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The UK Graduate visa 18 months 2027 rule is now confirmed, and the date that decides how long you get is closer than many students think. If you apply on or before 31 December 2026, a Graduate visa for a bachelor’s or master’s degree lasts 2 years. If you apply on or after 1 January 2027, it lasts 18 months.
That is a loss of six months of post-study work time. For many graduates, those six months are the difference between finding a sponsored job and having to leave the UK.
This guide explains the new rule in plain English: who gets 18 months, who still gets 2 or 3 years, the two deadlines you must not miss, what the Graduate visa costs, and what to do now if you are finishing your course in late 2026 or early 2027.
What Is the UK Graduate Visa 18 Months 2027 Rule?
UK Graduate visa 18 months 2027: The Graduate visa, also called the Graduate Route or post-study work visa, lets international students stay in the UK after successfully completing an eligible UK course. You do not need a job offer, and you do not need an employer to sponsor you. You can work in most jobs, look for work, be self-employed, and travel abroad and return to the UK.
UK Graduate visa 18 months 2027: The length of the visa is changing. The change was made by Statement of Changes HC 1333, laid before Parliament on 14 October 2025, and it is already in the Immigration Rules. GOV.UK now states it plainly: 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026; 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027; 3 years if you have a PhD or other doctoral qualification.
UK Graduate visa 18 months 2027: Your visa starts from the day your application is approved, not from the day you finish your course or graduate. A decision usually comes within 8 weeks.
UK Graduate visa 18 months 2027: The Graduate visa is not being cancelled. No salary rule has been added to it, and it is still unsponsored. What is changing is only the length of permission for bachelor’s and master’s graduates who apply from 1 January 2027.
UK Graduate Visa 18 Months 2027: Who Gets What?
The rule follows the date you apply for the Graduate visa. It does not follow the date your course started, the date your course ended, or the date of your graduation ceremony.
| Qualification | Apply by 31 December 2026 | Apply from 1 January 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree | 2 years | 18 months |
| Master’s degree | 2 years | 18 months |
| PhD or other doctoral qualification | 3 years | 3 years |
| Other eligible course, such as PGCE, LPC or Bar Course | 2 years | 18 months |
That one date is the whole story. If your university has already told the Home Office that you have successfully completed your course, and your Student visa is still valid, applying before 31 December 2026 secures the full 2 years.
If your completion will only be confirmed in 2027, plan for 18 months. You cannot apply for a Graduate visa until your education provider has reported your successful completion to the Home Office. You do not have to wait for your graduation ceremony or your certificate, but you do have to wait for that confirmation.
You must apply from inside the UK, and you must apply before your Student visa expires. You can stay in the UK while you wait for a decision.
Almost every student starting a one-year master’s degree in September 2026 will be on the 18-month track, because they will finish in 2027. The same is true for January 2027 starters. Students finishing in late 2026 are in a different position. If you complete your course in November or December 2026 and your university confirms your completion quickly, you may still be able to apply by 31 December 2026 and keep 2 years. Check with your university now — ask when they will report your completion, not just when your results come out. Undergraduate students finishing in summer 2027 will also get 18 months, unless the Budget exception below applies to their university.
The Second Deadline: Student Funds Rise on 30 November 2026 – UK Graduate Visa 18 Months 2027
The Graduate visa is not the only deadline. If you are still a Student visa applicant, or you are applying for a new Student visa for a January 2027 course, there is an earlier date to watch.
From 30 November 2026, the Student visa maintenance requirement rises. This change comes from Statement of Changes HC 584, published on 3 September 2026.
| Location | Before 30 November 2026 | From 30 November 2026 | For 9 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | £1,529 per month | £1,570 per month | £14,130 |
| Outside London | £1,171 per month | £1,203 per month | £10,827 |
The increase is £41 a month in London and £32 a month outside London. Over 9 months, that is £369 more in London and £288 more outside London.
The application date decides which figure applies. Applications made before 30 November 2026 are decided under the rules in force on 29 November 2026. Applications made on or after 30 November 2026 use the new figures.
You must show the living-cost amount for each month of your course, up to a maximum of 9 months, plus any outstanding course fees stated on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). The money must be held for 28 days in a row, and your latest bank statement must be within 31 days of applying.
If you are applying for a January 2027 intake, check your funds now. A shortfall of even £1 can lead to a refusal, and the 28-day rule means you cannot fix it at the last minute.
If you are still planning to study in the UK, funding matters as much as the visa itself. Check the fully funded scholarships for 2026 that can cover tuition and living costs, and note that several scholarships closing in December 2026 have deadlines in the same weeks as these rule changes.
The Budget Exception: Could Some Graduates Still Get 2 Years? – UK Graduate Visa 18 Months 2027
There is one possible exception to the 18-month rule, but it is not yet law, and you should not plan your future on it.
In the Budget published on 28 October 2026, the government announced that the Graduate visa will be set at 2 years for graduates of “high-compliance universities where there are strong labour market outcomes”. PhD graduates keep 3 years either way.
That sounds like good news, but the details are missing:
- The government has not defined “high-compliance”;
- It has not said how labour market outcomes will be measured;
- It has not named which universities qualify;
- No implementation date has been announced;
- Nothing has changed in the Immigration Rules yet.
The Home Office and the Department for Education are still designing the policy, and further information is expected in due course. Some universities have said they are hopeful they will be included, but they are waiting for official confirmation, just like everyone else.
Until the Home Office publishes the criteria and the list, no graduate can know in advance whether their university will qualify for the 2-year route or the 18-month one.
UK Graduate visa 18 months 2027: That is why the safe advice is simple: applying on or before 31 December 2026 is still the only certain way to secure 2 years. Do not wait for the Budget exception to be confirmed. If it is confirmed later, and your university qualifies, that will be a bonus. If it is not, you will have lost the 2-year window.
The same Budget also set out plans to widen the High Potential Individual visa to graduates of the world’s top 150 universities, up from a smaller list. No start date has been announced for that change either.
How Much Does a Graduate Visa Cost? – UK Graduate Visa 18 Months 2027
The Graduate visa costs £937 to apply. You also pay the immigration health surcharge, which is usually £1,035 for each year you will be in the UK.
For an 18-month visa, that means the surcharge is charged for the full first year, plus a half-year rate for the final 6 months. Check the exact total on the GOV.UK immigration health surcharge calculator on the day you apply, because the surcharge is based on the length of permission you will receive.
Your partner and children can also apply to stay in the UK as your dependants, if they were dependants on your Student visa. Each family member must apply separately and pay the visa fee. Their visa will end on the same date as yours.
If you work in public sector healthcare as a doctor or nurse, check whether the Health and Care Worker visa would be cheaper for you. That route does not charge the annual immigration health surcharge in the same way, but it does require a sponsored job.
What You Can and Cannot Do on a Graduate Visa – UK Graduate Visa 18 Months 2027
With a Graduate visa, you can work in most jobs, look for work, be self-employed, do voluntary work for a registered charity, and continue living in the UK with your partner and children if they are eligible.
You cannot apply for most benefits or the State Pension, and you cannot work as a professional sportsperson.
You cannot extend a Graduate visa. When it ends, you must either leave the UK or switch to a different visa, for example a Skilled Worker visa, if you have a sponsored job offer that meets the rules at that time.
That is the real impact of the UK Graduate visa 18 months 2027 cut. With 2 years, you had more time to find a graduate-level job, build UK experience, and move to sponsorship. With 18 months, you have 6 months less. You need to start your job search earlier, ideally while you are still studying, and you need to target employers who sponsor Skilled Worker visas from the start.
If you are thinking beyond the Graduate visa, read our guide to UK settlement after 10 years. Settlement rules are also changing, and the length of time you spend on different visas now affects how quickly you can settle in the UK.
What to Do Now: A Checklist for Each Group – UK Graduate Visa 18 Months 2027
If you finish your course in late 2026:
- Ask your university today when they will report your completion to the Home Office.
- Prepare your passport, your CAS reference number, and your identity documents now.
- Apply online for a Graduate visa as soon as your completion is confirmed, and in any case on or before 31 December 2026.
- Do not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man after you apply until you get a decision, or your application will be withdrawn.
If you finish your course in 2027:
- Plan for 18 months, not 2 years.
- Start looking for graduate jobs and sponsored employers while you are still studying.
- Make a timeline: 18 months from your decision date, minus the time you need to find a sponsored role and switch to a Skilled Worker visa.
- Keep an eye on the Budget exception, but do not delay your plans waiting for it.
If you are applying for a Student visa for January 2027:
- Check your funds against the new figures: £1,570 a month in London, £1,203 outside London, for up to 9 months.
- Make sure the money has been held for 28 days in a row before you apply.
- If you apply before 30 November 2026, the old figures apply. If you apply on or after 30 November, the new figures apply.
- Remember that your Student visa funds and your Graduate visa length are two separate rules, with two separate deadlines.
If you are a PhD student:
Your Graduate visa is still 3 years, whether you apply before or after 1 January 2027. The 18-month cut does not affect you, and the Budget exception does not change your position.
Why the Government Made This Change – UK Graduate Visa 18 Months 2027
The Home Office’s explanatory memorandum to HC 1333 said that too many Graduate route holders were not moving into graduate-level jobs. The government’s stated reason for cutting the route to 18 months was to push graduates into graduate-level work more quickly, or to leave sooner if they do not find it. Whether you agree with that reason or not, the rule is now in the Immigration Rules, and it applies from 1 January 2027. The Budget proposal to keep 2 years for some universities is a partial change to that plan, but it has not yet been written into the rules.
The Bottom Line – UK Graduate Visa 18 Months 2027
The UK Graduate visa 18 months 2027 rule is real, it is already in law, and it changes the maths for every bachelor’s and master’s graduate who applies from 1 January 2027. Apply by 31 December 2026 and you get 2 years. Apply from 1 January 2027 and you get 18 months. PhD graduates still get 3 years. Student funds rise on 30 November 2026 to £1,570 in London and £1,203 outside London. The Budget’s 2-year exception for “high-compliance” universities is not yet defined, not yet law, and not a reason to wait.
If you can apply before the end of 2026, do it. If you cannot, plan for 18 months, start your job search early, and check GOV.UK on the day you apply, because immigration rules change frequently.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration rules change frequently — check the official GOV.UK pages on the day you apply.
FAQs
How long is the UK Graduate visa in 2027?
For bachelor’s and master’s graduates who apply on or after 1 January 2027, the UK Graduate visa lasts 18 months. If you apply on or before 31 December 2026, it lasts 2 years. PhD graduates get 3 years either way.
What decides whether I get 18 months or 2 years?
The date you apply for the Graduate visa. It is not the date your course started, the date your course ended, or the date of your graduation ceremony. The visa runs from the date of decision.
Can I extend my Graduate visa after 18 months?
No. You cannot extend a Graduate visa. When it ends, you must leave the UK or switch to a different visa, such as a Skilled Worker visa, if you meet the rules for that route at the time.
Does the 18-month rule affect PhD graduates?
No. PhD and other doctoral graduates still get 3 years, whether they apply before or after 1 January 2027.
Will graduates of some universities still get 2 years after January 2027?
Possibly, but not certainly. The Budget on 28 October 2026 proposed keeping 2 years for graduates of “high-compliance universities with strong labour market outcomes”, but the government has not defined those terms, named the universities, or changed the Immigration Rules. Applying by 31 December 2026 is still the only certain way to get 2 years.
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