Need Help With Your UK Graduate Visa Application?
Clear advice and practical application support for your next step after study.
You have finished your course and are thinking about what comes next. We help you check Graduate Visa eligibility, understand the timing and prepare your application with the right evidence.
Your case is managed by a qualified, authorised and regulated immigration adviser. You receive guidance based on your course, current permission and plans, with the work and professional fee agreed before you instruct us.
Prefer to speak to the team? Request a Call Back.
Is the Graduate Route Right for Your Next Step?
The UK Graduate Visa, also called the Graduate Route, allows eligible international students to remain in the UK after completing their course. You do not need a job offer, employer sponsorship or a Certificate of Sponsorship.
It can provide time to work, look for work or develop professional experience. It is temporary permission, however, and cannot be extended.
If you already have a suitable sponsored job, a direct switch from Student to Skilled Worker may be possible instead, subject to the relevant requirements. Our Student to Skilled Worker guide explains the questions to check. A Graduate application is not a compulsory step before a work visa.
How We Help With Your Graduate Visa Application
When you instruct us for application preparation and submission, the Knightsbridge Immigration team manages the process from initial contact to case preparation and submission.
1. Review eligibility and timing
Your adviser considers your qualification, education provider, immigration permission, UK study period and previous visa history. We review the course-completion information and identify any confirmation still needed from your institution.
2. Explain the documents and outstanding checks
You receive tailored guidance on the information needed for the application, including identity details, your previous Student application reference information and any relevant dependant or scholarship evidence.
3. Prepare the application for your approval
We review the material provided, raise discrepancies and prepare the agreed application work. You check the application details and answer outstanding questions before approving submission.
4. Manage submission and remaining instructions
We manage the agreed submission process and explain identity verification, biometrics and evidence instructions. You remain responsible for accurate information and providing requested documents within the agreed timetable.
Our UK visa document checklist guide explains how evidence should support the relevant requirements.
What Are the Graduate Visa Requirements?
The main checks include:
- You are applying from inside the UK, normally before your Student Visa or Tier 4 permission expires.
- You have successfully completed an eligible qualification during the relevant Student permission.
- Your education provider is a higher education provider with a track record of compliance.
- Your provider has notified the Home Office of successful course completion before you apply.
- You meet the required period of study in the UK and the other applicable rules.
- You have not previously been granted a Graduate Visa or permission under the Doctorate Extension Scheme.
Eligible qualifications include UK bachelor’s and postgraduate degrees, plus specified professional qualifications. A course is not eligible simply because it was taught by a licensed institution.
For courses lasting 12 months or less, the UK study requirement normally covers the full course. For longer courses, it normally requires at least 12 months, with specific exceptions and permitted study-abroad provisions.
When Should You Apply?
You need to apply after successful completion has been reported to the Home Office and before your Student permission expires. You do not normally need to wait for a graduation ceremony or the issue of your degree certificate.
Ask your education provider whether it has made the completion notification. A dissertation submission, provisional result or expected completion date is not the same as confirmation that the reporting requirement has been met.
Tell us your expiry date when enquiring. If the deadline is close or your provider has not confirmed completion, we explain the checks needed and whether we can assist within the available time.
How Long Does a Graduate Visa Last?
The duration depends on your qualification and when you apply:
| Eligible qualification and application date | Permission normally granted |
|---|---|
| Non-doctoral qualification; apply by 31 December 2026 | Two years |
| Non-doctoral qualification; apply from 1 January 2027 | 18 months |
| PhD or other eligible doctoral qualification | Three years |
The application date matters for the non-doctoral change, rather than when you started the course. Existing grants are not shortened by the new duration. The permission period runs from the decision date.
What Does Graduate Visa Assistance Cost?
Our published professional fee for Graduate Visa application assistance is £1,400. We confirm the work covered and the total professional fee in writing before you instruct us.
Home Office charges are separate. Using current published rates:
| Visa duration | Application fee | Immigration Health Surcharge | Government total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 months | £937 | £1,552.50 | £2,489.50 |
| Two years | £937 | £2,070 | £3,007 |
| Three years | £937 | £3,105 | £4,042 |
These figures exclude our professional fee and additional costs. Fees may change before a future application, including one made in 2027. Eligible dependants have separate application costs.
See our immigration fees, or Start a Query for the service and costs relevant to your circumstances.
What Information Should You Prepare?
Start with your passport details, current immigration status and expiry date, course information and your institution’s completion confirmation.
Your application needs the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, or CAS, reference from your Student application. You do not obtain a new CAS for the Graduate route.
Tell us about any government or international scholarship covering your course fees and living costs. Written consent may be required. Mention any previous Graduate or Doctorate Extension Scheme permission and any family members applying with you.
You do not need to send a complete pack with your first enquiry. We explain the appropriate document arrangements once we understand the help required.
Work and Your Longer-Term UK Plans
Graduate permission allows work in most jobs, including full-time work, self-employment and voluntary work, without employer sponsorship. It does not permit work as a professional sportsperson, and you must not access public funds.
Study has separate conditions, including restrictions on courses that qualify for the Student route. Check before starting another course.
The Graduate Visa does not lead directly to settlement. Time on it does not count towards the ordinary five-year Skilled Worker settlement period, although it may count towards ten-year long residence if the relevant requirements are met.
Our guide to switching to a Skilled Worker Visa explains the sponsorship checks for that possible next step. Other routes depend on your circumstances.
What Happens When You Get in Touch?
Start a Query with your current visa expiry date, course, education provider and whether successful completion has been reported. Tell us about planned travel or any application already submitted.
We use this information to establish whether we can help and explain the appropriate service, scope and fee. Detailed advice, document review and application preparation are agreed before they begin.
Start a Query or Request a Call Back.
UK Graduate Visa Questions
How long does a decision usually take?
The published standard is usually eight weeks after you have applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents. Further checks may take longer; we cannot guarantee a decision date.
Can I work while my application is being decided?
Submitting an application does not automatically give you all the work conditions of Graduate permission. Your existing Student conditions and any applicable exceptions need checking. A valid application made in time can continue your permission while undecided, subject to the relevant rules. Tell us about any proposed job start date.
Can I travel while waiting?
Do not travel outside the UK, Ireland, Channel Islands or Isle of Man while the application is undecided. Your application will be treated as withdrawn if you do. Check your travel plans before submission.
Can my partner or children stay with me?
Eligible existing Student dependants may apply to continue on the Graduate route. There is also a provision for qualifying children born in the UK. A new partner cannot normally join you as a Graduate dependant.
Can I extend my Graduate Visa or apply again?
The route cannot be extended, and a second Graduate grant is not available after a previous Graduate or Doctorate Extension Scheme grant. Read our guide to options when your Graduate Visa expires before making longer-term plans.
What if my visa has expired or an application was refused?
Tell us promptly and provide relevant dates and correspondence. We check the professional scope required. Refusal advice, complex status issues and work outside our authorisation are referred to our solicitor partners under their own agreed engagement and fees.
Ready to Plan Your Next Step After Study?
Tell us where you are in the process. We will explain the appropriate application support and what you need to do next.
Prefer a conversation? Request a Call Back.
AHJ Immigration is a brand of Knightsbridge Immigration Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. All advice and casework are managed through Knightsbridge Immigration Ltd.
