Tools
Enter your course end date and get your personal post-study timeline: when your Graduate visa window opens and closes, how long your visa will run, when to start converting to a Skilled Worker visa, and when your new-entrant salary discount runs out.
Rule change: the Graduate visa is being cut from 2 years to 18 months
Applications made on or before 31 December 2026 still get 2 years. Applications from 1 January 2027 get 18 months. PhD graduates keep 3 years either way. The planner below works out which side of the line you land on, and what applying early would buy you.
We’ll estimate it as course end + 4 months (the normal wrap-up for courses of 12 months or longer).
Your window straddles the 1 January 2027 rule change
Apply on or before 31 December 2026 and you get 2 years. Apply from 1 January 2027 and you get 18 months. Which should the plan assume?
Application window
~13 October 2026 → 15 January 2027
Graduate visa runs to
~8 December 2028 (24 months)
New-entrant rate after switching
24 months left
if you switch when your Graduate visa ends
Imports as its own “UK Graduate visa plan” calendar in Apple Calendar and Outlook; in Google Calendar, add it via Settings → Import & export.
15 September 2026
The official course end date. Every other date below is counted from this.
29 September 2026 – 27 October 2026 (est.)
Your university reports successful completion to the Home Office, usually 2–6 weeks after final results, often before graduation day. You can apply the moment that happens; ask your international student office when they report.
13 October 2026 (est.)
Estimated earliest application date. You must be inside the UK with a valid Student visa when you apply. No certificate needed, just the university's confirmation.
31 December 2026
Applications made on or before 31 December 2026 get 2 years; from 1 January 2027 they get 18 months. If you apply as soon as your completion is confirmed, you keep the extra six months.
15 January 2027 (est.)
Your Student visa expiry is the hard deadline: there is no late application. Check the exact date on your eVisa; the date shown here is an estimate unless you entered yours.
8 December 2026 (est.)
Projected grant date assuming a standard ~8-week decision. Your 24-month clock runs from the grant date, not your course end.
8 June 2028 (est.)
Leave at least 6 months. Focus on companies that already hold a sponsor licence — they can actually say yes to sponsorship.
Browse sponsor jobs13 October 2028 (est.)
Aim to have your switch application submitted ~8 weeks before expiry: your employer needs to assign a Certificate of Sponsorship first, and if the application is in before your visa ends you can keep working while it's decided.
8 December 2028 (est.)
The route can't be extended. By now you want to be on a Skilled Worker visa, or have another route lined up.
8 December 2030 (est.)
The new-entrant rate (70% of the going rate, from £33,400) is capped at 4 years total, and your Graduate visa years count toward it. From this date employers must pay your full going rate, typically £41,700+.
Check your role's going rateDon’t lose your window to a slow job hunt
Students with a .ac.uk email get 3 months of Pro free: instant job listings from licensed sponsors, sponsor history, and email alerts. Set it up before your deadlines hit.
Claim free Pro with your university emailGeneral guidance, not immigration advice. Dates marked (est.) rest on typical processing assumptions, so check your eVisa and gov.uk before acting.
Maya finishes her master’s on 15 September 2026. Her university typically confirms completion to the Home Office within 2–6 weeks, so her application window opens around 13 October 2026 and closes with her Student visa on 15 January 2027 (course end + 4 months). That window straddles the rule change, and the choice matters:
Either way the planner tells her to start applying to licensed sponsors 6 months before expiry and to have the Skilled Worker switch submitted ~8 weeks out. And because time on the Graduate route counts toward the 4-year new-entrant cap, switching at the end of a 2-year visa leaves her 24 months at the discounted salary. Every extra month on the Graduate visa is one less at the lower threshold.
Still studying? See which employers hire interns and placement students on the internships hub. Check what your target role must pay with the occupation eligibility checker, see your take-home with the income tax calculator, and once you’re on the Skilled Worker route, track your settlement clock with the ILR tracker.
When should I switch from a Graduate visa to a Skilled Worker visa? As soon as an employer will sponsor you. Don't wait for your Graduate visa to run out: time on the Graduate route counts toward the 4-year cap on the new-entrant salary discount, and none of it counts toward settlement. Aim to have your Skilled Worker application submitted at least 8 weeks before your Graduate visa expires.
How long is the Graduate visa? Two years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, 18 months if you apply from 1 January 2027, and three years after a PhD or other doctorate whenever you apply. The clock runs from the date your Graduate visa is granted, not from your course end date.
When can I apply for the Graduate visa? Once your university has told the Home Office you successfully completed your course. That usually happens within a few weeks of your final results, often before graduation day. You must apply from inside the UK while your Student visa is still valid, and you don't need your degree certificate to apply.
What is the deadline to apply for the Graduate visa? Your Student visa expiry date. For courses of 12 months or longer that's normally 4 months after your course end date, but check the exact date on your eVisa. Miss it and the route is gone: there's no late application, so you'd need a different visa or to leave the UK.
Does the Graduate visa count towards ILR? No. Years spent on the Graduate route add nothing to the 5 qualifying years for Indefinite Leave to Remain. Your settlement clock only starts once you're on a qualifying route such as the Skilled Worker visa, which is one more reason to switch early.
How long does the new-entrant salary discount last? Four years in total, including your time on the Graduate route. Spend two years on the Graduate visa and only two years remain at the discounted rate (70% of your job's going rate, minimum £33,400) before your employer must pay the full going rate.
What happens if I don't find a sponsor before my Graduate visa expires? You'd need another route: further study, a Youth Mobility Scheme visa if your nationality qualifies, or a High Potential Individual visa if you're eligible. Otherwise you'd have to leave the UK. If your Skilled Worker application goes in before your Graduate visa expires, though, you can stay while it's decided.
Can I still get the 2-year Graduate visa? Only if your application is submitted on or before 31 December 2026. From 1 January 2027 new applications get 18 months (PhD graduates keep three years). If you finish your course in late 2026, apply as soon as your university confirms completion and you keep the extra six months.