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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.

Many international students first look at the Skilled Worker route during their final year, and the question is usually about timing: can I apply before my course ends, can I start the job while still a student, and does it matter whether I take a Graduate visa first? The rules answer some of these directly and leave others to the facts of the case.

This guide covers the switch from a Student visa to a Skilled Worker visa from inside the UK. It sets out the conditions in rule SW 1.5A of Appendix Skilled Worker, the salary options that exist for people who have recently studied, the fees from GOV.UK, the English language point and the other things that commonly decide whether an application is valid. A separate guide covers the Graduate visa route. The figures and wording come from GOV.UK's Skilled Worker and Student visa pages, Appendix Skilled Worker (updated 8 October 2026) and Appendix English Language, read on 10 October 2026. This is information about the rules and not advice on what to do in a particular case.

Who can switch from a Student visa

GOV.UK's Skilled Worker page says a person already in the UK on a different visa "might be able to apply to change (‘switch’)" to a Skilled Worker visa. The general requirements are that the job meets the eligibility requirements and the applicant can "speak, read, write and understand English."

If you are currently on a Student visa, GOV.UK adds that you must also meet one of three requirements:

  • you have completed the course you were sponsored to study
  • your job start date is after your course has finished
  • you are studying for a PhD full time, and have been for at least 24 months

Rule SW 1.5A states the same thing as Conditions A, B and C. Condition A is that the applicant has completed the course for which the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies was assigned. Condition B is that the applicant is studying a full-time course at degree level or above with a higher education provider that has a track record of compliance, and the certificate of sponsorship has a start date no earlier than the course completion date. Condition C is a full-time PhD with a provider that has a track record of compliance, and the certificate's start date is no earlier than 24 months after the start date of the course.

The condition is tested on the date of application. A student who plans to apply near the end of a course should be aware that "completed" and "expected to complete" are different tests in different rules, as the next section shows.

People who cannot switch

GOV.UK lists people who cannot apply to switch to a Skilled Worker visa from inside the UK: those currently in the UK on a visit visa, a short-term student visa, a Parent of a Child Student visa, a seasonal worker visa, a domestic worker in a private household visa, on immigration bail, or with permission outside the Immigration Rules, for example on compassionate grounds. People in those categories "must leave the UK and apply for a Skilled Worker visa from abroad."

Rule SW 1.5ZA states the same categories for anyone applying for permission to stay (immigration bail is dealt with in SW 2.2), and SW 1.5 requires the applicant to be in the UK on the date of application. A Student visa holder is not in the excluded list, but the other conditions still apply.

There is also a travel restriction on any in-UK switch: "You must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. Your application will be withdrawn if you do." Students who plan to travel home after graduation should know that a pending switch application and travel do not mix.

The job, the sponsor and the certificate

A Skilled Worker application needs a job offer from an approved employer, shown by a certificate of sponsorship. The certificate must name the applicant and the job, state a start date, and under rule SW 5.1 that start date can be no more than three months after the date of the application. The certificate must have been issued by the sponsor no more than three months before the application (SW 1.2(d)). GOV.UK also says you can apply for a visa up to 3 months before the day you are due to start work.

The employer must have a sponsor licence and, under SW 5.3, be listed as A-rated. The employer must also have paid any immigration skills charge in full (SW 5.4). The job must be in an eligible occupation code. GOV.UK says that if your code is "higher skilled" you can apply, and if it is listed as "medium skilled" you can apply only if the job is on the immigration salary list or the temporary shortage list, or, for people extending, if you held a certificate from before 22 July 2025. Our guide to medium skilled jobs sets out the two lists.

The student has no say in whether an employer holds a licence. Searching the Home Office's register of licensed sponsors is a way to check, and GOV.UK says an employer that is not approved can apply for a licence, with a fee of £611 for small businesses and charities or £1,682 for medium and large organisations, and usually about 8 weeks to process.

Cost to the employer: the sponsor guidance lists £525 per certificate for a Skilled Worker, and an immigration skills charge, which GOV.UK sets at £480 for the first 12 months for small or charitable sponsors and £1,320 for medium or large sponsors, plus £240 or £660 for each additional 6 months. The guidance says the employer must pay these itself and "Your licence may be revoked if you ask the sponsored worker to pay the fee or any costs linked to your application." For people switching from a study visa, the sponsor guidance also has a heading about this situation and says "You will not have to pay the charge if they switch to either a Skilled Worker or Senior or Specialist Worker visa and then extend their stay on the new visa." How that sentence applies to a given certificate is something for the sponsor to confirm against the guidance.

Salary: the general rule and the options for recent students

The general Skilled Worker salary is the higher of £41,700 and the going rate for the occupation. Someone switching from study may qualify for a lower figure through the new entrant options, which are options E and J in rule SW 4.4.

Option E needs a salary of at least £33,400 a year and at least 70% of the going rate. Options F to J carry lower floors (for new entrants, £25,000 and 70% of the going rate 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 going rate still has to be met in the sense that the 70% figure is the one that applies.

Under rule SW 12.2, a new entrant must meet one of several tests. Among them: the applicant is under 26 on the date of application; the job is a postdoctoral position in listed science or higher education codes; the job is in a UK regulated profession and the applicant is working towards a recognised UK professional qualification; or the applicant is working towards full registration or chartered status. The test aimed at students, SW 12.2(e), reads as four conditions together:

  • the applicant's most recent permission (disregarding any as a visitor) was as a Student
  • if that Student permission has expired, it expired less than 2 years before the date of application
  • in that or any previous Student permission the applicant was sponsored to study a UK bachelor's degree, master's degree, PhD or other doctorate, a Postgraduate Certificate in Education or a Professional Graduate Diploma of Education
  • the applicant has completed the course (or is applying no more than 3 months before they are expected to complete), or is studying a PhD with at least 12 months of UK study completed

Rule SW 12.3 caps the use of these options: "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's description is "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."

PhD holders have separate options: a relevant PhD can lower the salary figure to 90% of the going rate with a floor of £37,500 for non-STEM subjects, or 80% with a floor of £33,400 for STEM subjects. Our salary guide covers those.

Fees, the surcharge and funds

GOV.UK sets the fee for applying from inside the UK to extend, switch or update at £943 per person for up to 3 years and £1,865 for more than 3 years. If the job is on the immigration salary list, the fee is £628 for up to 3 years or £1,235 for more than 3 years. Each person applying pays the fee and the healthcare surcharge for each year of the stay. A Skilled Worker pays the standard rate of £1,035 per year, not the £776 student rate, because the student rate is for students, their dependants and Youth Mobility applicants, according to GOV.UK's surcharge page.

On funds, rule SW 15.1 says an applicant for permission to stay who has been in the UK with permission for 12 months or longer on the date of application meets the financial requirement and does not need to show funds. GOV.UK's switch page says "If you’ve been in the UK for less than 1 year, you’ll also need to prove you have enough money to support yourself." The amount is £1,270, held for 28 days in a row, unless the sponsor certifies maintenance on the certificate.

Biometrics have no fee. The decision time on GOV.UK's switch page is "usually" within 8 weeks, with the possibility of a paid faster decision if offered.

If you hold a Student visa and pay for the Skilled Worker visa, the surcharge for the new permission is paid at application. The surcharge refund rules say a partial refund is available if you pay twice for the same period, rounded down to the nearest 6 months, so overlapping periods between a Student and a Skilled Worker grant are worth checking against that page.

English language and documents

For a switch from a different visa, GOV.UK says "If you’re applying to switch from a different visa, you need level B2." The Rules in Appendix English Language let a degree do the work: a bachelor's, master's or doctorate awarded in the UK meets the requirement (EL 5.2(a)), and so does a degree-level qualification taught in a university in a listed majority-English-speaking country (except Canada) or Ireland, or one that was taught in English and confirmed by the qualification and language assessments provider. The proof is a certificate, transcript or official letter from the awarding body (EL 5.3). A UK degree therefore commonly settles the English point without a test. Our guide to B2 English covers the alternatives, including the secure English language test.

Beyond English, the application needs identity evidence (an ID check app or a visit to a UKVCAS service point) and the certificate of sponsorship reference. Dependants need to apply separately. GOV.UK says "Your partner or child’s visa will not automatically switch to this visa if you switch yours", and they can apply at the same time or any time before their current visa expires. For care and medium skilled jobs GOV.UK lists narrow cases in which a partner or child already in the UK can switch as a dependant, so each family member's position depends on the occupation code.

Worked examples (illustrative)

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

Example 1. Kofi finishes a one-year master's degree in August. His course provider has told the Home Office he has completed it. He has a job offer in an eligible occupation code, and the sponsor issues a certificate in September with a start date in October. Condition A in SW 1.5A is met on the date of application because he has completed the course. If the job is paid at the new entrant rate, SW 12.2(e) could apply because his most recent permission was as a Student, and the 4-year cap in SW 12.3 counts any future Skilled Worker time.

Example 2. Mei is on the second year of a three-year bachelor's degree and a sponsor offers her a job to start after graduation. Condition B in SW 1.5A requires the certificate's start date to be no earlier than the course completion date. A certificate with a start date before the course ends would not meet that condition on its face.

Example 3. Ravi has a UK master's degree and is switching in the UK on a 3-year certificate for a job not on the immigration salary list. He pays £943 for the application and 3 × £1,035 = £3,105 in surcharge, a total of £4,048. If the job is on the immigration salary list, the fee is £628, making £3,733. He has been in the UK with permission for more than 12 months, so SW 15.1 means he does not need to show £1,270.

Finding a regulated adviser

Switching from study to work often depends on dates the applicant controls and dates the employer controls: when the course is completed, when the certificate is issued and when the visa expires. If you want a regulated adviser to check those 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. Some universities also have immigration advice services for their own students.

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 switch from a Student visa to a Skilled Worker visa without leaving the UK?

GOV.UK says you might be able to, if the job meets the Skilled Worker requirements, you meet the English requirement and you have completed your course, your job starts after your course ends, or you have studied a PhD full time for at least 24 months. You must apply before your Student visa expires.

Can I apply for a Skilled Worker visa before my course finishes?

Rule SW 1.5A requires one of three conditions on the date of application: the course is completed; you are studying a full-time degree-level or above course and the certificate starts no earlier than the course completion date; or you are 24 months into a full-time PhD. Check which applies with the sponsor and a regulated adviser.

How much does it cost to switch from a Student visa to a Skilled Worker visa?

GOV.UK lists £943 for up to 3 years or £1,865 for longer from inside the UK, or £628 and £1,235 if the job is on the immigration salary list, plus the healthcare surcharge (usually £1,035 per year). You do not need to show £1,270 in funds if you have been in the UK with permission for 12 months.

Can I be paid less as a recent graduate on a Skilled Worker visa?

The new entrant option E in rule SW 4.4 allows 70% of the going rate with a floor of £33,400 if you meet a test in SW 12.2, such as being under 26 or having a recent UK degree. Lower floors in options F to J are limited by SW 4.2(b). Total time as a Skilled Worker, Graduate or Tier 2 migrant under these options is capped at 4 years.

Do I need an English test to switch from a Student visa to a Skilled Worker visa?

You need B2 English. A bachelor's, master's or doctorate awarded in the UK meets the requirement under Appendix English Language rule EL 5.2, proven by a certificate, transcript or official letter. Otherwise a secure English language test at B2, taken in the last 2 years, is the usual route.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-10.

Related guides

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Medium-skilled jobs after July 2025: the ISL and TSL — Since 22 July 2025 the Skilled Worker route is open to degree-level jobs, plus mid-level jobs only if they are on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List, or if the worker already held permission before that date. Both lists have a cut-off date for new certificates.
  • 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.
  • UK Student visa refused: review or reapply — A refused Student visa can be challenged by administrative review because Appendix Student is on the list: £80, 28 days if you applied from outside the UK, 14 days if you applied in the UK. A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies that was used in a refused application cannot be used again (ST 7.2), so applying again needs a new CAS from the university. Nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan are barred from applying for entry clearance as a Student.
  • 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.