Skilled Worker visa from outside the UK after your Graduate visa
Yes, you can apply for a Skilled Worker visa from outside the UK and keep the new-entrant rate: 70% of the job's standard going rate, at least £33,400. Your most recent UK visa, ignoring visit visas, must have been a Graduate visa or a Student visa at bachelor's level or above, and it must have expired less than 2 years before you apply. Your total stay on the rate, Graduate visa time included, cannot go over 4 years.
Can I still be a new entrant after leaving the UK?
GOV.UK lists five new-entrant conditions, and two of them are for people who studied in the UK (when you can be paid less). They cover people who are:
- on a Student visa studying at bachelor's degree level or above, "or you have been in the last 2 years, and a Student or visit visa was your most recent visa"
- on a Graduate visa, "or you have been in the last 2 years, and a Graduate or visit visa was your most recent visa"
Appendix Skilled Worker words the Graduate condition as: "the applicant's most recent permission (disregarding any permission as a visitor) was as a Graduate, and if that permission has expired, it must have expired less than 2 years before the date of application." The Student condition sets the same most-recent-permission and 2-year tests. It also requires that you were sponsored as a Student to study a UK bachelor's degree, a UK master's degree, a UK PhD or other doctoral qualification, a Postgraduate Certificate in Education or a Professional Graduate Diploma of Education, and that you completed the course (Appendix Skilled Worker, SW 12.2).
Reading the 2-year rule
- The 2 years run from the date your visa expired. The Rules count from expiry, not from the day you left the UK. While it is valid, a Graduate visa lets you "travel abroad and return to the UK" (Graduate visa).
- Your application date is the one that counts. The Rules measure the 2 years to "the date of application", not to your job offer or start date.
- Visit visas are the only ones the rules set aside. If your most recent UK visa, apart from a visit visa, is anything other than the Student or Graduate visa you are relying on, that condition does not apply.
If you are under 26 on the date you apply, you qualify through a separate condition. The 4-year cap below applies to that condition too.
Example: working out your deadline
Say your Graduate visa expired on 31 March 2026. It must have expired less than 2 years before you apply, so your application has to go in before 31 March 2028. Treating 30 March 2028 as your last day keeps you clear of the boundary.
Work back from that date. You can apply up to 3 months before your start date, and you must apply within 3 months of getting your certificate of sponsorship (Skilled Worker visa, your job). In this example you need the job offer and the certificate by 30 March 2028, with a start date no more than 3 months after you apply.
| Your situation on the date you apply | New-entrant rate through study |
|---|---|
| Graduate visa expired 20 months ago, only a visit visa since | Yes, if the 4-year cap allows |
| Student visa for a completed UK master's expired 18 months ago, no other visa since apart from a visit visa | Yes, if the 4-year cap allows |
| Graduate visa expired 2 years ago or more | No, but check the other new-entrant conditions, such as being under 26 |
| A UK visa since the Graduate visa, other than a visit visa | Not through the Graduate condition. If that later visa was a Student visa at bachelor's degree level or above, check the Student condition, or another condition such as being under 26 |
| You left while the Graduate visa was valid and it has not expired yet | Yes, if the 4-year cap allows, and your 2 years have not started |
The 4-year cap includes your Graduate visa
GOV.UK says: "Your total stay in the UK cannot be more than 4 years if you apply for one of these reasons. This includes any time you've already spent in the UK on a Graduate visa." The Immigration Rules say granting the application must not take your "combined permission as a Skilled Worker, Graduate and/or Tier 2 Migrant" (Tier 2 was the old name for the Skilled Worker route) over 4 years in total, "whether or not the permission is for a continuous period" (Appendix Skilled Worker, SW 12.3).
A Graduate visa lasts 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027, and 3 years if you have a PhD or other doctoral qualification (Graduate visa). The examples below assume you have no Skilled Worker or Tier 2 permission so far.
| Graduate visa you held | New-entrant time left, at most |
|---|---|
| 2 years | 2 years |
| 3 years, after a PhD | 1 year |
| 18 months, applied for on or after 1 January 2027 | 2 years 6 months |
The new-entrant rate cannot be used for a grant that would take you past the 4 years. The 18-month Graduate visa guide explains who gets 18 months.
The salary the job must pay you
The standard threshold is £41,700 or the job's standard going rate, whichever is higher. As a new entrant, you "can be paid 70% of your job's standard going rate if your salary will be at least £33,400 per year" (when you can be paid less).
You'll find going rates in the going rates table, updated 22 July 2025. Use the standard going rate column, which the table directs you to if you got your first certificate after 4 April 2024. The rates are based on a 37.5-hour week.
The Immigration Rules print the 70% figure for each code in Appendix Skilled Occupations, Table 1, and it can differ slightly from your own arithmetic. For 2134, 70% of £54,700 is £38,290, but Table 1 lists £38,300.
| Occupation code | Standard going rate | Standard threshold | New-entrant threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2134 Programmers and software development professionals | £54,700 | £54,700, higher than £41,700 | £38,300 (70% of £54,700, as Table 1 prints it) |
| 2136 IT quality and testing professionals | £41,200 | £41,700, higher than the going rate | £33,400, the floor, because 70% is £28,840 |
The occupation code must also be eligible. If GOV.UK lists it as higher skilled, you can apply. If it is listed as medium skilled and you are applying from outside the UK, the job has to be on the immigration salary list or the temporary shortage list (your job). The temporary shortage list only covers certificates of sponsorship issued before 31 December 2026 (Appendix Skilled Worker, SW 6.1A).
Work out the new-entrant salary for an occupation code, or read every new-entrant condition.
Apply for UK jobs from abroad: what the employer has to do
A sponsor licence. The Home Office register of licensed sponsors, updated on 14 September 2026, lists Worker and Temporary Worker sponsors and their ratings. A licence lets the employer sponsor workers, but it does not mean a particular role comes with sponsorship. Read how a sponsor licence differs from a sponsored job.
A certificate of sponsorship. The employer pays £525 when it assigns a certificate under a Worker licence. GOV.UK tells employers to pay the fee themselves and warns that their "licence may be revoked if you ask the sponsored worker to pay the fee or any costs linked to your application" (certificates of sponsorship).
The Immigration Skills Charge. The employer must pay it if you apply from outside the UK to work here for 6 months or more, and pays it when it assigns your certificate (Immigration Skills Charge):
- small or charitable sponsors: £480 for the first 12 months, then £240 for each further 6 months
- medium or large sponsors: £1,320 for the first 12 months, then £660 for each further 6 months
Nine occupation codes are exempt, all of them science, research or higher education teaching roles. Another exemption covers someone with current permission as a Student on the day the certificate is assigned, wherever they are. It does not cover Graduate permission or a Student visa that has already expired, so it rarely helps someone who has left the UK (guidance for sponsors, part 2, S5.11 to S5.13). GOV.UK tells employers to pay the charge themselves, with the same warning about licence revocation.
Example: a medium or large sponsor hiring you for 3 years pays £525 for the certificate and £3,960 in skills charge (£1,320 plus four 6-month periods at £660), £4,485 in total.
With costs like that, raise sponsorship early and tell the employer you are applying from outside the UK. Read how to raise sponsorship with an employer.
Applying for a Skilled Worker visa from outside the UK
GOV.UK says: "You must have a confirmed job offer before you apply for your visa." You also need the certificate of sponsorship, a job on the eligible occupations list, the minimum salary and English (Skilled Worker visa).
English. If you take an English test, you need at least B2 on the CEFR scale. A degree-level qualification that was taught in English and awarded by a UK institution is one of the listed ways to prove your English. The lower B1 level is for people who had a Skilled Worker visa before 8 January 2026 and are extending or updating it (knowledge of English).
Identity and decision. You scan your identity document with the UK Immigration: ID Check app, or you give your fingerprints and photo at a visa application centre. From outside the UK you'll usually get a decision within 3 weeks, though it can take longer, for example if you need to attend an interview (apply from outside the UK).
| Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee, up to 3 years | £819 per person |
| Application fee, more than 3 years | £1,618 per person |
| Application fee, job on the immigration salary list | £628 up to 3 years, £1,235 more than 3 years |
| Immigration health surcharge | Usually £1,035 per year |
| Savings | £1,270 held for 28 days in a row, with day 28 within 31 days of applying, unless your certificate of sponsorship confirms your employer will cover your costs for your first month, up to £1,270 |
The figures come from how much it costs. GOV.UK lists the papers to prepare under documents you'll need to apply. Every Skilled Worker fee in one place, with who pays each one, is on the calculator.
Tuberculosis test. You need a TB test certificate if you are coming to the UK for 6 months or more, have lived in a listed country, such as India, for 6 months or more, and were living there within the last 6 months. The test has to be done at an approved clinic (TB tests for visa applicants).
Graduate visa and leaving the UK: what you cannot do
While your Graduate visa is valid, you can travel abroad and come back. Under the Rules, your 2-year window runs from when the visa expires, whatever date you leave. You cannot:
- Extend it. GOV.UK says you may be able to switch to another visa, such as Skilled Worker, instead (Graduate visa).
- Get a new one from abroad. "You must be in the UK when you apply", and your current visa must be a Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa (Graduate visa).
To find a sponsored role, read getting a UK sponsored job after graduating.
Check a job before you apply
JLocate checks a UK job you paste in against your situation: the occupation code, the salary threshold that applies to you and what the ad says about sponsorship, and it lists what to confirm, including the employer's licence. If you are a returner, the dashboard counts down your 2-year window. The visa route answer is one of four statuses, never a percentage.
The 26 vacancies inside the app are fictional demo data. A vacancy you paste has its employer looked up on a copy of the Home Office register of licensed sponsors, taken when the site was last built, so confirm the current entry on GOV.UK. The rules and thresholds are real GOV.UK figures, checked on 15 September 2026, and Sources lists each one with its date.
This guide is general information and does not count as legal advice. For advice on your own case, speak to an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority, or a solicitor.
Questions people ask
Can I still be a new entrant after leaving the UK?
Yes, if your Graduate visa, or your Student visa at UK bachelor's degree level or above, expired less than 2 years before the date you apply, and the 4-year cap still has room. Apart from visit visas, you must not have held another UK visa since.
Can I apply for a Skilled Worker visa from outside the UK after my Graduate visa expired?
Yes. You need a confirmed job offer and a certificate of sponsorship before you apply. To keep the new-entrant rate, apply less than 2 years after your Graduate visa expired, with no UK visa since apart from a visit visa.
Does visiting the UK break or restart the two-year window?
Neither. The Rules disregard permission as a visitor, so your 2 years still run from the date your Student or Graduate visa expired.
Do I need an English test if I studied in the UK?
Usually not. GOV.UK accepts a degree-level qualification taught in English and awarded by a UK institution as proof of your English, instead of a test.
How long can I stay on the new-entrant rate?
The Rules cap your combined Graduate, Skilled Worker and Tier 2 permission at 4 years when you use the new-entrant rate. After a 2-year Graduate visa, you have up to 2 years left.
Choose 'Left the UK after a Student or Graduate visa', then add which visa it was and the date it expired. JLocate uses the new-entrant rate in its checks while your 2-year window is open.
Check a job as a returner →Related
Sources
Checked against these pages on . Immigration rules change; the official page wins if it disagrees with this guide.
- Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors, part 2 (GOV.UK)
- GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, when you can be paid less
- GOV.UK: Immigration Rules, Appendix Skilled Worker
- GOV.UK: Immigration Rules, Appendix Skilled Occupations
- GOV.UK: Graduate visa
- GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa
- GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, your job
- GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa going rates for eligible occupation codes (updated 22 July 2025)
- GOV.UK: Register of licensed sponsors, workers (updated 14 September 2026)
- GOV.UK: UK visa sponsorship for employers, certificates of sponsorship
- GOV.UK: UK visa sponsorship for employers, Immigration Skills Charge
- GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, knowledge of English
- GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, apply from outside the UK
- GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, how much it costs
- GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa, documents you'll need to apply