Countries / United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Graduate visa: find employers who can sponsor.
Your Graduate visa lets you work now. To stay, you’ll need a licensed sponsor. Here’s how to find them before you apply.
The route after study
- The Graduate visa lets you work in almost any job without a sponsor.
- To stay longer, most people move to a Skilled Worker visa. That needs an employer holding a sponsor licence, and a job that meets the skill and salary rules.
- The general salary minimum is £41,700, or £33,400 for new entrants. Check the current figures on GOV.UK.
Your clock
- The Graduate visa lasts 2 years, or 18 months if you apply from 1 January 2027.
- Your end date is on your visa (eVisa).
- Many people start looking for a sponsoring employer early, because switching takes time.
The question that trips people up
- UK forms often ask two separate things: “Do you have the right to work in the UK?” and “Will you need sponsorship?”
- On a Graduate visa, the honest answers are usually Yes (right to work now) and Yes (sponsorship later, if you want to stay).
- Hiding the second one tends to come out later, and some offers are withdrawn over it.
- Coming soon Set both answers once and Knock fills them the same way every time.
What Knock checks here
- Each UK job shows whether the employer is on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors, with the date of the register used.
- No badge means we don’t know, not that they can’t sponsor.
Language reality
- English. Some UK hiring managers say they filter visa applicants before reading CVs, so aim at licensed sponsors first.
Scams to avoid
- Never pay for a job, a “guaranteed sponsorship” offer or a Certificate of Sponsorship.
- A licensed sponsor isn’t allowed to pass its sponsorship costs on to you.
- Check the employer is on the sponsor register yourself before you pay or sign anything.
- If an offer comes with a fee, walk away.
Official links
Rules as checked on 16 October 2026. Not legal or immigration advice. Confirm with your university’s international student advice team.
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