UK Graduate Visa Calculator: Length, Fee and IHS

What the Graduate visa costs

You pay the application fee and the whole health surcharge when you apply, so the money has to be ready before your results land.

Visa length	Who gets it	Fee	Surcharge	Total	Roughly in INR, at ₹128
2 years	Bachelor’s or master’s, applying by 31 December 2026	£937	£2,070	£3,007	₹3.85 lakh
18 months	Bachelor’s or master’s, applying from 1 January 2027	£937	£1,552.50	£2,489.50	₹3.19 lakh
3 years	PhD or other doctorate, any date	£937	£3,105	£4,042	₹5.17 lakh

Six more months for £517.50 is the cheapest work time you will ever buy in the UK. At ₹128 to the pound, that is about ₹66,000 for half a year of unsponsored work rights.

How to make the 31 December deadline

What counts is the date you apply. You cannot apply until your university has told the Home Office you completed your course, though you do not need to wait for your graduation or certificate.

• Ask your university now when it will report your completion, and get the date in writing.
• Stay in the UK. You must be in the UK when you apply, and leaving the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man before a decision withdraws your application.
• Apply before your Student visa expires. If it runs out first, you cannot apply at all.
• Have the money ready. Decisions usually take up to 8 weeks, but the 2 year length depends on your application date, not your decision date.

Faz's rule

If your results come out in December, do not book a flight home until you have applied.

A trip home over Christmas is the most expensive holiday you could take this year. You have to be in the UK to apply, so if your university reports your completion while you are in India, you may come back in January and lose six months of work rights. Book your flight for after you have applied, and remember that leaving before a decision withdraws your application.

What the visa does not do

You cannot extend a Graduate visa. To stay longer you need to switch to another visa, usually Skilled Worker, which needs a sponsoring employer and a qualifying salary. Family members can only come with you if they were already dependants on your Student visa, and most taught master’s students have not been allowed dependants since January 2024. A child born in the UK during your stay can still apply.

Our Graduate Route guide explains the salary needed to stay on afterwards, and is studying in the UK worth it runs the payback maths. To budget for the Student visa first, use the UK student visa and IHS calculator. The post study work guide compares every main country, and the 485 visa calculator does the same job for Australia.

Questions people ask

How much does a UK Graduate visa cost in 2026?

£937 for the application plus the health surcharge. That comes to £3,007 for a 2 year visa, £2,489.50 for 18 months and £4,042 for a PhD graduate’s 3 years.

Is the UK Graduate visa 18 months or 2 years?

It depends on when you apply. Bachelor’s and master’s graduates get 2 years if they apply on or before 31 December 2026, and 18 months on or after 1 January 2027. PhD graduates get 3 years.

What is the IHS for a Graduate visa?

GOV.UK says it is usually £1,035 for each year, so £1,552.50 for 18 months, £2,070 for 2 years and £3,105 for 3 years. You pay it in one go when you apply.

Can I apply for a Graduate visa from India?

No. You must be in the UK when you apply, on your Student visa, and you must stay until you get a decision. Leaving the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man withdraws the application.

Can I extend a Graduate visa?

No. You may be able to switch to another visa, such as Skilled Worker, before it ends.

Where these rules come from

• GOV.UK, Graduate visa overview
• GOV.UK, Graduate visa eligibility
• GOV.UK, Graduate visa costs
• GOV.UK, applying for a Graduate visa
• GOV.UK, your partner and children
• GOV.UK, how much the healthcare surcharge costs

Checked in November 2026. UK visa fees usually change in April; the amount shown when you apply is what you pay.