot switch to a Graduate visa from outside the UK; it is an in-country route.

Eligibility for the Graduate route

The Graduate visa is available to you if you are in the UK and have successfully completed a course on a Student visa or a Tier 4 (General) student visa. The official guidance does not list every eligibility condition, such as the requirement to have studied at a licensed sponsor or to meet a specific level of study. What the GOV.UK guidance makes clear is that the Graduate visa is a route you can switch to after your studies, rather than a visa you apply for before you arrive.

You cannot apply for a Graduate visa as a dependant. Your partner and children would need to apply separately under their own route if they are eligible. The Graduate visa guidance does not state that dependants can be included on your application.

How long you can stay

The duration of the Graduate visa depends on when you apply and what qualification you completed. The table below sets out the periods stated in the official guidance.

Qualification completed	If you apply on or before 31 December 2026	If you apply on or after 1 January 2027
Any eligible course (non-PhD)	2 years	18 months
PhD or other doctoral qualification	3 years	3 years

Note that the change from 2 years to 18 months is tied to the date you apply, not the date you complete your course. If you are planning to apply near the end of 2026, you should confirm the exact date on the official page, as the official guidance does not give any transitional provisions beyond the two dates.

Relationship to the Student visa extension

The Graduate visa is a separate route from extending your Student visa. If you want to continue studying, you may be able to extend your Student visa instead. The extension route requires you to be in the UK on a Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa, to have an unconditional offer of a place on a course with a licensed student sponsor (shown by a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, or CAS), and usually to show that your new course is at a higher academic level than your current one.

The Graduate visa is for after you have finished your course. The GOV.UK guidance for extending your Student visa says you can also switch to a Graduate visa, which suggests the Graduate route is intended for those who have completed their studies rather than those who are continuing them.

Application timing and process

The official guidance does not give a specific earliest or latest date for applying for a Graduate visa. It does state that you must apply from inside the UK, and that if you apply for an administrative review after a refusal, you can stay in the UK until you get the review decision. This implies that the Graduate visa application is made while you are still in the UK, and that your immigration status is protected during the review period.

For the Student visa extension, the earliest you can apply is 3 months before your course starts, and you must apply before your current visa expires. Your new course must begin within 28 days of your current visa expiring. The Graduate visa guidance does not state equivalent deadlines, so you should check the specific Graduate visa page for application windows.

Fees and costs

The official guidance does not state the application fee for a Graduate visa. It does state the fee for a Student visa: £558 to apply from outside the UK, and £558 to extend or switch to a Student visa from inside the UK. You should not assume the Graduate visa fee is the same. The GOV.UK guidance for the Student visa also mentions the healthcare surcharge, which you pay as part of your application. The Graduate visa page would state its own fee and surcharge requirements.

What you can and cannot do on a Graduate visa

The official guidance does not list the specific conditions attached to a Graduate visa. It does list conditions for a Student visa: you can study and work as a student union sabbatical officer, and you may be able to work depending on what you are studying and whether you are working in or out of term-time. You cannot claim public funds, work in certain jobs such as professional sportsperson or sports coach, be self-employed, or study at an academy or local authority-funded school.

For the Graduate visa, the conditions are not stated in the official guidance. You should check the official Graduate visa guidance to confirm what work you can do and whether there are restrictions on self-employment or public funds.

What to do next

Before you apply, confirm the following on the official GOV.UK Graduate visa page:

• The exact application fee and whether the healthcare surcharge applies.
• The earliest and latest dates you can apply relative to your course completion and visa expiry.
• The specific conditions attached to the visa, including work restrictions.
• Whether your qualification is eligible for the 3-year period if you completed a PhD.

If you are still studying and want to continue your course, check the Student visa extension requirements on the GOV.UK page for extending your visa. The Graduate route is for after you have finished, not for continuing studies.