HomeWork & Business ImmigrationGraduate Visa
Graduate visa solicitors
Finished a UK course on a Student visa? The Graduate visa gives you at least two years to work here without a sponsor. The application is simple - the timing, and the switch that follows it, are where people lose out.
Written by Georgette Thomas, Principal Solicitor · Last reviewed 12 July 2026
At a glance
Home Office fee
Plus the immigration health surcharge
Length of grant
36 months for a UK PhD
Sponsor
You apply directly, no employer sponsor
Salary threshold
You can work in any role, at any pay
Home Office fees and thresholds change - check gov.uk for the current figures. We confirm them in writing when we quote you.
Who qualifies
You can apply if you are in the UK on a Student visa and have successfully completed an eligible course - a UK bachelor's degree, postgraduate degree or certain other qualifications, studied for the minimum required period. Your university or college must have reported your successful completion to the Home Office before you apply.
You do not need a job offer or a sponsor, but you must apply from inside the UK before your Student visa expires. An application fee and the immigration health surcharge are payable - check gov.uk for the current figures. Partners and children already here as your dependants apply separately alongside you.
What the Graduate visa allows
- Work in most jobs, at any skill level, for any employer.
- Self-employment and voluntary work.
- Living in the UK with your partner and children, if they qualify as dependants.
- Travel abroad and return.
- Further study, provided the course is not one that requires a Student visa.
What it does not allow: extension. The Graduate visa cannot be renewed, it does not lead to settlement on its own, you cannot claim public funds and you cannot work as a professional sportsperson.
The switch to Skilled Worker
Because the Graduate visa cannot be extended, the plan matters more than the application. The usual next step is switching to the Skilled Worker visa with a licensed sponsor - a route that does lead to settlement.
Leave the switch too late and you can run out of leave while an employer is still arranging sponsorship, and your right to work goes with it. We map the timing with you from the start: when to start the job search in earnest, what your employer needs in place and when the Skilled Worker application has to go in.
What it costs
| Service | Our fixed fee |
|---|---|
Full application package Eligibility check, forms, supporting letter, submission and updates until the decision | £1,296–£2,700 + VAT |
Initial consultation We check your dates and tell you when to move | from £50 + VAT |
Four essentials for a Graduate visa
Graduate visa questions
Anyone who has successfully completed a UK degree, doctorate or certain other eligible course while on a Student visa, provided the sponsor has told the Home Office you completed. You must be in the UK when you apply.
Two years for bachelor's and master's graduates, three years for PhD or other doctoral qualifications. It cannot be extended.
No. That is the point of this route - it gives you time in the UK to look for work, work in any role, be self-employed, or set up a business, without needing a sponsor.
Not directly. Time on the Graduate route does not count towards the five-year Skilled Worker settlement clock. Most people use these two or three years to secure a sponsored role and switch into a route that does lead to ILR.
Yes, in-country, provided a licensed sponsor gives you a certificate of sponsorship for an eligible role at the required salary. Apply before your Graduate leave expires.
Dependants who were already in the UK as your dependants during your Student visa can usually stay with you on the Graduate route. New dependants cannot join at this stage.
There is a Home Office application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge for the full length of the visa. We include the current figures in your engagement letter alongside our fixed fee.
You are only eligible for the Graduate visa after your sponsor has reported successful completion. If you defer or fail and re-sit, you have to wait until you have actually finished before applying.
Course ending soon?
Book an initial consultation, from £50 + VAT. We will map the dates - your results, your Student visa expiry and the application window - so nothing lapses.