UK Graduate Visa for Indian Students: 2027 Rules, Cost & Checklist

What is the UK Graduate visa?

The Graduate visa is an unsponsored UK immigration route for eligible international students who successfully complete a qualifying course in the UK. It allows a graduate to remain in the country, look for work, work in most jobs, be self-employed, and travel abroad and return during the permission period. You do not need a job offer or employer sponsorship to make the Graduate application.

It is a post-study option, not an automatic benefit attached to every UK course. Your current immigration permission, qualification, education provider, time spent studying in the UK, successful-completion report, location on the application date, and timing all matter. The Home Office—not the university—decides the application.

The 2027 change: application date decides the duration

Under the rules reviewed on 8 October 2026, a non-doctoral Graduate visa lasts two years when the application is made on or before 31 December 2026. It lasts 18 months when the application is made on or after 1 January 2027. A PhD or other doctoral graduate continues to receive three years. The permission starts on the date the application is approved.

The dividing line is the date of the Graduate visa application—not the date your course began, the date you arrived in the UK, or the date printed on your degree certificate. However, you cannot submit early merely to secure a longer period: your education provider must first tell the Home Office that you successfully completed the eligible course, and you must apply before your Student or Tier 4 permission expires.

Who can apply?

At the time of application, you must be in the UK and your current permission must be as a Student or Tier 4 (General) student. You must have successfully completed the course linked to that permission, normally at a licensed student sponsor with a track record of compliance, and your provider must have reported successful completion to the Home Office.

Qualifying courses usually include a UK bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, PhD, or doctorate. GOV.UK also lists certain legal professional courses, the PGCE and PGDE, and some courses that qualify a person for a profession regulated by UK law or a UK public authority. Ask the education provider to confirm the position if the award is not a standard degree.

• You are physically in the UK when you submit the application.
• Your current immigration permission is Student or Tier 4 (General) permission.
• You completed the eligible course associated with that permission.
• The provider is an eligible licensed sponsor with a track record of compliance.
• The provider has reported your successful completion to the Home Office.
• You apply online before your current Student or Tier 4 permission expires.

How long must you have studied in the UK?

If the course was longer than 12 months, you normally need to have studied it in the UK for at least 12 months. If the course was 12 months or shorter, you normally need to have studied in the UK for the full course length. Ordinary travel during term breaks or weekends does not by itself break the study-in-the-UK requirement when you were present whenever the provider required you to be.

Historic COVID-19 concessions can still affect a limited set of courses and dates, but they should not be treated as a general remote-study allowance for a current applicant. If study abroad, remote delivery, a course transfer, a resit, or an approved absence makes the position unclear, ask the university’s international student team before relying on the route.

When should you apply?

Apply only after your provider has notified the Home Office of successful completion and before your Student permission expires. GOV.UK says you do not need to wait for the graduation ceremony or physical degree certificate once the completion report has been made. Ask the provider how it communicates that the report is complete; do not assume that receiving final marks automatically means UKVI has the report.

After an online application, identity check, and document submission, GOV.UK says a decision usually takes up to eight weeks, although an individual case can take longer. You may remain in the UK while the application is pending. Do not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man before the decision: GOV.UK warns that doing so will withdraw the application.

Graduate visa cost in 2027

At the review date, the application fee is £937. The immigration health surcharge for an 18-month Graduate visa is £1,152.50, making the published government charges £2,089.50 for one 18-month applicant before any optional service or incidental cost. For a two-year grant, the listed surcharge is £2,070; for a three-year doctoral grant, it is £3,105.

These figures can change. Use the live GOV.UK cost page immediately before paying, and budget separately for rent deposits, council-tax position, transport, job-search travel, professional registration, and the period before receiving salary. Paying the visa charges does not guarantee an approval or employment outcome.

Documents and online application steps

The standard GOV.UK document list requires a valid passport or other travel document showing identity and nationality, plus the CAS reference number used for the Student or Tier 4 application for the completed course. Depending on the case, you may also need relationship evidence, a certified translation, or written approval from a scholarship or sponsorship provider that paid both course fees and living costs in the previous 12 months.

The online process will direct you either to use the UK Immigration: ID Check app or to attend a UKVCAS service point for biometrics. Each eligible dependant makes a separate application. Keep passport details, UKVI account information, the original CAS reference, and the university’s completion confirmation organized before starting.

• Confirm the provider has sent the successful-completion report.
• Check the expiry date and conditions of the current Student permission.
• Retrieve the CAS reference used for that Student visa application.
• Prepare the valid identity document and any case-specific evidence or translations.
• Complete the official online form from inside the UK and pay the current fee and surcharge.
• Follow the identity-app or UKVCAS instructions shown in the application.
• Remain within the permitted Common Travel Area until UKVI decides the application.
• After approval, check the eVisa and UKVI account details carefully.

Work, job search, and study conditions

A Graduate visa holder can work in most jobs, look for work, be self-employed, undertake eligible voluntary work, and travel. The route does not require one named employer, occupation, or minimum salary for the Graduate permission itself. You cannot work as a professional sportsperson or normally claim most public funds or the State Pension.

Study is restricted: GOV.UK says you can study on a Graduate visa only when the chosen course is not eligible for a Student visa. If the new course is eligible for Student sponsorship, the Student route may be the appropriate permission. ATAS can also be required for study or research in certain sensitive subjects.

Can a partner or child stay as a dependant?

A partner or child who was already a dependant on your current Student or Tier 4 permission can normally apply to remain as your dependant on the Graduate route if the other requirements are met. A child born in the UK during the relevant Student, Tier 4, or Graduate permission can also qualify under the published rules. Their permission ends on the same date as yours.

The Graduate route does not generally allow a new partner or child from outside the UK to join as a new dependant. Each family member must submit a separate application and pay the applicable fee and health surcharge. Family eligibility is fact-specific, so use the current dependant page before making financial or travel plans.

Plan the route after the Graduate visa

A Graduate visa cannot be extended. If you want to remain after it expires, you must qualify for another immigration route and apply in time. One possible route is Skilled Worker, which requires an eligible job with an approved sponsor, a certificate of sponsorship, and the applicable occupation, salary, and English requirements. A Graduate visa does not guarantee that an employer will sponsor you later.

Use the post-study period deliberately. Begin sector research and employability work before course completion, maintain a role-and-application tracker, understand whether the employers you target sponsor workers, and review professional-registration requirements where relevant. Compare the cost and timing of any switch early rather than waiting for the final weeks of Graduate permission.

Final checklist for Indian graduates

This guide was reviewed on 8 October 2026 against current GOV.UK guidance and the Immigration Rules. It provides general planning information, not a guarantee of eligibility, a visa decision, sponsorship, or employment.

• Verify the course and education provider satisfy the Graduate route requirements.
• Confirm how much of the course must have been studied in the UK.
• Wait for the provider’s successful-completion report, but apply before Student permission expires.
• Use the application date to determine whether the two-year or 18-month rule applies.
• Check current fees directly on GOV.UK and budget beyond the visa charges.
• Prepare the passport, original CAS reference, UKVI account access, and case-specific documents.
• Do not travel while the in-country application is awaiting a decision.
• Check dependant eligibility separately for every family member.
• Build a job-search and possible Skilled Worker transition plan before graduation.
• Recheck the Immigration Rules immediately before applying because policy can change.