Nationality 2
Rules for Indian nationals who studied in the UK
If you studied in the UK, the Graduate and Skilled Worker rules apply to you exactly as they do to everyone else.
| Graduate visa | Yes, after a UK course; you apply before your Student visa expires Authority GOV.UK guidance, Graduate visa: Overview (gov.uk). The passage relied onYou must apply before your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa expires. |
|---|---|
| Switch to Skilled Worker | You may be able to switch from a Graduate visa Authority GOV.UK guidance, Graduate visa: Overview (gov.uk). The passage relied onYou cannot extend your Graduate visa. However, you may be able to switch to a different visa, for example a Skilled Worker visa. |
| New-entrant salary rate | Yes, from a Graduate visa, with a floor of £33,400 Authority Appendix Skilled Worker, SW 4.4 option E, as amended by HC 997 (gov.uk). The passage relied onYou can be paid 70% of your job’s standard going rate if your salary will be at least £33,400 per year and one of the following applies: |
These rules apply to Indian nationals who are studying in the UK or hold a UK degree. Nothing in the salary rules depends on nationality.
Your application date sets the Graduate visa length
You apply for a Graduate visa from inside the UK, before your Student visa expires. It lasts 2 years if you apply on or before , or 3 years after a PhD or other doctorate.
Your own dates are worked out in after your course ends.
Scheduled: Graduate visas applied for on or after last 18 months, except after a doctorate. (HC 1333)
5.26 The change to 18 months will apply to applications submitted on or after 1 January 2027, with PhD graduates continuing to receive three years of leave.
The new-entrant rate and its time limit
A Graduate visa cannot be extended, but you may be able to switch to Skilled Worker. On a Graduate visa you can be paid the new-entrant rate: at least £33,400 and 70% of the going rateGoing rate The yearly pay listed for each occupation code in Appendix Skilled Occupations. A Skilled Worker's salary must meet both the going rate for the job and the threshold that applies..
New-entrant rates have a time limit: your stay on them cannot be more than 4 years in total, including any time on a Graduate visa. Switch timing is in switching before your course ends.
Your total stay in the UK cannot be more than 4 years if you apply for one of these reasons. This includes any time you’ve already spent in the UK on a Graduate visa.
The English level when you switch
When you switch to Skilled Worker from another visa, you need English at level B2. A degree-level qualification taught in English and awarded by a UK institution is one accepted way to prove it; the others are in the English requirement.
Youth Mobility is not covered here
India is not on either Youth Mobility Scheme list.
History
- . Entry updated.
- . Entry first published.
Common questions
Do the UK visa rules differ for Indian students after a master's?
No. The Graduate and Skilled Worker rules in this note apply to Indian nationals who studied in the UK in the same way as to everyone else.
How long is the Graduate visa (PSW) for Indian graduates of UK universities?
2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, and 18 months if you apply later. After a PhD or other doctorate it is 3 years.
What is the new-entrant salary after a Graduate visa?
At least £33,400 a year and 70% of the going rate for the job, for at most 4 years in total, counting time on a Graduate visa.
Can Indian graduates use the Youth Mobility Scheme?
India is not on the Youth Mobility Scheme lists.
Sources
- Graduate visa: Overview (gov.uk). Checked .
The passage relied on
You must apply before your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa expires.
2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026
18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027
If you have a PhD or other doctoral qualification, it will last for 3 years.
You cannot extend your Graduate visa. However, you may be able to switch to a different visa, for example a Skilled Worker visa.
- Statement of Changes HC 1333 (gov.uk). Checked .
The passage relied on
2 years if the applicant has successfully completed a course at UK bachelor’s degree or master’s degree level, or another relevant qualification that meets the requirement of ST8.1/2/3 of the Rules, and the application is made before 1 January 2027.
- Statement of Changes HC 1333: explanatory memorandum (gov.uk). Checked .
The passage relied on
5.26 The change to 18 months will apply to applications submitted on or after 1 January 2027, with PhD graduates continuing to receive three years of leave.
- Skilled Worker visa: When you can be paid less (gov.uk). Checked .
The passage relied on
you’re currently in the UK on a Graduate visa (or you have been in the last 2 years, and a Graduate or visit visa was your most recent visa)
You can be paid 70% of your job’s standard going rate if your salary will be at least £33,400 per year and one of the following applies:
Your total stay in the UK cannot be more than 4 years if you apply for one of these reasons. This includes any time you’ve already spent in the UK on a Graduate visa.
- Immigration Rules: Appendix Skilled Worker (gov.uk). Checked .
The passage relied on
(f) the applicant’s most recent permission (disregarding any permission as a visitor) was as a Graduate, and if that permission has expired, it must have expired less than 2 years before the date of application.
The applicant is a new entrant at the start of their career and their salary equals or exceeds both: £33,400 per year and 70% of the going rate for the SOC 2020 occupation code.
SW 12.3. Granting the application must not mean the applicant’s combined permission as a Skilled Worker, Graduate and/or Tier 2 Migrant would be more than 4 years in total, whether or not the permission is for a continuous period.
- Statement of Changes HC 997 (gov.uk). Checked .
The passage relied on
APP SW4. In rows C, D and E of the table following SW 4.4, for each instance of “£30,960”, substitute “£33,400”.
- Skilled Worker visa: Knowledge of English (gov.uk). Checked .
The passage relied on
If you’re applying to switch from a different visa, you need level B2.
You can prove your knowledge of English if you have a degree-level qualification that was both:
awarded by a UK institution, even if you studied outside the UK
- Youth Mobility Scheme visa: Eligibility (gov.uk). Checked .
The passage relied on
You can apply for the visa if you’re aged 18 to 35 and from:
You can apply for the visa if you’re aged 18 to 30 and from:
You must be selected in the Youth Mobility Scheme ballot before you can apply for your visa if you’re from:
How each figure is checked: Sources and method.
This is general information about the rules, not legal advice. For advice on your own situation, use a solicitor or an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (gov.uk).