UK Graduate Visa 2026–27: Application Dates, Duration and Next Steps

The UK Graduate visa lets eligible international students stay after successfully completing an eligible UK course. The date you submit the Graduate application affects how long most graduates can remain: GOV.UK currently says applications made on or before 31 December 2026 receive two years, while applications made on or after 1 January 2027 receive 18 months. A qualifying PhD or other doctoral graduate can receive three years under either date band.

The application date is only one part of the decision. You must be in the UK, have or last have had Student permission, meet the course and study requirements, and have your education provider report successful completion to the Home Office before you apply. This guide explains the planning sequence; it is not an immigration decision or legal advice.

If you are still preparing the initial course application, the separate UK Student visa guide covers eligible courses and CAS, financial evidence, dependants, application timing and Student-route conditions.

If you also hold an eligible degree from an overseas university, compare the separate High Potential Individual route before choosing a post-study application. The HPI route uses a different university list and qualification test, and the current rules do not allow a new HPI application after you have been granted Graduate permission.

Which duration applies?

The Home Office rule uses the date the Graduate application is made. Under the current published table:

The permission begins on the day the application is approved, not the day you submit it. The end date therefore depends on the decision date as well as the duration category. Do not treat a planned submission date as a guaranteed visa expiry date.

If your course finishes near the 2026/27 boundary, ask your education provider when it expects to report your successful completion to the Home Office. You must meet the route requirements when you apply; you cannot submit early solely to secure the longer duration before your course is reported as complete. Equally, waiting for a graduation ceremony or printed certificate is not required if the provider has already made the required notification and you meet the other conditions. Use the current application service and your Student permission expiry date to plan a complete, valid submission.

What the 2027 change does—and does not—change

The published change is to the length of permission granted to most successful Graduate applicants, based on their application date. It does not remove the course-completion, Student-permission, UK study, suitability or in-country application requirements. It also does not turn the Graduate route into a sponsored visa or a route to settlement. A shorter grant can affect how much time you have to find a job, build work experience or qualify for another route, but no guide can predict whether you will meet a later route's criteria.

The three-year doctoral category remains separate from the two-year/18-month comparison. Check that the qualification you will actually complete counts as a PhD or other doctoral qualification under the current rules. An integrated course, a changed qualification, a research award, or a course whose title does not clearly match its final award may need confirmation from the provider and the Home Office rule text. Do not assume that a programme's advertised length or a planned PhD progression decides the category.

The date on which you start preparing, receive final marks, attend a ceremony or obtain a certificate is not a substitute for the application date in the duration table. At the same time, being close to the cut-off is not a reason to submit an incomplete or invalid application: the provider must first make the required completion notification, and the rest of the eligibility conditions still apply. If a deadline is tight, ask your university's international-student team to confirm the expected notification and seek qualified advice about any case-specific issue.

Check the course and study conditions

The Graduate route is for a student in the UK who has successfully completed an eligible course at a UK higher education provider with a track record of compliance. The qualification will usually be a UK bachelor’s or postgraduate degree, but the rules also list certain relevant professional qualifications, including specified legal training and PGCE/PGDE awards.

The Student permission must have been granted for the relevant study in the UK. For a course lasting 12 months or less, the rules generally require the full course duration to have been spent studying in the UK on the relevant Student permission. For a longer course, the usual minimum is at least 12 months of Student permission during which the study took place in the UK. Permitted study-abroad arrangements and historic COVID-era distance learning have their own rule wording; check Appendix Graduate rather than applying the standard summary to an unusual study history.

The education provider must have told the Home Office that you successfully completed the course by the date of your Graduate application. Contact the university’s international student or compliance team if your results are final but you do not know whether the notification has been sent. A course completion letter or transcript may help you communicate with the provider, but it does not replace the required provider notification to the Home Office.

Submit before Student permission expires

You must apply from inside the UK and before your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) permission expires. The application can be made after the provider reports successful completion; you do not need to wait until the ceremony. The Home Office application requires identity checks and supporting documents. GOV.UK currently lists a passport or travel document and the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) reference from the completed course among the items applicants may need. A scholarship or government sponsor may also need to provide written consent in specified cases.

After a valid in-time application, GOV.UK says you can remain in the UK while waiting for a decision. The published usual decision time is up to eight weeks after you have applied online, proved your identity and supplied documents, but an individual case can take longer. Keep your application confirmation and continue to follow the conditions attached to your current permission until the application is decided.

Do not plan international travel while the application is pending. GOV.UK says travelling outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man before a decision causes the application to be treated as withdrawn. Check the live application guidance before booking travel or making other plans that depend on a decision date.

Family members and the limits of this route

An eligible partner or child who was already in the UK as your dependant on your current Student or Tier 4 permission may be able to apply as a Graduate dependant. Each family member makes a separate application and pays a separate fee. Children born in the UK during the relevant Student or Graduate permission can follow the specific route described by GOV.UK. A new partner or family member generally cannot join you as a new Graduate dependant; check the current family-member guidance for the detailed conditions.

The dependant application is not automatic just because the main student submits a Graduate application. The partner or child needs to apply separately, prove identity and meet their own relationship or child conditions. A partner generally must already have held dependant permission on the Student route and show that the relationship continues. A child usually needs the required dependant history, with the published exception for a child born in the UK during the relevant permission. The family-member guidance also lists evidence such as relationship documents and a child's address. Review that page for the individual family member rather than assuming the main applicant's evidence will cover everyone.

The family member's permission, if granted, normally ends on the same date as the Graduate's. Each dependant must follow their own application instructions, fees, identity process and travel restriction. If a partner or child has a different immigration status, is joining from abroad for the first time, or has a complicated permission history, do not assume that the Graduate dependant route applies. Check another route and current Home Office instructions before relying on the Graduate applicant's planned dates.

The Graduate route is unsponsored: it does not require a job offer or employer sponsor. It permits most work, including self-employment, but not work as a professional sportsperson. It does not provide access to most public funds. Study is restricted: GOV.UK says you may study only where the course is not eligible for a Student visa, and an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate may be required for some study or research.

You cannot extend a Graduate visa. It is also not a direct route to settlement. If you plan to stay longer, assess a separate route such as Skilled Worker against its own requirements and application timing. Our Skilled Worker salary guide covers the sponsored-job salary comparison; our Skilled Worker ILR guide covers a later settlement stage. Neither guide decides whether a particular job, applicant or application qualifies.

Budget for the application and permission period

GOV.UK currently lists a £937 application fee and an Immigration Health Surcharge that is usually charged at £1,035 for each year of permission. Its fee page currently gives surcharge totals of £1,552.50 for 18 months, £2,070 for two years and £3,105 for three years. This is a cash-planning reference, not a promise that the amount will remain unchanged until you apply. Check the live fee page immediately before paying; the fee and surcharge are separate from rent, travel, relocation or professional advice.

Each dependant makes a separate application and pays a separate visa fee. The surcharge is also charged for each applicant according to the permission period, so a household should not multiply only the main applicant's application fee and treat that as the full amount. If you are comparing the Graduate route with switching to another visa, compare the actual route-specific fees and permission periods for every family member. Do not rely on a past fee quote or an online estimate that does not reflect the current application date.

The approval date starts the permission period, and an application can take longer than the usual published processing time. This means you should avoid building an exact future expiry date into a job or financial plan before the decision is issued. Keep a reserve for application costs, track the Student expiry and avoid non-refundable travel while the application is pending. Check the official service for the current decision estimate and any available paid priority service rather than assuming an upgrade will be offered.

Visa permission and tax residence are separate questions. The Moving to the UK tax guide explains the UK Statutory Residence Test and tax treatment; it does not assess immigration status. If you are relocating, consider both sets of rules separately.

Plan the application in order

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• GOV.UK: Graduate visa overview
• Home Office: Immigration Rules Appendix Graduate
• GOV.UK: course requirements
• GOV.UK: application documents
• GOV.UK: applying and decision process
• GOV.UK: fees and healthcare surcharge
• GOV.UK: partner and child applications
• GOV.UK: Student visa overview

These official sources were checked on 28 October 2026. Immigration rules, fees, processing times and application pages can change; confirm the current requirements before submitting an application.