UK Graduate Visa Drops to 18 Months: What It Means for You, and How Ireland Compares

Updated 30 September 2026

Right now, one question keeps coming up in our counselling sessions: is the UK still worth it, now that the post-study visa is getting shorter? It's a fair thing to ask. The honest answer depends on what you plan to do after your degree, so this post goes through what the rules actually say, where Ireland fits as an alternative, and how you can work out which suits you.

What's actually changing in the UK

The change was announced in the government's May 2025 Immigration White Paper and has since gone into the rules. The Home Office guidance now says the Graduate route is 18 months for applications from 1 January 2027, and UKCISA, which advises UK universities and international students, says the same. If you apply before that date, you still get 2 years.

The visa isn't going anywhere, and you still don't need a job offer or a sponsor to get it. What you lose is six months. You also can't extend it. When it ends, you either move onto another visa or you leave.

Which intakes does this hit?

If your course ends near December, go and speak to your university's international office now. Ask them when they plan to report your completion to the Home Office. You can't apply until they have, and a delay of a few weeks can push you past the cutoff.

Applying: the bits people get wrong

You have to apply from inside the UK, and before your Student visa runs out. Students sometimes fly home for a break and assume they can apply from India. You can't.

Your university also has to tell the Home Office that you've completed your course before you can apply. That's why the intake table above matters so much.

If a government or an international scholarship agency paid both your fees and your living costs in the 12 months before you apply, you'll need written consent from that sponsor. Chevening and similar scholars should check this early.

Dependants are another surprise. Only people who are already in the UK as your dependant on your Student visa can extend under yours. Partners or children who weren't in the UK with you generally can't join you on the Graduate route.

Applications are made online on GOV.UK, and you pay the visa fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge up front. The surcharge for the Graduate visa is usually £1,035 for each year, and the total for your exact period is shown when you apply. Check the GOV.UK cost page for current amounts before you pay.

After the Graduate visa

Most graduates who want to stay switch to a Skilled Worker visa. Since July 2025 the job has to be at degree level (RQF 6), and since 8 January 2026 new applicants need English at B2. The lower new-entrant salary threshold is worth reading about on the official Skilled Worker pages, because it applies to a lot of recent graduates.

Some students look at Global Talent or the High Potential Individual visa instead, if they qualify. On settlement, the government is raising the English standard for indefinite leave to remain on various routes from 26 March 2027, and it's still considering whether to extend that further. Check the current position before you plan around it.

If you want the wider picture on universities, cities and jobs, start with our Study in the UK 2026 guide, then read Best Universities in the UK for International Students and UK Career Opportunities for Indian Students.

Ireland: Stamp 1G in plain English

Ireland calls its post-study route the Third Level Graduate Programme, and the permission you get is Stamp 1G. After an honours bachelor's (Level 8) you get 12 months. After a master's or PhD (Level 9 or 10) you get 12 months, and you can renew once for another 12, which makes 24 in total. Our guide to post-study work opportunities in Ireland covers the permit options in more detail.

The renewal isn't automatic. You have to show Irish immigration that you've been looking properly for graduate-level work: applications, interviews, agency sign-ups and so on. The whole point of Stamp 1G is to find a job and move onto an employment permit, either a General Employment Permit or a Critical Skills Employment Permit. If that doesn't happen before Stamp 1G ends, you're expected to leave.

A few rules to keep in mind. You must hold a current Stamp 2, and you must apply within six months of being told you've got your award. The time you spend on student permission plus Stamp 1G is capped at 7 years for Level 8 and 8 years for Level 9 or above. You can use the programme twice at most, for example after a bachelor's and again after a later master's. Your course also has to be on Ireland's Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP), so check that before you accept an offer. And while Stamp 1G lets you work full-time, you can't run your own business or trade.

For the Critical Skills Employment Permit, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment lists a minimum salary of €40,904 from 1 March 2026 for occupations on its Critical Skills list where a relevant degree is required. If you got your qualification in the 12 months before applying, a lower €36,848 applies. These thresholds are set to rise in stages up to 2030, so look at the DETE page when you're ready to apply. For typical graduate roles and pay, see High-Paying Jobs in Ireland for Graduates (Salary + Work Visa).

We've written more on Ireland in Studying in Ireland from India, Why Study in Ireland in 2026, Top STEM Universities in Ireland, Top 10 Mistakes Indian Students Make in Ireland and Getting an Irish Residence Permit.

The UK and Ireland side by side

In practice, a one-year taught master's gets you 18 months after study in the UK from 2027, but up to 24 in Ireland, as long as your course is on the ILEP list and you can show your job search for the renewal. For a bachelor's it's 18 months against 12. The UK has the bigger employer market. Ireland has the longer master's window. Neither is the "safe" option.

What it costs

For the UK Student visa, applications from 11 November 2025 need proof of £1,529 a month for London courses and £1,171 a month elsewhere, for up to 9 months, plus any tuition you still owe. University visa pages, for example Westminster's, say the London figure goes up to £1,570 for applications from 30 November 2026. The money normally has to sit in the account for 28 days before you apply. The health surcharge is £776 a year on the Student visa and £1,035 a year on the Graduate visa. Confirm all of these on GOV.UK in the week you apply, since they do change.

For Ireland, fees and proof-of-funds amounts also change, so use the student FAQ from Immigration Service Delivery and its Third Level Graduate Programme page for the current numbers. For tuition by university and city, see Cost of Studying in Ireland, and for the step-by-step application, Ireland Student Visa: Requirements, Fees and Process.

To put your own budget together, try the Cost Calculator and the Education Loan EMI Calculator. If you're weighing up a loan, our page on education loans for studying abroad is a good place to start, and Top 10 Hidden Costs of Studying in the UK covers what tuition doesn't. For Ireland, Top 10 Hidden Costs of Studying in Ireland and Budget-Friendly Universities in Ireland do the same job.

How to decide, based on what matters most to you

If your primary constraint is cost... look at your total spend, not only tuition: proof of funds, health surcharge, living costs. Then be realistic about how many earning months you'll get. Start with the Cost Calculator and Top 5 Cheapest Universities in the UK. For Ireland, see Cost of Studying in Ireland and Budget-Friendly Universities in Ireland.

If your goal is permanent residency... be careful with both. Neither post-study visa is a settlement route by itself. In the UK, Graduate visa time doesn't count towards settlement on work routes and the English standard is going up. In Ireland, you go from Stamp 1G to an employment permit and build from there. Our post on New Zealand vs UK is worth reading before you decide.

If university ranking and starting salary are your top priorities... shortlist by your own profile first. The University Recommender is a decent starting point, and Best Universities in the UK for International Students goes deeper. For Ireland's tech and engineering route, see Top STEM Universities in Ireland.

If visa certainty and job market stability matter most to you... pay attention to dates. In the UK, it's whether you apply before or after 1 January 2027. In Ireland, it's the six-month window after your award notice and the expiry of your Stamp 2. Both are easy to miss, and our posts on UK Student Visa Made Simple, Top 10 UK Student Visa Mistakes and Ireland Student Visa: Requirements, Fees and Process cover the usual slips.

Questions we get asked