Short answer: Under the current published rules, a Graduate visa normally lasts two years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, or 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027. A PhD or other doctoral qualification gives a three-year grant. The relevant date is your application date, not the date you started university or attend graduation.
After months of studying and planning your career, a shorter visa can feel like the goalposts have moved. The useful response is to build an accurate timetable around eligibility, university reporting and your current permission. This guide explains the published change and the steps worth checking now.
Which duration applies?
| Eligible application | Published grant length |
|---|---|
| Non-doctoral Graduate application submitted by 31 December 2026 | 2 years |
| Non-doctoral Graduate application submitted from 1 January 2027 | 18 months |
| PhD or other doctoral Graduate application | 3 years |
The official Graduate overview states these dates and durations. They are published rules, not an assumption that a course begun before the change will preserve a two-year grant. Your new visa normally starts from approval; that does not mean the decision date determines which side of the application-date rule you fall on.
You cannot apply early just to meet the calendar date
The route requires eligible current Student or Tier 4 permission, an eligible qualification, the required period of UK study and confirmation from your education provider that you have successfully completed the course. You must be in the UK when applying and apply before your Student permission expires.
Ask your university when it expects to report completion to UKVI. A final assignment submission, a provisional result or a graduation invitation should not be assumed to mean that report has been made. You do not have to wait for the ceremony or degree certificate once the actual eligibility conditions are met.
Check the course and study requirements as well. If your course is not eligible, rushing an application does not make it eligible.
A four-date planning sheet
- Course completion: confirm when the university considers the course successfully completed.
- UKVI reporting: ask how you will know the university has notified the Home Office.
- Current permission expiry: read your actual immigration record, not an old card or a presumed course end date.
- Intended application: compare the first three dates with the 1 January 2027 change.
For example, someone whose university reports completion in November 2026 and whose Student visa expires in February 2027 may have a different planning window from someone whose results are not confirmed until January. Neither should guess a reporting date. These illustrations do not establish eligibility for either person.
Travel plans can affect a pending application
The Graduate application instructions explain the process and travel restrictions while a decision is pending. Do not confuse the right to travel on a granted Graduate visa with the position while an in-country application is being considered.
If you want to visit family over the holidays, check the interaction between your travel date, Student permission, course reporting and intended Graduate application. Paying for flights before checking can turn a simple timeline into a difficult decision. We can help assess the immigration sequence within our professional scope; universities remain responsible for their own reporting.
Budget for the correct route
The Graduate route has an application fee and IHS. Being a recent student does not automatically give the Graduate application the Student IHS rate. Check the current Graduate costs for the actual duration that applies.
Dependants have separate eligibility rules and costs. The fact that you qualify for Graduate permission does not by itself allow a new partner or child to join through that route. List each family member’s current status before planning the family budget.
Use the time as a career planning window
A Graduate visa cannot be extended. If you hope to remain beyond it, start checking potential next routes while there is time to prepare. A Skilled Worker move requires a qualifying sponsored job and the relevant salary, English and other requirements; it is not an automatic continuation of Graduate permission.
You also do not always have to obtain a Graduate visa before moving from Student permission to sponsored work. The Student-to-Skilled-Worker switching rules have their own course and job-start conditions. Compare the available options against a real job offer and your longer-term plans.
Frequently asked questions
Does starting my degree in 2025 guarantee a two-year Graduate visa?
No. The published duration rule uses the Graduate application date, subject to the doctoral exception.
Can I submit before the university reports completion?
You should not submit on an assumption that a later report will repair missing eligibility. Confirm that the required report has been made.
Can I extend an 18-month Graduate visa?
No. The Graduate route is not extendable. A different route may be available if you qualify for it.
Plan the next step with confidence
London Immigration Assistance can help check the timeline and assess whether a Graduate or work-route application is within our services. Book a free consultation with your course dates, reporting confirmation and visa expiry to hand. For an agreed individual application, our standard professional fee is £500 per application, per person; government and third-party charges are separate and any different fee is agreed first.
Official sources
Sources checked: 6 October 2026. Check the current official requirements for your application date.
- GOV.UK: graduate visa
- GOV.UK: course you studied
- GOV.UK: apply
- GOV.UK: how much it costs
- GOV.UK: switch to this visa
This guide provides general information and is not a decision about your individual eligibility. Rules and charges can change. The agreed service and care letter set out our professional scope; no outcome is guaranteed.