Can I work on a UK Graduate visa?
What the Graduate visa allows: any job at any skill level, self-employment, no sponsor; and what it does not: extension, most public funds, time towards settlement.
Reviewed 28 September 2026 · 1 min read
Short answer: Yes. The Graduate visa lets you work in any job at any skill level, for any employer, or be self-employed, with no sponsor needed. Time on it does not count towards settlement and it cannot be extended, so most graduates who stay switch to a Skilled Worker visa before it ends.
Allowed
- Work in any job, at any skill level, for any employer
- Run your own business or work freelance
- Volunteer
- Study, except on a course that would itself qualify for a Student visa
- Travel in and out of the UK
Not allowed
- Extending the visa
- Claiming most public funds
- Counting the time towards indefinite leave to remain
Right-to-work checks
Employers check your status online with a share code from your UKVI account. Generate a fresh code for each employer; codes last 90 days. The eVisa share code answer explains how.
Planning the switch
A Skilled Worker visa needs an employer with a sponsor licence and a job at RQF level 6 or above for most occupations, paid at least £41,700 a year in 2026 or the occupation's going rate. Start those conversations at least six months before the Graduate visa expires; a sponsor licence takes around eight weeks if the employer does not already hold one.
Sources
General information, not regulated immigration advice. Rules change; check the source before you act, and speak to an IAA-registered adviser about your case.