Graduate Route: will you get 2 years or 18 months?
The same degree is worth six months more depending on when your application lands. The cutoff is 31 December 2026, and it is decided by the date you apply, not the date you graduate.
Figures assessed against official UK government sources on 3 October 2026.
Not when you graduate. You can only apply once your university has confirmed you finished, and you must be in the UK.
Why the date matters more than it sounds
Six months is not a detail on this route. It is earning time, and it is the window you have to find a sponsoring employer before the visa ends, because the Graduate Route cannot be extended.
Finding sponsorship inside 18 months is a materially harder task than inside 24, and the clock starts the day the visa is granted rather than the day you start looking.
What you actually control
- You must be in the UK when you apply
- You must still hold a Student visa at that point
- Your university must have confirmed completion to the Home Office
That third one is not in your hands and it is the usual cause of delay. Universities report completion on their own schedule, so if your application is going to land near the cutoff, that is the thing to chase.
Common questions
- How long is the Graduate visa?
- 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, and 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027. Doctoral graduates get 3 years either way.
- Is it the graduation date or the application date that counts?
- The application date. You cannot apply until your university confirms you completed, and you must be in the UK when you apply, so the date you can realistically submit is what decides it.
- How much does the Graduate visa cost?
- £937 for the application, plus the health surcharge at roughly £1,035 a year. That is the standard rate, not the reduced £776 student rate, so it is a step up from what you paid as a student.
- Can I extend the Graduate visa?
- No. To stay longer you switch to another route, most commonly the Skilled Worker visa, which needs a sponsoring employer.
Does your own plan actually hold up?
Pathminder checks your dates, your budget and your documents against the rules on this page, and tells you what is missing before it costs you an application fee.
Check your planFree. No card required.
Where these figures come from
Every number on this page comes from official UK government guidance, not from agents or forums. Rules move without notice, so confirm anything your application depends on at the source.
The full picture: the Graduate Route guide.