UK Graduate visa: 18 months from 1 January 2027

GOV.UK now shows two lengths for the Graduate visa. Apply on or before 31 December 2026 and it lasts 2 years. Apply on or after 1 January 2027 and it lasts 18 months. With a PhD or other doctoral qualification it lasts 3 years.

You must be in the UK when you apply, and your Student visa must still be valid. Your education provider also has to tell the Home Office you've completed your course. You can apply only after that.

Example

Illustrative. A master's student finishes in November and the university reports completion in December. An application that month gets 2 years. The same person applying in January gets 18 months.

Important

You can't extend a Graduate visa. To stay longer you may be able to switch, for example to a Skilled Worker visa, so it's worth knowing that route early.

Dates to collect

• ☐ Your Student visa end date
• ☐ When your provider reports completion
• ☐ Your planned application date
• ☐ What you'd switch to later

Timeline and roadmap — put your dates on one page →

Source: gov.uk, Graduate visa. This isn't legal advice; the decision is the authority's.