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UK Graduate Route • 2026

UK Graduate Visa Eligibility & Cost Calculator

Check the Graduate Route requirements and estimate the application cost and visa duration for UK graduates in 2026.

Graduate Route Eligibility Checker

How the Graduate Route Works

The Graduate Route is an unsponsored immigration route for eligible international students who successfully complete an eligible UK course while holding Student or Tier 4 permission. A job offer or employer sponsor is not required.

You must be in the UK when applying and must apply before your current Student permission expires. Your education provider must have notified the Home Office that you successfully completed the relevant course.

2026 Graduate Visa Duration

Bachelor's / Master's — application by 31 December 20262 years
Bachelor's / Master's — application from 1 January 202718 months
PhD / other doctoral qualification3 years

Work Rights

You do not need a job offer or Certificate of Sponsorship. Graduate visa holders can generally work, look for work and be self-employed, subject to the restrictions of the route. The route cannot itself be extended.

After the Graduate Visa

Once the Graduate visa expires, you need another route if you want to remain in the UK. A common option is the Skilled Worker route if you have qualifying sponsored employment. The Graduate Route itself is not a settlement route.

Dependants and Permanent Residence

A Graduate dependant route is restricted. A partner or child who already held permission as the dependant of the Student can generally extend their permission when the Student switches to the Graduate Route. New dependants cannot normally join a Graduate visa holder through this route.

The Graduate Route is not itself a route to settlement. Graduate permission may contribute to the continuous residence required for the 10-year long-residence route, where all relevant requirements are satisfied, but it does not provide the normal 5-year Skilled Worker settlement pathway.

2026 Costs

Graduate Route application fee£937
Standard IHS rate£1,035 per year
2-year example£937 + approximately £2,070 IHS
3-year doctoral example£937 + approximately £3,105 IHS

Frequently Asked Questions (6)

The Graduate Route is an unsponsored UK immigration route for eligible international students who successfully complete an eligible course in the UK while holding Student or Tier 4 permission. It allows the holder to work, look for work or be self-employed without employer sponsorship.

For a non-doctoral qualification, the Graduate visa lasts 2 years when the application is made on or before 31 December 2026. For applications made from 1 January 2027, the duration is 18 months. Applicants with a PhD or other doctoral qualification receive 3 years.

From 8 April 2026, the Graduate Route application fee is £937. The Immigration Health Surcharge is generally £1,035 per year for this route. The actual amount payable can depend on the permission period and Home Office calculation, so a simple multiplication should be treated as an estimate rather than the exact payment screen amount.

No. You must be in the UK when you apply. You must normally hold Student or Tier 4 permission and apply before that permission expires, after your education provider has notified the Home Office that you successfully completed the eligible course.

No. The Graduate Route is unsponsored and does not require a job offer, Certificate of Sponsorship or minimum salary. Subject to the route conditions, holders can work for an employer, be self-employed or look for work. The route cannot be extended, so a person who wants to remain after it expires normally needs to qualify for another immigration route.

The Graduate Route is not itself a route to settlement. Time spent on it can contribute to the 10-year long residence route where all long-residence requirements are met, but it does not count toward the normal 5-year Skilled Worker settlement route in the same way as qualifying Skilled Worker permission. Only a partner or child who already held permission as the dependant of the Student can generally extend their permission as a Graduate dependant; new dependants cannot normally join under the Graduate Route.
GOV.UK SourcesOfficial 2026 Guidance
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2026 Graduate Route Benchmarks

Application fee£937
IHS£1,035/year
Non-doctoral application by 31 Dec 20262 years
Non-doctoral application from 1 Jan 202718 months
Doctoral qualification3 years

Application Reminder

You must be in the UK when applying, hold valid Student or Tier 4 permission, apply before it expires, and wait until your education provider has notified the Home Office that you successfully completed the eligible course.

No Sponsorship Required

The Graduate Route is unsponsored. You do not need a Certificate of Sponsorship, employer or minimum salary to apply.