The UK Government has announced significant updates to its immigration rules for international students and graduates, published on 14 October 2025.
Here’s what you need to know :
Current Rule (Valid until 31 December 2026): Students who successfully complete a UK Bachelor’s degree can stay for 2 years. Applications made before 1 Jan 2027 will still qualify for the full 2-year visa.
New Rule (Effective from 1 January 2027): From this date, the Graduate Route will allow international students to stay for 18 months instead of 2 years.
Eligibility:
You can apply for a Graduate visa if all of the following are true:
- You’re physically present in the UK.
- Your current visa is a Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa.
- You studied a UK bachelor’s degree, postgraduate degree or other eligible course for a minimum period of time with your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa.
- Your education provider (such as your university or college) has told the Home Office you’ve successfully completed your course.
- Your education provider for your course must be a licensed sponsor with a ‘track record of compliance’.
Check if your education provider has a track record of compliance – it will have ‘Student Sponsor – Track Record’ in the ‘Status’ column.
Costs:
When you apply for a Graduate visa, you’ll need to:
- Pay the £880 application fee
- Pay the healthcare surcharge – this is usually £1,035 for each year you’ll be in the UK
This is a significant step in welcoming even more talented students from around the world to live, study, and work in the UK.
To view the latest financial requirements for students studying both in London and outside London, please check our previous article.
Source: Gov.UK
