- Mon - Fri: 9:00 am - 06.00pm / Closed on Weekends
Menu
A Graduate visa permits you to stay in the UK for at least 2 years after successfully completing a course in the UK.
You must be in the UK when you apply.
If you or your family member started living in the UK by 31 December 2020, you may be able to apply to the free EU Settlement Scheme.
The deadline to apply was 30 June 2021 for most people. You can still apply if either:
You can apply for a Graduate visa if all of the following are true:
You can ask your education provider if you’re not sure whether they’ve told the Home Office you’ve successfully completed your course.
Check if your course is eligible and how long you need to have studied in the UK.
If you’re not eligible for a Graduate visa, you may be eligible for another type of visa to stay in the UK.
A Graduate visa lasts for 2 years. If you have a PHD or other doctoral qualification, it will last for 3 years.
Your visa will start from the day your application is approved.
You cannot extend your Graduate visa. However, you may be able to switch to a different visa, for example, a Skilled Worker visa.
Check you can apply for another type of visa to stay in the UK.
You must apply online.
Your partner and children can also apply to stay in the UK if they are eligible.
You must apply before your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa expires.
You can apply after your education provider (such as your university or college) has told the Home Office that you’ve successfully completed the course you took with your Student or Tier 4 (General) student visa. You do not have to wait until you’ve graduated or have been given a certificate.
As part of your application, you’ll need to prove your identity and provide your documents.
Your application may take longer if you need an appointment to do this. You’ll find out if you need one when you start your application.
Once you’ve applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents, you’ll usually get a decision on your visa within 8 weeks.
You can stay in the UK while you wait for a decision.
When you apply for a Graduate visa, you’ll need to:
If you’re a doctor or nurse or work in health or adult social care, check if you’re eligible to apply for the Health and Care Worker visa instead. It’s cheaper to apply for, and you do not need to pay the annual immigration health surcharge.
If you get a job in public sector healthcare after you have paid the healthcare surcharge, you may be able to get a refund.
If your application is successful, you’ll get a full list of what you can and cannot do with a Graduate visa.
You can only study with a Graduate visa if your chosen course is not eligible for a Student visa. If your course is eligible for a Student visa, you can extend your Student visa instead.
You may need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate if you’re studying or researching sensitive topics.
