Post-Study Work Options: UK Graduate Visa, US OPT and Other Routes

Post-study work permission depends on the country, qualification and immigration rules. Compare what each route allows, when you must apply and what comes after it; do not treat temporary permission as permanent residence.

The 2026–27 numbers behind each route

The UK Graduate visa now has a dated change attached: applications from 1 January 2027 receive 18 months of permission instead of two years, with a £937 fee, while applicants who have completed a PhD keep the longer three-year grant. The fee today is £822 and the health surcharge is £1,035 per year, so the total cost of the visa changes with both the fee rise and the shorter duration. Maintenance rules also move at the same time, with published figures of £1,570 (London) and £1,203 (outside) per month for two months.

Comparisons only work when the units match. The United States grants OPT of twelve months, extended by a further 24 months for STEM degrees — up to three years in total. Canada's PGWP runs up to three years depending on programme length, and Australia's Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) grants two years for most higher-education graduates and three for doctoral graduates, with an age limit of 35. The chart below puts duration side by side; the table adds the money.

What the 18-month change does to planning

The 18-month UK grant changes three calculations at once. Employer sponsorship maths: eighteen months of unsponsored work is still a long trial period, but companies budgeting two years of visa-free time for a hire must now plan the Skilled Worker switch earlier, and that switch requires a sponsor licence and a salary meeting the going rate. Job-search pacing: a September 2027 master's graduate on the 18-month grant loses three months of runway relative to the old rule, which pushes the first job search into the autumn term rather than the spring. Cost totals: the 937-pound fee plus 1,035 pounds per year of IHS lands near 2,540 pounds for the shorter grant, close to the old two-year total of 2,892.

PhD graduates sit differently. Three years of permission survives the reform, which keeps the UK competitive for doctoral leavers against Canada's three-year PGWP and the STEM-extended American OPT. If your goal is settlement rather than work experience, compare time-to-settlement routes as well as the initial visa: five years of Skilled Worker residence, or ten on the Graduate route, decides which country is genuinely faster for you.

Compare permissions rather than informal names

'Post-study work' describes an intention, not one international visa category. The UK Graduate route, Canada's post-graduation work permit, Australia's Temporary Graduate visa and US Optional Practical Training have different eligibility rules and application processes. Avoid treating 'PSW' as an official name that means the same thing everywhere.

UK: the Graduate route

The UK route is available only after an eligible course and when the other application conditions are met. Under current guidance, non-doctoral applications made on or after 1 January 2027 receive 18 months, while doctoral qualifications have a three-year period. Check the application date and your qualification before planning around a duration.

The route does not guarantee a sponsored job or permanent residence. An applicant may need a different immigration route when the permission ends. Scholarship return-home conditions can also affect the plan.

United States: Optional Practical Training

OPT is connected to F-1 student status and practical training relevant to the degree. It involves eligibility, recommendations or authorisation and timing requirements. Ask the institution's designated school official to explain the process before accepting work or making travel arrangements.

An extension for a qualifying STEM degree has additional conditions. Do not assume that any technical course or research role qualifies, or that OPT guarantees a later employment visa.

Canada and Australia

Check whether the institution, programme, qualification and your individual circumstances satisfy the current requirements for the Canadian or Australian route. Rules can differ by degree and application circumstances. Use the government pages and the institution's international student advisers instead of relying on an older generic duration table.

Make a decision checklist

Record the eligible qualification, application window, work conditions, expected costs and the next possible immigration route. Also consider the labour market for your actual occupation and whether employers offer roles suitable for your experience. Temporary work permission is useful only when it fits a realistic plan for employment and finances.

Recheck the official rules close to graduation. Requirements in force when you begin a degree may not be the requirements that apply when you finish.

Plan around eligibility, not the route name

For each country, record the qualification and institution requirements, application timing, permitted work and any conditions on renewal or switching status. Keep a note of the official page and the date you checked it. If your degree or funding award has additional conditions, include those in the comparison. The purpose is to understand which options could apply to you after graduation, not to select a route from a headline. Avoid building your finances around future employment that you have not secured or immigration permission that has not been granted.

Compare routes at the point you would apply

Post-study work is an informal umbrella term, not one international visa category. A route's availability depends on the country, qualification, institution, previous immigration history and application timing. Read the official eligibility page for the route that would follow your exact course. Marketing language such as PSW available is not enough to establish individual eligibility.

For the UK, the published Graduate visa guidance distinguishes non-doctoral applications made by 31 December 2026 from those made on or after 1 January 2027: the stated periods are two years and eighteen months respectively. Doctoral qualifications have a three-year period under that guidance. These are application-date rules, not a promise made by a university at admission. Recheck them when preparing the later application.

A route comparison that avoids false equivalence

Do not use the table as an eligibility decision. It identifies the official starting point and the question that deserves closer reading. If you are considering a particular programme, ask its international office which official guidance applies, then verify the conditions with the relevant immigration authority.

Plan the transition rather than only the duration

A long permission period is useful only if you can apply for it and use it in a way that supports your plans. Check the deadline, required completion confirmation, location requirements and documents. Then think about realistic job-search needs: the occupation, language requirements, professional registration and employers that recruit in your field.

Keep a separate note about the next status after the temporary route. An employer sponsorship route, skilled migration programme or other residence category has its own eligibility conditions. Time spent studying or on a temporary graduate route should not automatically be counted towards a later permanent-residence requirement without checking the actual rules.

Does a university offer guarantee post-study permission?

No. Admission, course completion and a later immigration application are separate decisions. Check the course and route requirements independently before using post-study work in your financial or career plan.

What if the rules change before I graduate?

Use the current published rules to understand your options, but do not treat them as a guaranteed future outcome. Keep your course decision workable on academic and financial grounds, and review the relevant official route again near completion.

Separate permission from an employment plan

Before comparing route lengths, identify the type of work you hope to seek and the evidence employers request. Temporary work permission can remove one barrier while leaving skills, registration, language and recruitment timing unchanged. Build those preparation tasks into the course plan rather than postponing them until graduation. Do not treat a longer permission period as a salary estimate or a promise of sponsorship.

Questions applicants often ask

Is the UK Graduate visa really being cut to 18 months?

Yes — for applications from 1 January 2027 the standard grant is 18 months at a £937 fee, while applicants who have completed a PhD continue to receive three years. Applications submitted before that date still receive two years.

Which country gives the longest post-study work permission?

Canada's PGWP and a STEM-extended US OPT both reach 36 months, and UK PhD graduates keep 36 months. Taught-degree UK applicants move to 18 months from 1 January 2027, ahead of Australia's 24-month standard grant.

Official sources and further reading

Requirements and policies should be checked for your programme and application date.

• GOV.UK: Graduate visa
• US DHS: F-1 practical training overview
• Canada: post-graduation work permit eligibility
• Australia: Temporary Graduate visa, Post-Higher Education Work stream
• German government: prospects after graduation

Related guides

• UK Student Visa Finances, ATAS and the Graduate Route Explained
• UK Student Visa Application: CAS, Documents and Financial Evidence
• Staying After Graduation: Residence Pathways in Four Countries