Rules 4
After your course ends: how long you can stay
A Student visa normally runs 4 months past a course of 12 months or longer; apply for the Graduate visa before it expires.
| Figure | In force | Since | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student visa time after a course of 12 months or longer | 4 months | Start date not verified | ST 25.3 (gov.uk) |
| Graduate visa length | 2 years Scheduled: 18 months for applications from | Start date not verified | GR 8.1, HC 1333 (gov.uk) |
Two dates matter when a course ends: the day your Student visa ends, and the day you apply for the next visa. The Graduate visa length depends on the second.
Your Student visa runs on after the course
After a course of 12 months or longer, a Student visa normally runs 4 months past the course end date. For a course of 6 months or longer but shorter than 12 months, it runs 2 months.
You apply for the Graduate visa from inside the UK, before your Student visa expires. You must also have studied in the UK for long enough: a minimum period for longer courses, otherwise the full course.
Date Workings: after your course ends
Example case. Change the dates above to work out your own.
| Course end date | 30 September 2026 | Entered |
|---|---|---|
| Your Student visa normally ends | 30 January 2027 | Course end plus 4 months; your eVisa shows the exact date. Appendix Student, ST 25.3 |
| Latest date to apply for the Graduate visa | 29 January 2027 | Apply before the Student visa expires. GOV.UK, Graduate visa |
| Graduate visa length for an application on that date | 18 months | Appendix Graduate, GR 8.1 |
| Last day to apply for a 2-year Graduate visa | 31 December 2026 | Appendix Graduate, GR 8.1, as amended by HC 1333 |
To see the date your Graduate visa would end if you apply on that day, use Visavi's Graduate visa end-date calculator.
The Date Workings start from the course end date on your CAS. Your eVisaeVisa An online record of a person's immigration permission, including its conditions and the date it ends. shows the exact date your Student visa ends, so check the result against it.
The Graduate visa: which length applies to you
The length depends on the date you apply. Apply on or before and a Graduate visa after a bachelor’s or master’s degree lasts 2 years. How to apply is in the Graduate visa application.
Scheduled: Graduate visa applications made on or after get 18 months. (HC 1333)
After a PhD or other doctoral qualification, the Graduate visa lasts 3 years. The change for applications from does not alter this.
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.
From the Graduate visa to Skilled Worker
A Graduate visa cannot be extended. From inside the UK, a holder may be able to switch to Skilled Worker. Students can also switch earlier: see switching before your course ends.
On a Graduate visa you can count as a new entrantNew entrant A Skilled Worker applicant who meets one of the new-entrant conditions, such as being on a Graduate visa. A new entrant can be paid at least £33,400 a year and 70% of the going rate., with a salary floor of £33,400 a year. New-entrant time is capped at 4 years in total, and Graduate visa time counts towards it.
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.
To switch from a Graduate visa you need English at B2, set out in the English requirement. If a sponsored job later ends, see if your sponsored job ends; the other entries are in Rules.
Skilled Worker is not the only route open after the course: Global Talent needs an endorsement instead of a job offer.
History
- 1 January 2027. Scheduled. Graduate visa shortened for new applications, HC 1333.
- . Entry updated.
- . Entry first published.
Common questions
How long can you stay in the UK after graduating?
After a course of 12 months or longer, your Student visa normally runs 4 months past the course end date. A Graduate visa applied for before then lasts 2 years for applications made on or before 31 December 2026.
When does my Student visa end after a master's?
For a course of 12 months or longer, normally 4 months after the course end date. Your eVisa shows the exact date.
Does the Graduate visa length depend on when I apply?
Yes. Applications made on or before 31 December 2026 get 2 years; applications from 1 January 2027 get 18 months. After a PhD or other doctorate, the Graduate visa lasts 3 years.
Can I switch from a Graduate visa to a Skilled Worker visa?
A Graduate visa cannot be extended. From inside the UK, a holder may be able to switch to Skilled Worker. You need English at B2.
Sources
- Immigration Rules: Appendix Student (gov.uk). Checked .
The passage relied on
A course of 12 months or longer 1 Month 4 Months
A course of 6 months or longer but shorter than 12 months 1 Month 2 Months
- 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.
- Graduate visa: The course you studied (gov.uk). Checked .
The passage relied on
at least 12 months, if your course’s total length is more than 12 months
- 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.
6.4 For the changes that introduce a visa requirement on Botswana, those changes will come into effect at 1500 BST on 14 October 2025. The changes regarding appendix HPI, will come into effect on 4 November 2025, the changes relating to Students transitioning to the Innovator Founder route come into effect on 25 November 2025 and the changes to English language requirements for economic migration routes will come into effect on 8 January 2026. All other changes will come into effect on 11 November 2025 and are detailed in the implementation section of the Statement of Changes.
- 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.
- 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”.
- Immigration Rules: Appendix Skilled Worker (gov.uk). Checked .
The passage relied on
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.
- 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.
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).