@studyworkuk: 🇬🇧 When to apply for UK jobs if you want to switch to a work visa Start applying BEFORE you need sponsorship. A good timeline is: 6–9 months before your visa expires → Start seriously targeting sponsor employers and eligible roles. 4–6 months before expiry → You should ideally be interviewing, networking and getting applications out consistently. 3–4 months before expiry → If you’ve received an offer, push the employer to confirm sponsorship and get the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) process moving. Before your current visa expires → You need to submit your Skilled Worker application while you’re still eligible to switch. You cannot simply wait until your Graduate visa expires and assume you can switch afterwards. The important bit people misunderstand You don’t need to wait until your Graduate visa is about to expire to get sponsored. You can get a qualifying job and switch earlier. And if you’re currently on a Graduate visa, you can work while searching for the right sponsored role. The Graduate route itself is not extendable, but you can switch to another route such as Skilled Worker if you meet the requirements. Also, if you’re applying for the Graduate visa in 2026, timing matters: applications made on or before 31 December 2026 receive a 2-year Graduate visa; applications from 1 January 2027 receive 18 months, except PhD graduates who continue to receive 3 years. And don’t just look for “visa sponsorship” Your target needs to satisfy four things: Employer → approved sponsor Job → eligible occupation Salary → meets the applicable threshold/going rate You → meet the Skilled Worker requirements The usual Skilled Worker salary threshold is currently £41,700 or the going rate for the occupation, whichever is higher, although there are important lower-salary provisions for certain applicants, including some recent graduates/new entrants and specific healthcare/education roles. My rule for international graduates: Don’t start the job search when your visa is expiring. Start when you still have enough time to: apply → interview → get rejected → adjust → apply again → interview → negotiate sponsorship → receive CoS → submit your visa application. That’s why I would tell an international MSc student: Your visa expiry date isn’t your job-search start date. It’s your deadline. 🇬🇧

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Sunday 30 August 2026 00:37:28 GMT