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Graduate Route to Skilled Worker Visa UK

Switching from the Graduate route to a Skilled Worker visa is the most common next step for international graduates who want to build a career and eventually settle in the UK.

Checked 24 March 20269 min readWritten by the Rowan Editorial Team
Section
Student & Graduate
Reading time
9 min
Last checked
24 March 2026
Source
The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
Rowan does not
Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.

In short

  • You can switch to Skilled Worker from inside the UK, before the Graduate visa expires.
  • Your employer must hold a sponsor licence and assign a certificate of sponsorship, used within 3 months.
  • The general salary threshold is £41,700 a year or the going rate, whichever is higher; the new entrant rate is 70% of the going rate with a £33,400 floor.
  • Since 22 July 2025 the job must be at skill level 6 on the Regulated Qualifications Framework, unless it is on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List.
  • New Skilled Worker applications need English at B2 from 8 January 2026.
  • Graduate route time does not count towards the 5 years needed for settlement.

The Graduate route cannot be extended and its time does not count towards settlement, so a switch to another route is what carries a graduate onward. This guide covers the published requirements, timing and process for the Skilled Worker route.

Why Switch?

The Graduate route gives unsponsored work permission — 2 years for an application made on or before 31 December 2026, 18 months from 1 January 2027, and 3 years after a PhD or other doctorate. It cannot be extended, it cannot be granted twice, and its time does not count towards settlement (indefinite leave to remain). The Skilled Worker visa does count, with a published qualifying period of 5 years. The government has proposed extending that to 10 years; that is a proposal, not law.

Requirements to Switch

  • Job offer. From a UK employer with a valid sponsor licence
  • Certificate of sponsorship. Your employer must assign you a certificate of sponsorship, which must be used within 3 months of being assigned
  • Salary. At least £41,700 a year or the going rate for the job, whichever is higher. GOV.UK allows 70% of the going rate, with a floor of £33,400, for people it calls new entrants — which includes someone currently in the UK on a Graduate visa, or who has been in the last 2 years with a Graduate or visit visa as their most recent visa. See our salary threshold guide
  • Eligible occupation. The role must be on the eligible occupations list and, since 22 July 2025, at level 6 on the Regulated Qualifications Framework for new applicants. Jobs at levels 3 to 5 are only sponsorable if they are on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List, and Temporary Shortage List roles cannot bring dependants
  • English language. B2 for new Skilled Worker applications made on or after 8 January 2026. A bachelor's degree, master's degree or doctorate awarded in the UK meets the requirement

Full details in the Skilled Worker requirements guide.

Timing

The published points that turn on timing:

  • You can switch at any point while the Graduate visa is valid, and the application must be made before it expires
  • The 5-year qualifying period for settlement runs from the start of the Skilled Worker permission
  • Time on the Graduate route does not count towards it
  • The new entrant salary concession caps total stay in the UK at 4 years, and GOV.UK says that includes time already spent on a Graduate visa
  • A decision on an application made inside the UK usually takes 8 weeks, and you must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get it

Application Process

  1. Find a job with a licensed sponsor — check the GOV.UK sponsor register
  2. Your employer assigns you a certificate of sponsorship
  3. Apply online to switch to the Skilled Worker visa
  4. Pay the visa fee and the healthcare surcharge
  5. Prove your identity — either with the "UK Immigration: ID Check" app or by giving fingerprints and a photograph at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services service point
  6. Wait for a decision: usually 8 weeks for an application made inside the UK

Costs

See the Skilled Worker cost guide:

  • Visa fee, switching inside the UK: £943 for permission of 3 years or less, £1,865 for more than 3 years. For a job on the Immigration Salary List it is £628 and £1,235. From outside the UK it is £819 and £1,618
  • Healthcare surcharge: £1,035 a year — the standard rate, not the £776 a year students pay
  • Priority service £500 (usually 5 working days) or super priority £1,000 (next working day), if offered
  • No fee for fingerprints and a photograph
  • The employer pays the Immigration Skills Charge: £480 for the first 12 months plus £240 per further 6 months for a small or charitable sponsor, and £1,320 plus £660 for a medium or large one

See the UK visa fees guide for the full picture.

For Employers

If you are an employer considering hiring a Graduate route holder:

  • You need a sponsor licence. It costs £611 for a small or charitable sponsor and £1,682 for a medium or large one. GOV.UK says most are decided in under 8 weeks, and a £750 priority option gives a decision in 10 working days. A sponsor counts as small if at least 2 of these apply: turnover of £15 million or less, assets of £7.5 million or less, 50 employees or fewer
  • See our employer guide to the Graduate visa
  • The employee switches visa inside the UK — no gap in employment

After Switching

Time on the Skilled Worker visa counts towards settlement after 5 years. The route allows dependants, except where the job is on the Temporary Shortage List, and settlement can lead on to British citizenship. Note that the English requirement at settlement rises from B1 to B2 from 26 March 2027 on this route and several others.

Other Unsponsored Routes

Routes that do not need an employer sponsor, each with its own published requirements:

  • Global Talent visa — needs an endorsement (£561) plus the £205 visa fee, £766 in total, or £766 in one payment on the prestigious prize route
  • Self-employment visa options — the Innovator Founder route needs an endorsement from an approved endorsing body
  • Ancestry visa — for Commonwealth citizens with a UK-born grandparent. It costs £726 and lasts 5 years

Where to Apply

The register of licensed sponsors and the application itself are both on GOV.UK.

Related guides:

Questions and answers

Can I switch from Graduate route to Skilled Worker?

Yes. You can switch from the Graduate route to a Skilled Worker visa from inside the UK, provided you have a qualifying job offer from a licensed sponsor.

When can I switch to Skilled Worker?

At any point while the Graduate visa is valid. The application must be made before it expires. Two published rules turn on the timing: the 5-year qualifying period for settlement runs only from the start of the Skilled Worker permission, and the new entrant salary concession caps total stay at 4 years, which GOV.UK says includes time already spent in the UK on a Graduate visa. A decision on an in-UK application usually takes 8 weeks.

Does my employer need a sponsor licence?

Yes. Your employer must hold a valid sponsor licence to employ you on a Skilled Worker visa. Check the register of licensed sponsors on GOV.UK.

This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.

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