UK Graduate Visa Drops to 18 Months: Pakistani Students Must Apply by 31 December

Apply for your UK Graduate visa on or before 31 December 2026 and you get 2 years. Apply on or after 1 January 2027 and you get 18 months. PhD graduates keep 3 years either way. We read this on the UK government's Graduate visa page on 27 September 2026.

For a Pakistani student in Manchester or Glasgow right now, that is six months of work time decided by a date. The UK Graduate visa is the permission to stay and work after a UK degree, with no job offer needed. The cut is already law. It was made in the Statement of Changes HC 1333, laid on 14 October 2025, which says the 18 months applies to applications submitted on or after 1 January 2027.

The date you apply decides your Graduate visa length

The UK Graduate visa length depends only on the date you submit the application. On or before 31 December 2026 gives 2 years. On or after 1 January 2027 gives 18 months. A PhD or other doctorate gives 3 years on any date.

It does not matter when you started your course or when you graduate. What matters is the day you press submit. And you can only submit once two things are true: your university has told the Home Office you completed the course, and your Student visa has not expired.

You do not have to wait for the graduation ceremony or the certificate. Gov.uk says so plainly. That is the one lever you have, so push your university to report your completion early.

Who can still get 2 years, and who cannot

Students who finish their course in 2026 and apply by 31 December 2026 can still get 2 years. Anyone starting a one-year master's in September 2026 will finish in 2027, so they will get 18 months. PhD students get 3 years regardless.

The middle rows are the tight ones. A September 2025 master's usually ends with a dissertation in late summer, and marks can take weeks. If your university reports completion in December, you have days, not weeks. Ask your international student office now when they will report.

What the Graduate visa costs from gov.uk

A Graduate visa costs a £937 application fee plus the Immigration Health Surcharge. The surcharge is £1,152.50 for 18 months, £2,070 for 2 years and £3,105 for 3 years. So the full cost is £2,089.50 for 18 months and £3,007 for 2 years.

The surcharge, called IHS, pays for NHS healthcare during your stay. For the Graduate visa it is charged at £1,035 a year. The fee and surcharge are paid online when you apply. Your partner and children, if they are already your dependants, pay their own fee and surcharge.

The 2-year visa costs £917.50 more than 18 months. For six extra months of work rights, we think that is money well spent.

Starting a UK degree in 2026 costs more than the visa fee

A Student visa from Pakistan costs £558, plus IHS at £776 a year. You must also show living money of £1,529 a month in London or £1,171 outside London, for up to 9 months, held for 28 days in a row.

That living money is the big number. Nine months at the London rate is £13,761. Outside London it is £10,539. The gov.uk money rules say the 28-day period must end within 31 days of your application. Pakistan is not on the list of countries excused from showing these funds, so Pakistani applicants should expect to prove them.

The IHS depends on the length of the visa you get, not the course. A visa over one year and up to 18 months is charged at one and a half years, which is £1,164 at the student rate. You also need the course fee for the first year, as shown on your CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies), the reference number your university sends.

Family and English rules for Pakistani students

Most taught master's students cannot bring a partner or children if the course started on or after 1 January 2024. Dependants are allowed for PhD and research degrees, and for government-sponsored students on courses over 6 months. Degree courses need English at level B2.

One correction to a claim we saw repeated. The rise to B2 English on 8 January 2026 was for the Skilled Worker, High Potential Individual and Scale-up work visas, according to the HC 1333 explanatory memorandum. It was not a new Student visa rule. For degree-level study, gov.uk sets B2 already, and your university can assess it itself.

The work-visa change still matters to you later. If you plan to move from the Graduate visa to a Skilled Worker visa, B2 English is now the level for new applicants on that route.

Five steps to keep the 2-year Graduate visa

If you finish in 2026, get your completion reported early, keep your Student visa valid, and submit before 31 December 2026. Do not travel outside the UK while the application is pending, or it will be withdrawn.

1. Ask your university when it will report your course completion to the Home Office.
2. Check your Student visa expiry. You must apply before it ends, from inside the UK.
3. Find your CAS number from your Student visa application. You need it on the form.
4. Apply online and pay £937 plus the IHS. Prove your identity with the ID Check app or at a service point.
5. Stay in the UK until the decision, which usually takes 8 weeks.

Your passport must be valid too. If yours is an old machine-readable one, note that MRP passports end on 15 October 2026, so renew early if your visa application is coming up.

Funding still changes the picture most. Fully funded places such as the Chevening Scholarship and the Commonwealth Scholarship through HEC cover fees and living costs, but many carry a duty to return to Pakistan, so check it before counting on a Graduate visa. Students comparing destinations should also note that Australia will stop most new students bringing family.

Common questions

Is the UK Graduate visa now 18 months?

Only for applications made on or after 1 January 2027. Applications made on or before 31 December 2026 still get 2 years, and PhD graduates get 3 years.

Can I apply for the Graduate visa before my graduation ceremony?

Yes. You can apply once your university has told the Home Office you completed the course, even without a certificate.

How much does the UK Graduate visa cost in total?

£2,089.50 for 18 months and £3,007 for 2 years, counting the £937 fee and the health surcharge.

Can I bring my wife on a UK master's Student visa?

Usually not. Since 1 January 2024, only PhD or research students and government-sponsored students can bring dependants.

Can I extend a Graduate visa?

No. It cannot be extended, but you may switch to another visa such as the Skilled Worker visa.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 27 September 2026. The Graduate visa lengths, the £937 fee, the IHS amounts of £1,152.50, £2,070 and £3,105, the 8-week decision time and the rule that the visa cannot be extended are from the gov.uk Graduate visa pages. The Student visa fee of £558, the living money of £1,529 and £1,171, the 28-day rule, the dependant rules and the B2 level for degree courses are from the gov.uk Student visa pages. The IHS rate of £776 for students is from the gov.uk health surcharge page. The 1 January 2027 start and the 8 January 2026 English change for work visas are from the explanatory memorandum to HC 1333. Totals are our own arithmetic.