Stay on after you graduate

Walk through it with screenshots

Screenshots taken 2026-09-05. Visa rules change fast, so every number below says when we checked it. Look at the official site again yourself before you apply.

Step 1: Eligibility, and a cliff edge lots of people don't know about

Same visa, but apply a day later and you get six months less:

If you're graduating in 2026, that's real time on the line. For undergraduate and master's graduates finishing close to the end of the year, the submission date itself is something to plan – as long as you're already eligible by then (your uni has told the Home Office you've completed your course).

The eligibility rules are on this screen too: you must be in the UK, your current visa must be a Student visa or a Tier 4 visa, you must have studied for the required length of time, and your uni must have told the Home Office you've completed your course (if you're not sure, ask your uni).

Step 2: Does your course count?

Which qualifications count, and how long you need to have studied in the UK, are both on this page. Confirm this first, then think about timing.

Step 3: Money – there's a big bill on top of the application fee

Two costs (checked 2026-09-05): an application fee of £937, plus the immigration health surcharge (IHS), charged per year. The IHS depends on the length of your visa: 18 months £1,152.50 / 2 years £2,070 / 3 years £3,105.

This ties straight back to the cliff edge in Step 1: apply early and get 2 years, and your IHS goes up too (£2,070 against £1,152.50, about £917.50 more). For most people job hunting, the extra six months is worth it, but it's real money – don't find out at the payment screen.

(If you work in the public health system, you may be able to get some of the IHS back after paying it – the page explains how.)

Step 4: Applying

You apply online. This screen is where our screenshots stop – after this you sign in and fill in your own details, and those are yours.

Two hard rules

1. You must apply while your Student visa is still valid – once it expires, this door closes and there's no way back;
2. You must be in the UK when you apply – you can't apply while you're abroad, even on a trip home, so factor this in when you plan travel around graduation.

How to plan it

• A few months before you graduate, read the official page end to end: check your course qualifies and work out your application window;
• The application fee and the IHS add up to serious money – get them into your budget early;
• Once you have it, you can switch to a Skilled Worker visa whenever you like, and the work experience you build on the Graduate visa is exactly what gets you in the door.

One warning

Visa rules can change every year. Before you apply, go by what GOV.UK says on the day – the "latest news" from agents and social media is often old news.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.