Graduate visas  Further information about Graduate visas

If your application is successful, then your Graduate visa will start on the date that you receive the decision. This means that the start date of the Graduate visa can overlap with the time remaining on your Student visa.

If you have completed a PhD or other doctoral qualification the visa will be valid for three years.

If you have completed any other qualification the visa will be valid for two years.

Work restrictions

With a Graduate visa you can do any kind of work, either employed or self-employed, at any level of salary or skill. The only restriction is that you are not permitted to work as a professional sportsperson (including as a coach).

Employers do not need to provide sponsorship to employ someone holding a Graduate visa. This makes it easier for employers and it also means that you can change jobs without it affecting your visa.

You do not need a job offer in place to apply for a Graduate visa. You can use your Graduate visa to look for work and seek work experience.

When you can start work

The work conditions attached to your Student visa will continue to apply while your Graduate route visa application is pending.

There are some types of work that you cannot do with a Student visa, including:

• becoming self-employed or engaging in business activity
• working as an entertainer
• working in a position which would fill a permanent full-time vacancy.

If you applied for your most recent Student visa before 6 April 2022, then you must wait until your Graduate visa application has been granted before you can take up a full-time permanent position.

If you applied for your Student visa on or after 6 April 2022, then you can fill a permanent full-time vacancy while your Graduate visa application is pending.

You cannot be self-employed, engage in business activity, or work as an entertainer until your Graduate visa application has been decided.

Study is restricted while you hold a Graduate visa. You can only study with a Graduate visa if your chosen course is not eligible for a Student visa.

A course is eligible for a Student visa if it is taught by an institution with a Student sponsor license and the course meets the Student visa requirements.

If you are unsure whether you can study a specific course with a Graduate visa, you must check with the course provider.

If you have a Graduate visa and want to study a course that is eligible for a Student visa, you must switch to a new Student visa before you can start the new course. You can only apply for the Graduate visa once, so you will not be able to switch back to the Graduate visa even if you successfully complete the new course.

Therefore, if you are intending to do further study in the UK after completing your degree (such as a Masters or PhD), you should consider waiting until you complete your next course before you apply for the Graduate visa.

Examples of study that would be permitted include:

• some professional courses
• online study
• evening classes
• recreational courses.

Once your Graduate visa has been granted, you can use it to travel in and out of the UK until it expires. There is no requirement to stay in the UK once you have received your Graduate visa.

The Graduate visa cannot be extended.

If you wish to stay in the UK for longer you will need to switch to a different visa route. For example, if you receive an eligible job offer from an employer with a Skilled Worker sponsor licence you can apply to switch to Skilled Worker visa which can be extended and counts towards settlement in the UK.

If you have a dependant partner or child already living with you in the UK, holding valid Student dependant visas, they can apply to extend these so that they can continue living with you during your Graduate visa. They should apply to extend their visas at the same time that you submit your Graduate visa application.

Your familly must have already joined you in the UK as dependants of your Student visa during the validity of your Student visa. You cannot sponsor dependants to come to the UK after your Graduate visa has been granted.

Your dependants on the Graduate visa will have the same work conditions as you, but they will have no restrictions on their right to study except for the ATAS requirement.