The length of a Graduate visa depends on two things: the level of qualification you completed, and the date you make your application.
The three possible durations
Three years applies if you completed a PhD or other doctoral qualification. This length is unaffected by the date of application.
Two years applies if you completed a UK bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or another relevant qualifying course (anything below doctoral level), and you make your Graduate visa application before 1 January 2027.
18 months applies if you completed a bachelor’s, master’s, or other non-doctoral qualifying course, and you make your application on or after 1 January 2027.
How to work out which applies to you
First, identify your qualification. If it is a PhD or other doctorate, you get three years and the cut-off date does not affect you.
If it is a bachelor’s or master’s level course, the deciding factor is when you actually submit your application. The relevant date is the date the application is made, not when you finished your course or when your student visa expires. So if you apply on 31 December 2026 you fall within the two-year period, but if you apply on or after 1 January 2027 you will receive only 18 months.
Practical points
This change comes from the Statement of Changes HC 1333 (14 October 2025), which implements the reduction announced in the May 2025 Immigration White Paper. The two-year period is being phased out for non-doctoral graduates from 1 January 2027.
If you hold a bachelor’s or master’s qualification and want the longer two-year grant, the sensible step is to make sure you are eligible and apply before 1 January 2027, provided you meet all the requirements (including that you must apply from inside the UK while you still have valid student leave, and your education provider must have told the Home Office you completed your course).
What would change the answer
The outcome turns on facts you have not fully specified: the exact level of your qualification, and the precise date you will apply. If you tell me what course you completed and roughly when you intend to apply, I can confirm which of the three periods applies to you.
This answer draws on broad legal knowledge and checks current law, guidance and procedure against relevant sources.
Graduate visa: Overviewgov.ukImmigration Rules - Immigration Rules Appendix Graduate - Guidance - GOV.UKgov.ukGraduate caseworker guidance (accessible version)gov.ukExplanatory memorandum to the statement of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 1333, 14 October 2025 (accessible) - GOV.UKgov.ukKNOW WHERE YOU STAND
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