What can I do on a UK Graduate visa?

You can work in most jobs, look for work and be self-employed. You cannot claim most benefits or the State Pension, or work as a professional sportsperson.

How long is the Graduate visa from 1 January 2027?

18 months for a bachelor's or master's degree, if you apply on or after 1 January 2027. If you apply on or before 31 December 2026, it is 2 years. A PhD gives 3 years either way.

Who can apply for a Graduate visa?

You must be in the UK on a Student visa, or a Tier 4 (General) student visa. Your university must have told the Home Office you completed your course. Apply before your Student visa expires.

Can I extend my Graduate visa?

No. You cannot extend a Graduate visa, and you can only be granted one. You may be able to switch to another visa, such as a Skilled Worker visa.

What is a licensed sponsor?

An employer the Home Office has licensed to sponsor workers. GOV.UK publishes them in the Register of licensed sponsors: workers. An employer usually needs this licence to employ someone from outside the UK.

What do I need for a Skilled Worker visa?

A job offer from an employer approved by the Home Office, and a certificate of sponsorship from it. The job must be on the list of eligible occupations. You also need English at level B2 and the minimum salary.

Can I be paid less if I switch from a Graduate visa?

Yes. If you are on a Graduate visa, you can be paid 70% of the job's going rate, with a salary of at least £33,400. Your total stay in the UK on this basis cannot be more than 4 years, including your Graduate visa time.

Can I switch to a Skilled Worker visa without leaving the UK?

You may be able to, if you are in the UK on another visa and meet the job and English rules. A Student visa holder must have finished the course, or start the job after it ends.

How do I find employers that sponsor visas?

Search the Home Office register for the employer's name. insiderOne also marks roles at employers it finds on that register, and lists them on one page.

United Kingdom guide

The UK Graduate visa, and how to move to a Skilled Worker visa

The Graduate visa lets you stay in the UK after your degree, work in most jobs, look for work or be self-employed. It lasts 2 years if you apply by 31 December 2026, and 18 months from 1 January 2027. A PhD still gives 3 years. It cannot be extended. To stay longer, you can switch to a Skilled Worker visa, with a job at a licensed sponsor.

What the Graduate visa allows
From 1 January 2027
Who can apply, and when
Licensed sponsors
The Skilled Worker visa
Salary
Switching from Student or Graduate to Skilled Worker
Roles at visa sponsors

What the Graduate visa allows

The Graduate visa lets you stay in the UK after you successfully complete an eligible course. You can work in most jobs, look for work and be self-employed.

You can travel abroad and return to the UK. GOV.UK: Graduate visa, what you can and cannot do
You can do unpaid voluntary work for a registered charity or a voluntary organisation. GOV.UK: Graduate visa, what you can and cannot do
Your partner and children can continue living in the UK with you, if they are eligible. GOV.UK: Graduate visa, what you can and cannot do
You cannot apply for most benefits, claim the State Pension, or work as a professional sportsperson. GOV.UK: Graduate visa, what you can and cannot do
You cannot extend a Graduate visa. GOV.UK: Graduate visa, what you can and cannot do
You must not have held Graduate or Doctorate Extension Scheme permission before. So you get one Graduate visa. Immigration Rules: Appendix Graduate
The Graduate route is not a route to settlement. Immigration Rules: Appendix Graduate

From 1 January 2027: 18 months, PhD unchanged

For a bachelor's or master's degree, the Graduate visa lasts 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026. It lasts 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027.

In the Immigration Rules. The 18-month period is already written into Appendix Graduate, paragraph GR 8.1. It depends on the date you apply, not the date you graduate.

A PhD or other doctoral qualification still gives 3 years. Immigration Rules: Appendix Graduate
The change came in the statement of changes to the Immigration Rules HC 1333, of 14 October 2025. Explanatory memorandum to the statement of changes HC 1333 (14 October 2025)
The memorandum says the change applies to applications submitted on or after 1 January 2027, and PhD graduates keep three years. Explanatory memorandum to the statement of changes HC 1333 (14 October 2025)

Who can apply, and when

Apply from inside the UK, before your Student visa expires, once your university has told the Home Office you completed your course.

Your current visa must be a Student visa or a Tier 4 (General) student visa. GOV.UK: Graduate visa, eligibility
You must have studied a UK bachelor's degree, postgraduate degree or other eligible course for a minimum time on that visa. GOV.UK: Graduate visa, eligibility
The application fee was £937 on the day we checked. GOV.UK: Graduate visa
You also pay the healthcare surcharge, which GOV.UK gave as usually £1,035 for each year of your stay. GOV.UK: Graduate visa

Licensed sponsors: who can hire you on a Skilled Worker visa

A licensed sponsor is an employer the Home Office has licensed to sponsor workers. The Home Office publishes every one in its register of licensed sponsors.

The register lists organisations licensed to sponsor workers on the Worker and Temporary Worker routes. GOV.UK: Register of licensed sponsors: workers
When we read it, the register was last updated on 26 October 2026. GOV.UK: Register of licensed sponsors: workers
An employer usually needs a sponsor licence to employ someone from outside the UK. GOV.UK: UK visa sponsorship for employers
A licensed employer issues a certificate of sponsorship for a job that is suitable for sponsorship. GOV.UK: UK visa sponsorship for employers

The Skilled Worker visa: the basics

You need a confirmed job offer from an employer approved by the Home Office, and a certificate of sponsorship. The job must be an eligible occupation.

The visa can last up to 5 years before you need to extend it. GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa
You need English at level B2 on the CEFR scale if you are switching from a different visa. GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, knowledge of English
A degree taught in English and awarded by a UK institution counts as proof of English. GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, knowledge of English
Medium-skilled jobs qualify only in set cases, such as jobs on the immigration salary list or the temporary shortage list. GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, your job

Salary: the going rate and the thresholds

On 27 October 2026, GOV.UK gave the usual minimum salary as £41,700 a year or the job's going rate, whichever is higher.

Each occupation's going rate is in the going rates table on GOV.UK. GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, your job
If you are on a Graduate visa, you can be paid 70% of the job's going rate, if the salary is at least £33,400. GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, when you can be paid less
The same applies if you are under 26, or on a Student visa studying at bachelor's level or above. GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, when you can be paid less
It can also cover you if you were in the UK on a Student or Graduate visa in the last 2 years. Your most recent visa must be that one, or a visit visa. GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, when you can be paid less
Your total stay in the UK on this basis cannot be more than 4 years, including time on a Graduate visa. GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, when you can be paid less
With a relevant STEM PhD, you can be paid 80% of the going rate, with at least £33,400. GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, when you can be paid less
With a relevant PhD in another subject, you can be paid 90% of the going rate, with at least £37,500. GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, when you can be paid less
For a job on the immigration salary list, the minimum is £33,400, and you must still be paid the standard going rate. GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, when you can be paid less

Switching from Student or Graduate to Skilled Worker

You may be able to switch from inside the UK. You must be on another visa and meet the job and English rules.

On a Student visa, you must have completed your course, or your job must start after it ends. GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, switch to this visa
A full-time PhD student who has studied for at least 24 months can also switch. GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, switch to this visa
You cannot switch from a short-term student visa or a visit visa. You must apply from abroad instead. GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, switch to this visa
The Graduate visa page names the Skilled Worker visa as one you may switch to. GOV.UK: Graduate visa, what you can and cannot do

Roles at visa sponsors in the United Kingdom

These pages list open roles at employers found in the official sponsor data. Being listed does not mean an employer will sponsor you. Ask each one.

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Questions students ask

What can I do on a UK Graduate visa?: You can work in most jobs, look for work and be self-employed. You cannot claim most benefits or the State Pension, or work as a professional sportsperson.
How long is the Graduate visa from 1 January 2027?: 18 months for a bachelor's or master's degree, if you apply on or after 1 January 2027. If you apply on or before 31 December 2026, it is 2 years. A PhD gives 3 years either way.
Who can apply for a Graduate visa?: You must be in the UK on a Student visa, or a Tier 4 (General) student visa. Your university must have told the Home Office you completed your course. Apply before your Student visa expires.
Can I extend my Graduate visa?: No. You cannot extend a Graduate visa, and you can only be granted one. You may be able to switch to another visa, such as a Skilled Worker visa.
What is a licensed sponsor?: An employer the Home Office has licensed to sponsor workers. GOV.UK publishes them in the Register of licensed sponsors: workers. An employer usually needs this licence to employ someone from outside the UK.
What do I need for a Skilled Worker visa?: A job offer from an employer approved by the Home Office, and a certificate of sponsorship from it. The job must be on the list of eligible occupations. You also need English at level B2 and the minimum salary.
What is the Skilled Worker salary threshold?: On 27 October 2026 GOV.UK gave the usual minimum as £41,700 a year or the job's going rate, whichever is higher. Some people can be paid less, under set rules.
Can I be paid less if I switch from a Graduate visa?: Yes. If you are on a Graduate visa, you can be paid 70% of the job's going rate, with a salary of at least £33,400. Your total stay in the UK on this basis cannot be more than 4 years, including your Graduate visa time.
Can I switch to a Skilled Worker visa without leaving the UK?: You may be able to, if you are in the UK on another visa and meet the job and English rules. A Student visa holder must have finished the course, or start the job after it ends.
How do I find employers that sponsor visas?: Search the Home Office register for the employer's name. insiderOne also marks roles at employers it finds on that register, and lists them on one page.

Official sources

Each was opened and read on 27 October 2026.

GOV.UK: Graduate visa. Overview, length of stay, fee and healthcare surcharge.
GOV.UK: Graduate visa, eligibility. Who can apply, and when.
GOV.UK: Graduate visa, what you can and cannot do. Work, study, family, extending and switching.
Immigration Rules: Appendix Graduate. The rules themselves. Paragraph GR 8.1 sets the period of grant; GR 1.4 bars a second Graduate grant.
Explanatory memorandum to the statement of changes HC 1333 (14 October 2025). Paragraphs 5.25 and 5.26: the Graduate route cut to 18 months, and PhD graduates keeping three years.
GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa. What you need, and how long the visa lasts.
GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, your job. The usual minimum salary and the going rate.
GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, when you can be paid less. Lower salary rules for people under 26, students and Graduate visa holders, and PhD holders.
GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, switch to this visa. Switching from inside the UK.
GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, knowledge of English. The English level, and how to prove it.
GOV.UK: Register of licensed sponsors: workers. The Home Office list of organisations licensed to sponsor workers. Last updated 26 October 2026 when we read it.
GOV.UK: UK visa sponsorship for employers. Why an employer needs a sponsor licence, and certificates of sponsorship.