<p>The Graduate Route is a post-study work stream introduced by the Home Office on 1 July 2021. It permits international students who have completed a UK degree at bachelor’s level or above to remain in the UK and work, or look for work, for up to two years, or three years for doctoral graduates. In the 2023 calendar year, the route recorded 114,405 main applicant grants, according to the Home Office’s quarterly immigration statistics.</p> <h2 id="application-volumes-and-uptake-20212026">Application Volumes and Uptake 2021–2026</h2> <p>The Graduate Route has become one of the most heavily used post-study immigration pathways in the UK. Data from the Home Office’s immigration system statistics show a steep upward trajectory since launch:</p> <table><thead><tr><th>Period</th><th>Main Applicant Grants</th><th>Dependant Grants</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>2021 (Jul–Dec)</td><td>22,000</td><td>2,500</td></tr><tr><td>2022 (full year)</td><td>72,005</td><td>15,300</td></tr><tr><td>2023 (full year)</td><td>114,405</td><td>25,600</td></tr><tr><td>Q1 2026 (provisional)</td><td>35,500</td><td>7,800</td></tr></tbody></table> <p>The 2023 total represented a 59% year-on-year increase in main applicant grants. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, nearly a third of the entire 2023 grant volume was reached, indicating that demand has yet to plateau.</p> <p>Nationality distributions are heavily concentrated. India remained the single largest source country, accounting for approximately 42% of all main applicant grants in 2023 (48,500 grants). Chinese nationals made up 12% (13,500 grants), followed by Nigeria at 10% (11,000), Pakistan at 5% (5,500) and Bangladesh at 3% (3,500). These five nationalities together represented over 70% of total Graduate Route grants, a concentration that has drawn scrutiny from policymakers but was not found to indicate abuse by the Migration Advisory Committee’s rapid review.</p> <p>Dependant figures, while smaller, have risen considerably. The 25,600 dependant grants recorded in 2023 were more than ten times the number seen in the route’s first six months of operation. This growth prompted the Home Office to tighten student dependant rules for courses starting from January 2026; however, principal applicants on the Graduate Route itself have not been subject to a dependant ban.</p> <h2 id="approval-rates-and-processing">Approval Rates and Processing</h2> <p>Approval rates for the Graduate Route have been consistently high, because the criteria are tightly drawn: applicants must hold a valid Student or Tier 4 visa, have successfully completed their course, and have no outstanding unspent criminal convictions. According to UKVI transparency data compiled in the quarterly migration statistics, the grant rate in 2023 stood at 99.4%, with a refusal rate of just 0.6%. Administrative rejections (for example, invalid applications) are excluded from this calculation, but even when they are included, the overall success rate remains above 98%.</p> <p>Processing times are similarly stable. Home Office service standards show that in the year to March 2026, 97% of Graduate Route applications were decided within eight weeks. The median processing time was ten working days. The route does not require a Certificate of Sponsorship, an Immigration Skills Charge, or a minimum salary threshold at application stage, which simplifies both the applicant and caseworker workflows and contributes to the low refusal rate.</p> <h2 id="employment-outcomes-by-sector">Employment Outcomes by Sector</h2> <p>Detailed sector-level employment data for Graduate Route holders comes primarily from the Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) rapid review published in May 2026. MAC linked Home Office administrative data to HMRC’s Real Time Information on PAYE earnings for the 2021 cohort and conducted a large-scale employer survey. The analysis revealed that 82% of Graduate Route holders who were in employment at the time of the review were working in the ten broad industry groups shown below. The top five sectors accounted for 68% of all employment:</p> <ol> <li><strong>Health and social care</strong> – 18%</li> <li><strong>Professional, scientific and technical activities</strong> – 17%</li> <li><strong>Education</strong> – 12%</li> <li><strong>Information and communication</strong> – 11%</li> <li><strong>Accommodation and food service activities</strong> – 10%</li> </ol> <p>Other notable sectors included retail and wholesale (7%), financial and insurance activities (6%), manufacturing (5%), and administrative and support services (4%). The “professional, scientific and technical” category encompasses legal, accounting, management consultancy and engineering firms, aligning with the subject backgrounds of many international graduates. Health and social care’s top position reflects the NHS and private care providers’ reliance on international talent, though some roles in this sector fall below the graduate-level threshold.</p> <p>The MAC employer survey also indicated that 72% of employing organisations considered Graduate Route holders to be performing at or above the level expected for a graduate role, and 58% said they had used the route as a pipeline to sponsor the same individual under the Skilled Worker route subsequently.</p> <h2 id="earnings-sponsored-vs-non-sponsored-graduates">Earnings: Sponsored vs Non-Sponsored Graduates</h2> <p>Earnings data provide one of the clearest measures of the economic value attached to the Graduate Route. According to the MAC rapid review, the median annual earnings of Graduate Route holders in employment for the tax year 2022/23 was £22,200. This figure covers all those in PAYE employment, whether working part-time or full-time, and includes individuals in sectors such as hospitality and retail.</p> <p>By contrast, those who had switched from the Graduate Route to a Skilled Worker visa had a median annual earning of £31,200 in the year following the switch. The £9,000 premium (approximately 40%) partly reflects the requirement that Skilled Worker applicants be sponsored for roles meeting a minimum salary threshold, which in 2023 was typically £26,200 for new entrants. The gap also underscores the tendency of employers to use the Graduate Route as a probationary period before committing to sponsorship, with salaries rising once permanent employment is formalised.</p> <p>A breakdown by sector shows the variance more sharply. In finance and insurance, Graduate Route holders earned a median of £27,500, while Skilled Worker switchers in the same sector earned £35,000. In information and communication, the comparable medians were £26,000 and £33,500. In contrast, the gap in accommodation and food services was narrower, with both groups earning medians just above £20,000.</p> <h2 id="transition-to-skilled-worker-and-other-work-routes">Transition to Skilled Worker and Other Work Routes</h2> <p>The MAC review analysed the 2021 cohort of Graduate Route grant recipients and tracked their immigration status up to November 2023, a period of roughly 24 months from first grant. The headline figure was that <strong>39%</strong> of that cohort had switched to another visa route within the two-year window. Of</p>