Graduate Route Review: What the MAC Recommended

Background to the Review

The Graduate Route was introduced in July 2021, replacing the Tier 1 Post-Study Work visa that was removed in 2012. It quickly became one of the most popular immigration routes, with tens of thousands of applications each year.

On 11 March 2024, amid rising visa fees and policy debates, the Home Secretary wrote to the Migration Advisory Committee commissioning a review of the route. The Committee published its rapid review on 14 May 2024. This was part of a broader effort to reduce net migration numbers while maintaining the UK's attractiveness to international students.

What the Committee Found

The review found several key things:

• The route is valuable: It helps the UK compete with countries like the USA, Canada, and Australia for international student talent.
• Graduate outcomes vary: Some graduates move into skilled employment and switch to Skilled Worker visas. Others work in lower-skilled roles.
• Quality concerns: Some institutions were seen as recruiting students primarily for the visa pathway rather than the quality of education.
• Dependants: the dependant rules on the Student route had already been restricted in January 2024, before the review reported.

What Was Recommended

The Committee recommended keeping the Graduate Route rather than closing it. Key recommendations included:

• Keep the 2-year duration: the Committee did not support reducing the route to 1 year, arguing this would significantly reduce the UK's competitiveness.
• Institutional quality metrics: Consider linking Graduate Route access to quality indicators such as graduate employment rates, Skilled Worker visa switching rates, and student satisfaction scores.
• Better data collection: Improve tracking of graduate outcomes to better understand how the route is being used.
• Maintain no sponsorship requirement: The unsponsored nature of the route is fundamental to its appeal.

What Has Changed Since

The route stayed open, but it did not stay the same. The changes actually made to the Immigration Rules are:

• The grant is shorter. The statement of changes published on 14 October 2025 cut it to 18 months for applications made on or after 1 January 2027. Applications made on or before 31 December 2026 are still granted 2 years.
• A doctorate still gives 3 years. That is unchanged by the shortening.
• UK-born children can be added. From 30 July 2026, a child born in the UK to someone who already holds Graduate route permission can apply as a dependant. Before that, only children born during the parent's Student permission qualified.

These have not changed:

• No sponsorship required.
• No minimum salary requirement.
• Work permitted in any job at any skill level.
• The education provider must be a licensed sponsor with a track record of compliance.

Alongside these, the wider student rules were tightened: dependants are now limited to postgraduate research courses and government-sponsored students, and since 26 March 2026 Student entry clearance applications are refused for nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan. See our student visa requirements guide.

What May Change in Future

While no confirmed changes have been announced, the following reforms remain under policy discussion:

• Institutional restrictions: Limiting Graduate Route eligibility to graduates of institutions that meet certain quality thresholds. This could affect visa switching options.
• Subject restrictions: Potentially restricting the route to graduates of certain subjects aligned with UK skills needs.
• Salary floor: Introducing a minimum salary requirement for Graduate Route holders similar to the Skilled Worker salary threshold (this would fundamentally change the nature of the route).

For the latest updates, monitor the UK Visas and Immigration page on GOV.UK and our future of UK immigration guide.

Where This Leaves the Route

The published position, as things stand:

• The route is open. The application fee is £937, plus the healthcare surcharge at the standard £1,035 a year.
• The date of application decides the length. 2 years on or before 31 December 2026, 18 months on or after 1 January 2027, 3 years after a PhD or other doctorate.
• The time does not count towards settlement. Time on the Graduate Route does not count towards the 5-year qualifying period for settlement (indefinite leave to remain); a switch to a route that does count, such as the Skilled Worker visa, is what starts that clock.
• Other routes have their own English rules. The Graduate route needs no separate English test, but the Skilled Worker route requires B2 for new applications made on or after 8 January 2026. See our English language requirements guide.

For employers interested in hiring Graduate Route holders, see our employer guide to the Graduate visa.

Questions and answers