Can I switch from the Graduate Route to a Skilled Worker visa?

Switching into the Skilled Worker route from within the UK is the standard next step for Graduate Route holders, and it is well worn — but the timing matters more than most people realise, because the Graduate Route is a one-time grant that cannot be extended or repeated.

What you need in place

• A job offer from an employer holding a valid Skilled Worker sponsor licence, who issues you a Certificate of Sponsorship.
• A role in an eligible occupation code at or above RQF level 3.
• Pay of at least £41,700 a year, or the going rate for the occupation if that is higher. New entrant rates — 70% of the going rate or £33,400, whichever is higher — will often apply to someone moving straight off the Graduate Route.
• An application submitted before your Graduate leave expires. Once it lapses there is nothing to switch from.

The settlement trap to plan around

Time on the Graduate Route does not automatically count towards the five-year qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain. In limited circumstances Graduate time immediately preceding a switch can count, but it is a technical area and you should not assume it — treat your five-year ILR clock as starting when the Skilled Worker leave begins, and take regulated advice if the point is material to you.

That is the real reason to use the Graduate years deliberately. The route is unusually flexible in the meantime: any employer, any job, no minimum salary, self-employment permitted, and dependants who were on your Student visa can accompany you. Most people use two years (three after a doctorate) to build UK experience and earnings until a sponsored role at the threshold is realistic.

If a sponsored role does not materialise, the Graduate Route is not the only door. The Global Talent visa suits those endorsed as leaders or potential leaders in science, engineering, humanities, medicine, the arts or digital technology; the Innovator Founder route suits an endorsed, scalable business idea; and the family route applies if you have a qualifying relationship with a British or settled partner. Work out which is realistic well before your leave runs down — our immigration route wizard is a useful starting point.