How to switch from a Graduate Visa to a Skilled Worker Visa in the UK

The Graduate visa buys you time, not a future. It cannot be extended, it does not count towards settlement, and when it expires you must either have switched to another route or leave the UK. For most graduates, the route out is the Skilled Worker visa — and it has become considerably harder to reach in the last two years.

This guide explains what has changed, what you and your employer each have to do, and how to time the switch so you do not run out of permission.

Why timing now matters more than it used to

Two changes have reshaped this decision.

First, the Graduate route is shrinking. If you apply for a Graduate visa on or before 31 December 2026, you get two years (three for a PhD). If you apply on or after 1 January 2027, the standard grant falls to 18 months. That is six months less runway to find a sponsored role — and six months matters when sponsorship searches routinely take three to six months.

Second, the Skilled Worker route has been raised twice. Since 22 July 2025 the skill level has been set at RQF Level 6 — degree level — and the general salary threshold is £41,700. Many roles that graduates were sponsored into two or three years ago no longer qualify at all.

If you are finishing a course now, apply for the Graduate visa before the end of 2026 if you are eligible. The extra six months is free, and it is the cheapest insurance available to you.

The four requirements you must meet

To switch in-country from a Graduate visa to a Skilled Worker visa, you need all four of the following.

1. A licensed sponsor

Your employer must hold a valid sponsor licence for the Skilled Worker route. Not every employer does, and many small businesses have never applied. If a prospective employer is willing but unlicensed, the licence application itself takes most decisions inside eight weeks, with a priority service available — see our guide to the Sponsor Licence Application process.

2. A Certificate of Sponsorship

Your employer assigns you a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) through the Sponsorship Management System. It records your job, your occupation code, your salary and your start date. You cannot apply without one, and the details on it must match the job you will actually do.

3. An eligible occupation at RQF 6

Your role must appear on the list of eligible occupations at RQF Level 6 or above. This is the requirement that catches most people. Roles below degree level — a large number of administrative, hospitality, retail and junior support positions — were removed from the route in July 2025. Check the occupation code before you accept the job, not after.

4. The salary requirement

You must be paid at least the general threshold of £41,700, or the going rate for your occupation code, whichever is higher. The going rate is set per occupation, and for many professional roles it exceeds £41,700 — so the general threshold is a floor, not a target.

There are lower thresholds in defined circumstances:

Situation	Minimum salary
General threshold	£41,700 or the going rate, whichever is higher
New entrant (broadly, under 26, or switching from Student/Graduate)	£33,400 or 70–80% of the going rate
Health and Care Worker visa roles	£25,000 or the going rate, whichever is higher

The new entrant rate is the provision that matters most to Graduate visa holders. It allows a reduced salary for up to four years, after which you must move to the full rate. Plan for that step up — a role that cannot realistically pay £41,700 by year four is a problem deferred, not solved.

English language

The Skilled Worker English requirement was raised to B2 in January 2026. If you completed a UK degree, you will normally meet it through your qualification rather than a test, but confirm this before you rely on it.

Health and Care Worker roles

If you are a qualified doctor, nurse, allied health professional or eligible social care professional, the Health & Care Worker Visa is a distinct and significantly cheaper sub-route:

• The salary threshold is £25,000 or the going rate, whichever is higher.
• The application fee is reduced.
• No Immigration Health Surcharge is payable — for you or your dependants. Over five years that is a saving of several thousand pounds per person.

Note that overseas recruitment into care worker and senior care worker roles has been closed since July 2025, with transitional arrangements for people already in the UK. If you are in that group, take advice on your specific position rather than relying on general guidance.

Costs: who pays what

The bill is split between you and your employer, and the split is not negotiable — some costs cannot lawfully be passed to the worker.

You pay:

Item	Amount
Application (in the UK, up to 3 years)	£943
Application (in the UK, over 3 years)	£1,865
Immigration Health Surcharge	£1,035 per year

Your employer pays:

Item	Amount
Certificate of Sponsorship	£525
Immigration Skills Charge (small or charitable sponsor)	£480 per year
Immigration Skills Charge (medium or large sponsor)	£1,320 per year

A word of caution on the Immigration Skills Charge. There is an exemption where a worker is switching from a Student visa. If your current permission is a Graduate visa, you are not switching from study, and the charge is generally payable. Employers who budget on the assumption of an exemption are sometimes caught out — raise it early in the conversation so it does not become an obstacle at offer stage.

Applying: the sequence

1. Secure the offer and confirm the occupation code and salary. Do this before anything else. If the code is wrong, nothing downstream works.
2. Employer assigns the CoS. It must be used within three months of assignment.
3. You apply online from inside the UK, paying the fee and the surcharge, and provide biometrics through the UKVCAS route or the ID Check app.
4. Standard processing is around eight weeks for in-country applications, with priority services often available at extra cost.
5. You may start work once the application is decided — or earlier in limited circumstances. Do not assume you can begin on the CoS alone; confirm the position first.

Section 3C leave is the safety net. If you apply before your Graduate visa expires, your existing permission and conditions continue while the application is decided. Apply one day late and you become an overstayer, with consequences that reach far beyond this application. Diarise the expiry date and work backwards.

What the switch does for your long-term position

This is the part graduates most often overlook. Time on a Graduate visa does not count towards settlement. Time on a Skilled Worker visa does. The sooner you switch, the sooner the clock that matters starts running.

Be aware, though, that settlement policy is under active review. The Government’s earned settlement consultation ran from 20 November 2025 to 12 February 2026 and attracted over 200,000 responses. The proposals include raising the baseline qualifying period to ten years, with a longer period for Skilled Workers in roles below RQF 6 and shorter routes for some public service workers and high earners. Nothing has been enacted at the time of writing, but anyone planning a settlement route should watch this closely. Our page on Indefinite Leave to Remain (5 Year Route) sets out the position as it currently stands.

Frequently asked questions

Can I switch before my Graduate visa runs out, or must I wait? You can switch at any point while you hold valid Graduate permission. There is no benefit in waiting, and switching early starts your settlement clock sooner.

Can I extend my Graduate visa instead? No. The Graduate route cannot be extended under any circumstances. Switching is the only way to stay.

What if my salary is below £41,700? Check whether the new entrant rate of £33,400 applies to you, and whether your occupation has a lower going rate arrangement. If neither applies, the role is not sponsorable at that salary and the honest answer is to renegotiate or look elsewhere.

Can I switch while working for a company that has no licence? Not directly. The employer must obtain a licence first. If they are willing, start that process immediately — it runs in parallel with your remaining Graduate permission.

Do my dependants switch with me? Dependants on your Graduate visa can apply to switch as Skilled Worker dependants at the same time. Each pays their own fee and surcharge.

What happens if my application is refused? You may have a right to administrative review, and in some cases the sensible course is a fresh application correcting the defect. Either way, act quickly — 3C leave continues during an in-time administrative review but not indefinitely.

Where we can help

Most failed switches we see are not close calls. They are avoidable: the wrong occupation code, a salary that misses the going rate, a CoS assigned with details that do not match the contract, or an application filed a week after permission expired.

We advise both graduates and the employers sponsoring them — including employers coming to sponsorship for the first time. See our Skilled Worker Visa and Graduate Visa pages, or book a free 30-minute consultation and we will tell you plainly whether the switch works.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information about the law of England and Wales as at August 2026. Immigration Rules, salary thresholds and fees change frequently, and the right approach depends on your individual circumstances. It is not legal advice and must not be relied on as though it were.