Switching Graduate to Skilled Worker visa

Short answer

Yes. The Graduate visa is a non-extendable route, but you are permitted to switch from it to a Skilled Worker visa from inside the UK, provided you meet the Skilled Worker requirements. You do not need to leave the country to apply. The Graduate route is not on the list of categories that are barred from switching to Skilled Worker.

The key requirements you must meet

To switch successfully, you need all of the following:

1. A job offer from an employer who holds a valid Home Office sponsor licence. This is usually the biggest practical hurdle, because not every employer is licensed, and you cannot use a Skilled Worker visa to work for an employer who is not a sponsor.

2. A Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) issued by that sponsor for the specific job.

3. A job at the required skill level. Following the changes introduced in 2025, the general skill threshold for most new Skilled Worker applicants has risen to graduate level (broadly RQF level 6, degree-level occupations). Some lower-skilled occupations remain eligible only on a temporary or transitional basis, or where they appear on the relevant shortage or transitional lists. You should check that the specific occupation code (SOC code) for your job still qualifies.

4. A salary that meets both the general minimum threshold and the specific “going rate” for the occupation. There is a general minimum salary floor, and separately an occupation-specific going rate, and you normally have to satisfy the higher of the two. The general threshold was increased significantly in 2024 and the framework was tightened further in 2025, so the figure that applied when you first researched the route may now be higher. There are reduced thresholds for certain applicants (for example “new entrants,” which can include recent graduates and those under a certain age, and people in specified occupations), so it is worth checking whether a discount applies to you, as this can materially lower the salary you need to earn.

5. English language ability at the required level. If you completed a UK degree that qualified you for the Graduate visa, you will normally already satisfy this and can rely on that qualification.

6. Identity and immigration status requirements, met through the online application and, usually, the UK Immigration: ID Check app or a biometric appointment.

The financial maintenance point

There is a maintenance (money in the bank) requirement, but you are generally exempt from having to prove personal savings if you have been in the UK with permission for 12 months or more at the date of application, or if your sponsor certifies maintenance on the CoS. Because Graduate visa holders have typically already been in the UK well over a year, most will not need to show separate savings. If for any reason you have been in the UK for less than 12 months, you would need to show the required amount of savings held for the necessary period.

Timing and continuity

You can apply at any point while your Graduate visa is still valid, and you can keep working under your existing conditions while a valid in-time application is being decided. Apply before your Graduate visa expires. A key strategic point is that time spent on the Graduate route does not count towards settlement (indefinite leave to remain), whereas time on the Skilled Worker route generally does. Switching sooner rather than later therefore starts your qualifying period for settlement earlier, which can matter if permanent residence is your goal. Note that the qualifying period for settlement and the rules around it have been subject to review, so treat the settlement clock as a reason to plan ahead rather than assume a fixed figure.

Fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge

You will need to pay the application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge for each year of the permission you are granted. The health surcharge in particular is a substantial cost that is paid upfront for the whole period, so factor this into your planning. Your employer may agree to cover some or all of these costs, and in practice sponsors bear certain costs themselves.

What could change the answer

The outcome depends on facts you have not given me:

Whether your prospective employer actually holds a sponsor licence. If they do not, the switch is not possible with that employer unless and until they obtain one, which is a separate application process for the employer.

Whether the specific role sits at the required skill level and whether it meets both the general salary threshold and the going rate for that occupation code. A role that would have qualified under the older rules may no longer qualify after the 2025 tightening.

Whether you fall within any reduced salary category, such as new entrant provisions, which can lower the salary you need to demonstrate.

How long you have held permission in the UK, which affects the maintenance requirement.

Practical next steps

1. Confirm with the employer that they hold a valid Home Office sponsor licence and are willing and able to assign you a Certificate of Sponsorship.

2. Check the exact SOC occupation code for the job and confirm it is currently eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship, and identify both the general threshold and the going rate for that code.

3. Compare the salary being offered against the higher of those two figures, and check whether any reduced rate (for example a new entrant discount) applies to you.

4. Gather your documents: passport or existing biometric residence document, CoS reference number, evidence of English (your UK degree will usually suffice), and evidence of savings only if you have been in the UK for under 12 months.

5. Apply online for the in-country Skilled Worker application before your Graduate visa expires, and do not let your current leave lapse before submitting.

Because the salary thresholds, skill level and the eligible occupation lists were changed materially in 2024 and again in 2025, check the current figures on the GOV.UK Skilled Worker pages for the exact numbers that apply to your occupation on the date you apply, as the precise thresholds move over time.