Dhiraj Kandel
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Quick answer
The essentials at a glance
The post study work visa UK, called the Graduate visa, lets you stay and work after your UK degree without a job offer. Bachelor's and master's graduates get 2 years if they apply on or before 31 December 2026, and 18 months if they apply later. PhD graduates get 3 years. You must apply from inside the UK before your Student visa ends, so Nepali students should not fly home first. The fee is £937 plus a health surcharge, about Rs 5 to 6 lakh in total.
Key takeaways
Main points from this page
- The Graduate visa lasts 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, and 18 months from 1 January 2027.
- PhD and doctorate graduates get 3 years, whatever date they apply.
- The fee is £937 plus £1,035 a year in health surcharge, so 2 years costs £3,007 in total.
- You must apply from the UK after your university reports your result and before your Student visa expires, and a decision usually takes 8 weeks.
- You can hold the Graduate visa only once and cannot extend it, so plan a Skilled Worker job paying at least £33,400 to £41,700.
Who Can Get a UK Graduate Visa After Studying?
You can get a Graduate visa if you finish a UK degree on a Student visa and apply from inside the UK before that visa ends.
The Graduate visa is the official name of the UK post-study work visa. It lets you stay and work after your course without a job offer or an employer sponsor. The GOV.UK Graduate visa page sets the conditions listed below. Your university tells the Home Office when you pass, and you can apply from that day. You do not have to wait for your graduation ceremony or your certificate.
For most Nepali students, this visa is the bridge between the degree and a UK career, so it shapes how you plan your course. It is one part of the bigger plan in our study in UK from Nepal guide. You can apply for the Graduate visa if all of these are true:
- You are in the UK when you apply
- Your current visa is a Student visa (or the old Tier 4 student visa)
- You studied a UK bachelor’s, master’s, PhD or another eligible course for the minimum time in the UK
- Your university has told the Home Office that you completed the course successfully
- You have never held a Graduate visa before: you can get it only once
Studied part of your degree in Nepal?
Only the time you study in the UK on your Student visa counts. If your course is longer than 12 months, you must study in the UK for at least 12 months; if it is shorter, for the whole course. Years spent at a partner college in Nepal before you transfer do not count. So before you pay, ask your UK university whether your top-up course will qualify. See the GOV.UK course rules.
How Long Is the Post Study Work Visa UK: 2 Years or 18 Months?
It is 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, and 18 months if you apply from 1 January 2027.
This is the biggest change to the post-study work visa since it opened. The Graduate caseworker guidance says the date that matters is the day you apply, not the day you started or finished your course. PhD graduates get 3 years, whatever the date. The visa starts on the day it is approved, not the day you apply. So a Nepali student who finishes a bachelor’s or master’s and applies in time still gets the 2 year post study work visa UK. Anyone who applies later gets 18 months.
| Your degree | You apply | Graduate visa length |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s or master’s | On or before 31 December 2026 | 2 years |
| Bachelor’s or master’s | On or after 1 January 2027 | 18 months |
| PhD or other doctorate | Any date | 3 years |
A master’s gives the same length as a bachelor’s, so there is no extra time for a postgraduate degree. What it means for you, depending on when your course ends:
- Course ending before December: apply as soon as your university reports your result, and you get 2 years
- Course ending in December or January: results are often reported in the new year, so plan on 18 months
- Course still to start, from Nepal or in the UK: plan your job search around 18 months
- PhD students: 3 years, whatever the date
When Should You Apply for the Graduate Visa?
Apply after your university reports that you passed and before your Student visa ends, while you are still in the UK.
Your Student visa usually lasts a few months after the course ends, which gives you a short window. For a 1-year master’s, the visa normally runs about 4 months past the course end date on your CAS. If the visa expires first, you lose the Graduate route, and you cannot apply for it from Nepal. Ask your university’s international office when it will report your result, so you can apply in the same week.
Many Nepali students want to fly home for Dashain or Tihar after the last exam. Wait until you have the decision. GOV.UK says that if you travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man before the decision, your application is withdrawn. Have these ready when you apply, as the GOV.UK documents page lists:
- Your valid passport
- The CAS reference number from your Student visa application
- Your BRP if you have one (usable until 31 December 2026); most students now use an eVisa
- A consent letter from your sponsor if a scholarship paid both your fees and living costs in the last 12 months
- Proof of your relationship if your partner or children apply with you
- Certified translations of any document not in English or Welsh
How Much Does the UK Graduate Visa Cost?
The Graduate visa fee is £937, plus a health surcharge of £1,035 for each year, so 2 years costs £3,007 and 18 months £2,489.50.
The £937 fee is in the Home Office visa fees table. The immigration health surcharge (IHS) for this visa is higher than the student rate, and you pay all of it when you apply. The GOV.UK cost page gives the IHS for each length. In rupees, at about Rs 200 to the pound:
| Visa length | Visa fee | IHS | Total | In Rs (about) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 months | £937 | £1,552.50 | £2,489.50 | Rs 5 lakh |
| 2 years | £937 | £2,070 | £3,007 | Rs 6 lakh |
| 3 years (PhD) | £937 | £3,105 | £4,042 | Rs 8 lakh |
Each partner or child who applies with you pays the same again. You pay in pounds by card from the UK, so many Nepali families send this money in the last term. Check the current rate with our GBP to Rs forex converter.
GOV.UK lists no bank balance rule for the Graduate visa. Still, keep money for rent and food for the first months while you look for work; our UK living cost guide shows monthly costs. For the Student visa fee you pay first, see our UK student visa fee page.
How to Apply for the Graduate Visa Step by Step
You apply online from the UK and prove your identity, and you usually get a decision within 8 weeks.
The whole process happens in the UK, so nothing is done at the visa centre in Kathmandu. You can stay in the UK while you wait. Start the form on the GOV.UK apply page. The steps are:
1. Check your result is reported
Ask your university to confirm it has told the Home Office that you completed the course.
2. Check your university's licence
It must show “Student Sponsor – Track Record” on the register of student sponsors. Almost all universities do.
3. Fill in the online form
Use the same name and passport as your Student visa, and add your CAS reference number.
4. Pay the fee and IHS
Pay £937 and the IHS by card. Keep the IHS reference number and the payment emails.
5. Prove your identity
Most students scan their passport with the UK Immigration: ID Check app. Some are asked to book a service point in the UK.
6. Wait in the UK for the decision
Do not travel abroad until you get the decision. You then get an eVisa in your UKVI account.
What Can You Do on a Graduate Visa?
You can work full time in almost any job, change employers, look for work or be self-employed, with no salary minimum.
This is the main difference from student life. On a Student visa your hours are limited during term, as our UK student working hours guide explains. On the Graduate visa there is no weekly limit and no employer sponsor, so you can take a graduate job, a part-time role, or two jobs at once. You can also travel to Nepal and come back while the visa is valid.
Many Nepali graduates start in retail, care or hospitality and move into work linked to their degree. Our part-time jobs in the UK guide shows common first jobs. You need a National Insurance number to work, which most students already have from their studies. There are a few things the visa does not allow:
- Claiming most government benefits or the State Pension
- Working as a professional sportsperson
- Taking a course that needs a Student visa (you would get a Student visa for that)
- Extending the visa: when it ends, you must switch to another visa or leave
Can You Bring Your Family on a Graduate Visa?
Only if your partner or children were already your dependants on your Student visa, or your child was born in the UK.
You cannot bring new family members from Nepal on a Graduate visa, as the GOV.UK partner and children page explains. Since January 2024, only research students such as PhD students, and some government-sponsored students, can bring dependants on a Student visa. So most Nepali students on a taught master’s will apply on their own. Each dependant pays the £937 fee and their own IHS, and their visa ends on the same day as yours.
A partner can apply only if you are married, in a civil partnership, or have been together for at least 2 years. To bring family later, you would usually need a work visa such as the Skilled Worker visa. Our UK dependent visa guide covers the Student visa rules.
Can You Switch From a Graduate Visa to a Skilled Worker Visa?
Yes, you can switch inside the UK once an approved employer offers you an eligible job at the required salary.
The Graduate visa cannot be extended, so most graduates who want to stay longer move to the Skilled Worker visa. The usual salary is at least £41,700 a year or the going rate for the job, whichever is higher. As a recent graduate or someone under 26, you can be paid less: 70% to 90% of the going rate, with at least £33,400 a year.
Start looking for a sponsoring employer early in your Graduate visa, not in the last months. Nepali nursing graduates may switch to the Health and Care Worker visa instead, which is cheaper and has no IHS; see our study nursing in the UK guide. What a Skilled Worker switch needs:
- A job offer from an employer licensed by the Home Office to sponsor workers
- A job on the eligible occupations list, with a 4-digit occupation code
- Pay of at least £41,700 or the going rate, or the lower new-entrant rate from £33,400
- English at B2 level, which a UK degree usually proves
- A certificate of sponsorship from your employer before you apply
Does the Graduate Visa Lead to PR in the UK?
No, the Graduate visa does not lead to settlement on its own; you need to move to a route such as the Skilled Worker visa.
Think of the 18 months or 2 years as time to find a sponsored job. The rules for permanent residence (indefinite leave to remain) are long and change often, so we cover them in one place. Read our UK PR after study guide for the routes and the years needed. Nepali students who plan for a career abroad often compare this with other countries, so check the plan with a counselor before you choose a course.
What Mistakes Do Nepali Students Make With the Graduate Visa?
Most problems come from timing: applying late, leaving the UK too early, or choosing a course that does not qualify.
These mistakes cannot be fixed later, because the Graduate visa can be applied for only once and only from the UK. Plan them before you choose your course, and if you are still deciding, read our master’s in the UK guide. Here is what our counselors see most often:
- Letting the Student visa expire while waiting for a graduation ceremony
- Flying to Nepal after exams and before the Graduate visa decision
- Not checking that the university reported the result to the Home Office
- Studying less than 12 months in the UK on a top-up or transfer course
- Forgetting sponsor consent when a scholarship paid fees and living costs
- Waiting until the last months of the Graduate visa to look for a sponsor
Planning Your Work Years in the UK?
A Goreto counselor can check your course, university and dates, and tell you whether you will apply for 2 years or 18 months. You can get advice wherever you live in Nepal, at our branches in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Chitwan, Itahari and Pokhara, or talk to a counselor online.
FAQs on the UK Post Study Work Visa
No. You must be in the UK on your Student visa when you apply. If you go back to Nepal before applying, you cannot get the Graduate visa.
Yes, but only if you apply on or before 31 December 2026. Applications from 1 January 2027 get 18 months, and PhD graduates still get 3 years.
The same as after a bachelor’s: 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, and 18 months if you apply later. A master’s does not give extra time.
No. The Graduate visa needs no job offer and no sponsor. You can look for work after you get it.
GOV.UK lists no bank balance rule for the Graduate visa. You still need money for the £937 fee, the health surcharge and your living costs while you find work.
Usually up to 8 weeks after you apply online and prove your identity. You can stay in the UK while you wait, but do not travel abroad.
No. It cannot be extended, and you cannot get it again if you have held it before. To stay longer you must switch to another visa, such as the Skilled Worker visa.
Only a course that is not eligible for a Student visa. If your new course is eligible, such as another degree, you need a Student visa for it.
Yes. You can change employers, work full time, work for more than one employer or be self-employed, as long as the work is not as a professional sportsperson.
Sources
Reference links
Disclaimer
Important guidance note
This page provides general guidance about studying abroad. Requirements, fees and policies can change. For advice about your situation, speak with a Goreto counselor before applying.
