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Graduate visa to Skilled Worker: timing and cost

A Graduate visa cannot be extended, but GOV.UK says holders may be able to switch to a Skilled Worker visa. The Graduate visa lasts 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026 and 18 months from 1 January 2027, and total time on Graduate and Skilled Worker new entrant terms is capped at 4 years.

The Graduate visa is a work-and-look-for-work permission, not a sponsored job, and it ends on a fixed date. The Skilled Worker visa needs a sponsor. People moving from one to the other are therefore working against a clock they cannot extend, and the shape of that clock changes on 1 January 2027. This guide explains how the two routes connect: what GOV.UK says about the Graduate visa, how a Graduate visa holder can qualify for a lower salary under the Skilled Worker rules, how the 4-year cap works, what the two applications cost and what the employer pays.

The sources are GOV.UK's Graduate visa and Skilled Worker pages, Appendix Skilled Worker (updated 8 October 2026), the GOV.UK pages for sponsors and the GOV.UK healthcare surcharge page, all read on 10 October 2026. It describes the rules. It does not say when anyone should switch, or whether a particular job qualifies.

The Graduate visa: length, cost and what it allows

GOV.UK says "A Graduate visa gives you permission to stay in the UK for at least 18 months after successfully completing an eligible course in the UK." More exactly, it lasts 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026 and 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027. Holders of a PhD or other doctoral qualification get 3 years. The visa starts from the day the application is approved.

The application fee is £937 and the healthcare surcharge is usually £1,035 per year; GOV.UK's Graduate page lists £2,070 for a 2-year visa and £3,105 for 3 years. For 18 months, GOV.UK's surcharge page says the cost is "the yearly cost plus half the yearly cost, if it’s for 18 months or less", which is £1,035 + £517.50 = £1,552.50. The Graduate page prints a different figure for the 18-month surcharge, so the amount shown when you pay is the one that counts. A Graduate visa on the 2-year length therefore costs £937 + £2,070 = £3,007 in total.

With a Graduate visa you can work in most jobs, look for work, be self-employed and travel in and out. You cannot claim most benefits or work as a professional sportsperson. The visa is not tied to an employer, so no certificate of sponsorship is needed.

GOV.UK states the key limit plainly: "You cannot extend your Graduate visa. However, you may be able to switch to a different visa, for example a Skilled Worker visa." That sentence is the starting point for everything else here.

Switching to Skilled Worker: what the rules ask for

The switch is an in-UK application on the Skilled Worker form, made before the Graduate permission expires. GOV.UK says "You must apply online before your current visa expires." The general Skilled Worker requirements apply: a job in an eligible occupation code, an approved sponsor with an A rating (rule SW 5.3), a certificate of sponsorship that was issued no more than three months before the application and has a start date no more than three months after it, English at the required level and a salary that meets one of the options in rule SW 4.4.

Graduate visa holders are not on the list of people who cannot switch. GOV.UK's excluded list covers visit visas, short-term student visas, Parent of a Child Student visas, seasonal worker visas, domestic worker visas, immigration bail and permission outside the Rules. Rule SW 1.5A, with its three course conditions, applies to someone who "has, or last had, permission as a Student". On its wording, a person whose latest permission is a Graduate visa is outside that rule, so the Student-course test is not the test for them.

The sponsor's side is the same as for any worker. The employer needs a licence, pays the certificate fee (£525 per certificate on the sponsor guidance) and pays any immigration skills charge in full. The guidance puts the charge at £480 for the first 12 months for small or charitable sponsors and £1,320 for medium or large sponsors, with £240 or £660 for each additional 6 months. GOV.UK says "Your licence may be revoked if you ask the sponsored worker to pay the fee or any costs linked to your application."

The lower salary option for recent graduates, and its 4-year cap

The standard Skilled Worker salary is the higher of £41,700 and the going rate. Graduate visa holders can qualify for a lower figure under the new entrant options. Under option E in rule SW 4.4 the salary must be at least £33,400 a year and at least 70% of the going rate. Options F to J carry lower floors (£25,000 for new entrants under option J), but rule SW 4.2(b) limits them to people sponsored for a Health and Care ASHE salary job, or to people granted Skilled Worker permission under the rules in place before 4 April 2024 who have held it continuously since and apply before 4 April 2030.

The Graduate-specific test is rule SW 12.2(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." GOV.UK's version of this is that you can be paid 70% of your job's standard going rate if your salary will be at least £33,400 per year and "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)." Someone under 26 on the date of application can use the same options, on the other limb of the rule.

The cap is the part that often surprises people. Rule SW 12.3 says "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." GOV.UK adds "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."

In practice the cap is read against the permission already granted and the permission now applied for. A person who spent 2 years on a Graduate visa and is granted a Skilled Worker certificate on the new entrant option can get no more than 2 further years under that option. Someone who qualifies on the standard salary option is not subject to the cap. The sponsor chooses the certificate length, and the certificate end date, plus 14 days under SW 18.1, sets the length of the grant.

What the two steps cost

The fees below are from GOV.UK's pages on 10 October 2026.

  • Graduate visa: £937 plus surcharge (£2,070 for 2 years, £3,105 for 3 years).
  • Skilled Worker switch from inside the UK: £943 for up to 3 years, £1,865 for more than 3 years; £628 or £1,235 if the job is on the immigration salary list.
  • Skilled Worker healthcare surcharge: usually £1,035 per year of the new permission.
  • Money to hold: £1,270 for 28 days, unless you have been in the UK with permission for at least 12 months. Rule SW 15.1 treats an applicant for permission to stay who has been in the UK with permission for 12 months or longer as meeting the financial requirement.
  • Health and care jobs: if the job is a Health and Care Worker job, the fee is £324 for up to 3 years and there is no surcharge. GOV.UK's Graduate page also says that if you get a job in public sector healthcare after paying the surcharge you may be able to get a refund.

Biometrics have no fee. A paid faster decision may be offered on a Skilled Worker application; GOV.UK says the usual decision time for an in-UK switch is 8 weeks.

Overlap matters for the surcharge. If the Graduate permission and the new Skilled Worker permission cover the same period, the surcharge refund page says a partial refund is available for periods paid twice, rounded down to the nearest 6 months, and there is no refund for a period under 6 months.

The 1 January 2027 change and what it does to timing

Because the Graduate visa is 2 years for applications on or before 31 December 2026 and 18 months from 1 January 2027, the date of the Graduate application sets the end date of the permission. A Graduate application approved in 2026 gives a 2-year permission starting on the day of approval. One made in 2027 gives 18 months.

The change affects the time available to find a sponsor. The four-year cap in rule SW 12.3 counts permission granted, so a shorter Graduate visa leaves more of the 4 years available for Skilled Worker time under the new entrant options.

The Graduate page lists who can apply: you must be in the UK, hold a Student visa, have studied an eligible UK course for the minimum period, and your education provider must have told the Home Office you completed it. GOV.UK says you do not have to wait until you have graduated or received a certificate. You must apply before the Student visa expires.

Dependants: GOV.UK says partners and children who were dependants on your Student visa can apply for dependant status on the Graduate visa. A child born in the UK during a Student or Graduate permission can also apply. New dependants who were not on the Student visa cannot join on a Graduate visa, and GOV.UK adds that "New dependants may be able to join you from outside the UK if you switch to a different visa, for example a Skilled Worker visa." Whether the Skilled Worker dependant rules for a particular job allow that depends on the occupation code, as explained in our dependants guide.

English language

The Graduate visa has no English test, but the Skilled Worker visa does. For someone switching from a different visa, GOV.UK says the level is B2. A bachelor's, master's or doctorate awarded in the UK satisfies the requirement under Appendix English Language rule EL 5.2(a), shown by a certificate, transcript or official letter from the awarding body (EL 5.3). Many Graduate visa holders will have exactly that document. The Rules also allow a previous application to count, but only "at the level required for their current application" (EL 3.1), so an earlier B1 result does not meet a B2 requirement. Our B2 English guide covers the other routes, including the test list.

Worked examples (illustrative)

These examples are invented, they are not advice, and real cases turn on facts not shown.

Example 1. Sana holds a 2-year Graduate visa. A sponsor offers her a job and issues a 3-year certificate. If she is paid under the new entrant option, the Graduate time already granted (2 years) counts toward the 4-year cap in SW 12.3, so at most 2 more years of permission can be granted under that option. A 3-year certificate would not fit inside the cap on that option. If the salary meets the standard £41,700-or-going-rate option, the cap does not apply.

Example 2. Tomas applies for a Graduate visa on 15 December 2026 and is approved on 20 December. His permission is 2 years. A friend with the same course applies on 5 January 2027 and gets 18 months. The date of application is the test GOV.UK states.

Example 3. Lily switches in the UK on a 5-year certificate and a standard-rate job. The fee is £1,865 and the surcharge is 5 × £1,035 = £5,175, a total of £7,040. She has been in the UK with permission for more than 12 months, so SW 15.1 means she does not need to show £1,270.

Finding a regulated adviser

The Graduate-to-Skilled-Worker path turns on dates and arithmetic: when the Graduate permission ends, how much new entrant time remains under the 4-year cap, and which salary option the sponsor's offer fits. If you want a regulated adviser to check these against your documents, GOV.UK explains how to find an immigration adviser, and only IAA-registered advisers, solicitors and other qualified persons can give immigration advice in England and Wales.

The Migratio directory lists IAA-registered advisers (with their level) and SRA-regulated solicitors, each with their regulator and registration number. Migratio is not regulated by the IAA or the SRA and does not give immigration advice. This page explains how the rules work; it does not tell you what to do in your case.

Questions people ask

Can I extend a Graduate visa?

No. GOV.UK says "You cannot extend your Graduate visa. However, you may be able to switch to a different visa, for example a Skilled Worker visa." The visa lasts 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, 18 months from 1 January 2027, and 3 years for a PhD.

How long is the Graduate visa from 2027?

GOV.UK says it is 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027, 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, and 3 years if you have a PhD or other doctoral qualification. The visa starts from the day the application is approved.

Can a Graduate visa holder be paid less on a Skilled Worker visa?

Rule SW 12.2(f) lets a person whose most recent permission was a Graduate visa (expired less than 2 years ago, if it has expired) use the new entrant options: at least £33,400 and 70% of the going rate (option E). Total time under these options is capped at 4 years.

How much does it cost to move from a Graduate visa to a Skilled Worker visa?

From inside the UK the Skilled Worker fee is £943 for up to 3 years or £1,865 for more, or £628 and £1,235 for an immigration salary list job, plus usually £1,035 a year in surcharge. Health and Care Worker jobs cost £324 or £628 with no surcharge. Funds of £1,270 are not needed after 12 months in the UK.

Does the employer have to pay anything for a Graduate visa holder's Skilled Worker visa?

Yes. The sponsor guidance lists £525 per certificate of sponsorship and an immigration skills charge based on size and length, and says the sponsor's licence may be revoked if it asks the worker to pay the fee or any costs linked to the application.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-10.

Related guides

  • Switching from a Student visa to a Skilled Worker visa — A Student visa holder in the UK can apply to switch to a Skilled Worker visa if the job and sponsor qualify and one of three course conditions is met: the course is finished, the job starts after it ends, or a full-time PhD is at least 24 months in. The in-UK fee is £943 for up to 3 years.
  • Skilled Worker salary: £41,700 and going rates — Under Appendix Skilled Worker the general salary test is at least £41,700 a year and the occupation's going rate, whichever is higher. Lower thresholds of £33,400, £37,500 or £25,000 apply to specific groups, and only guaranteed basic pay counts.
  • Skilled Worker visa cost: worker and employer totals — A worker applying from outside the UK for up to 3 years pays £819 plus £1,035 a year in healthcare surcharge, and usually needs £1,270 held in savings. The employer separately pays a £525 certificate fee and the immigration skills charge, and its licence fee if it is new.
  • Bringing family on a Skilled Worker visa: costs and rules — Each partner and child pays the same application fee as the Skilled Worker for the same length of stay (£819 or £1,618 from outside the UK), plus the Immigration Health Surcharge, and must show £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each further child. Restrictions apply to dependants of care workers and some medium-skilled jobs.
  • Health and Care Worker vs Skilled Worker visa — The Health and Care Worker visa is a version of the Skilled Worker route for listed health and social care jobs with approved employers. It costs £324 for up to 3 years with no health surcharge, against £819 plus £1,035 a year on the standard Skilled Worker route. Which one applies depends on the job and employer, not on cost.
  • B2 English for Skilled Worker visas from 2026 — New Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker applicants must show English at level B2 in reading, writing, speaking and listening. People who held the visa before 8 January 2026 and are extending or updating need B1. Settlement applications from 26 March 2027 need B2 in speaking and listening.
  • Changing jobs on a Skilled Worker visa — A Skilled Worker must apply to update their visa if they move to a different employer, or to a job in a different occupation code. The update needs a new certificate of sponsorship and costs £943 for up to 3 years from inside the UK. You can keep working your current job until a decision, but should not start the new one.