Switching From a Student Visa
Finishing your studies does not mean you have to leave the UK. This guide explains all the visa categories you can switch to from a Student visa, including work routes, family routes, and the Graduate route.
- Section
- Student & Graduate
- Reading time
- 9 min
- Last checked
- 18 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, Graduate, partner, and other visas from inside the UK.
- The application must be made before your Student visa expires.
- The Graduate route does not need a sponsor — just a qualifying completed course, reported by your provider.
- The Graduate route gives 2 years for an application made on or before 31 December 2026, 18 months from 1 January 2027, and 3 years after a doctorate.
- Switching to Skilled Worker needs a job offer from a licensed sponsor, plus a course-completion condition GOV.UK sets for Student visa holders.
- Section 3C leave keeps you lawfully in the UK, on your existing conditions, while the new application is decided.
Student visa holders can switch to several other visa categories from inside the UK. The most common routes are the Graduate visa, Skilled Worker visa, and family visas. This guide explains your options, when to apply, and what each switch involves.
Switching to the Graduate Route
The Graduate route is the most straightforward option after completing your course. It gives 2 years to work in the UK without a sponsor for an application made on or before 31 December 2026, 18 months for an application made on or after 1 January 2027, and 3 years for someone who completed a PhD or other doctorate. You must apply while your Student visa is still valid, and your education provider must have told the Home Office you successfully completed the course. The fee is £937, plus the healthcare surcharge at the standard £1,035 a year — not the £776 student rate. A decision usually takes 8 weeks.
Switching to a Skilled Worker Visa
If you find a job with a licensed sponsor who is willing to sponsor you, you can switch to a Skilled Worker visa from inside the UK. This is a longer-term route that can lead to settlement (indefinite leave to remain) after 5 years. The government has proposed extending that qualifying period to 10 years; that is a proposal, not law.
You need a valid certificate of sponsorship from your employer, which must be used within 3 months, and the job must meet the published skill and salary rules. The general salary threshold is £41,700 a year or the going rate for the job, whichever is higher. Since 22 July 2025 new applicants also need a job at skill level 6 on the Regulated Qualifications Framework — roughly degree level. Jobs at levels 3 to 5 can only be sponsored if they are on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List, and Temporary Shortage List roles cannot bring dependants.
GOV.UK sets an additional condition for someone currently in the UK on a Student visa: one of these must apply — you have completed the course you were sponsored to study; your job start date is after your course has finished; or you are studying for a PhD full time and have been for at least 24 months.
There is a lower rate for new entrants. GOV.UK allows 70% of the standard going rate, provided the salary is at least £33,400 a year, where one of the following applies: you are under 26 on the date you apply; you are currently in the UK on a Student visa studying at bachelor's degree level or above (or have been in the last 2 years, with a Student or visit visa as your most recent visa); you are currently on a Graduate visa (or have been in the last 2 years on the same basis); you will be working towards a recognised qualification in a UK regulated profession; or you will be working towards full registration or chartered status in the sponsored job. A total stay in the UK on that basis cannot exceed 4 years, including time already spent on a Graduate visa.
The English requirement on this route is B2 for new Skilled Worker applications made on or after 8 January 2026. B1 is still accepted for an extension on the same route.
Switching to a Family Visa
If your personal circumstances change during your studies — for example, you marry a British citizen or settle down with a partner who has settled status — you can switch to a spouse or partner visa from inside the UK. The published minimum income requirement for new applications is £29,000 a year, which can also be met from savings. The older £18,600 figure (plus £3,800 for a first child and £2,400 for each further child, capped at £29,000) applies only to people extending who first applied before 11 April 2024. Sponsors who receive certain disability or carer benefits are assessed under an "adequate maintenance" test instead. The English requirement is A1 at the first application, A2 at extension after 2.5 years, and B1 at settlement.
Other Switching Options
- Global Talent visa. If your research or work qualifies, you can switch to a Global Talent visa from inside the UK.
- Innovator Founder visa. This needs an endorsement from an approved endorsing body. Since 25 November 2025 the Immigration Rules also let a Student be self-employed while an endorsed Innovator Founder application is undecided — the one exception to the ban on self-employment on the Student route.
- Another Student visa. You can extend to progress to a higher-level course. The earliest you can apply from inside the UK is 3 months before the new course starts, the application must be made before your current visa expires, and the new course must begin within 28 days of that expiry. You will usually have to show academic progress. See our extension guide.
Section 3C Leave
If you apply to switch before your Student visa expires, your existing visa conditions continue under Section 3C leave until a decision is made on your new application. This means:
- You can stay in the UK legally while your application is processed
- You keep your existing work rights (the Student visa work conditions)
- If the new application is approved, you get the conditions of the new visa
This only applies if you apply before your current visa expires. If your visa has already expired, you are overstaying.
Timing Your Switch
Start planning your switch well before your Student visa expires:
- A certificate of sponsorship must be used within 3 months of being assigned.
- A new Student course can be applied for from 3 months before it starts, and must begin within 28 days of your current visa expiring.
- Before your visa expires: the application must be submitted. This is the deadline that matters, and it is what triggers Section 3C leave.
- After you apply: an in-UK decision usually takes 8 weeks on the Skilled Worker, Graduate, Student and partner routes.
One more constraint: on an in-UK application you must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. GOV.UK says the application will be withdrawn if you do.
Next Steps
The requirements for each route are above, and the deadline in every case is your current visa's expiry date. For advice on a particular case, only a regulated adviser can help: an immigration solicitor or an adviser registered with the Immigration Advice Authority.
Related guides:
- Student Visa UK: Complete Guide
- Graduate Route Guide
- Skilled Worker Visa Guide
- Spouse Visa Guide
- Section 3C Leave Explained
For official information, see the GOV.UK Student visa page and the GOV.UK visas and immigration hub.
Questions and answers
Can I switch from a Student visa to a work visa in the UK?
Yes. You can switch to a Skilled Worker visa from inside the UK with a job offer from a licensed sponsor. GOV.UK adds a condition for people currently on a Student visa: you must have completed the course you were sponsored to study, or your job start date must be after your course has finished, or you must be studying full time for a PhD and have been for at least 24 months. You can also switch to the Graduate route after completing a qualifying course.
Can I switch from a Student visa to a spouse visa?
Yes. Where you are married to, or in a qualifying relationship with, a British citizen or a settled person, you can apply to switch to a partner visa from inside the UK. The published minimum income requirement for new applications is £29,000, and the English requirement is A1 at the first application, rising to A2 at extension and B1 at settlement.
When should I apply to switch from my Student visa?
Apply before your Student visa expires. You remain on Section 3C leave (maintaining your existing conditions) while the new application is processed. Do not let your Student visa expire before submitting the new application.
Which visas can I NOT switch to from a Student visa?
A visit visa and a Short-term study visa have to be applied for from outside the UK, so they are not switching options. The Short-term study visa also cannot be extended. Separately, GOV.UK lists the visas you cannot switch FROM into the Skilled Worker route: a visit visa, a short-term student visa, a Parent of a Child Student visa, a seasonal worker visa, a domestic worker in a private household visa, immigration bail, and permission granted outside the Immigration Rules. A Student visa is not on that list.
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.