Overview
Workers on a Graduate visa can switch to the Skilled Worker route from within the UK, provided they meet the relevant requirements. This is one of the most common sponsorship routes for care sector workers who completed their studies in the UK.
"PSW" is the Graduate visa
Employers and workers sometimes refer to the Graduate route as the "PSW" or "Post-Study Work" visa. There is no separate route currently called PSW: the Graduate visa is the current name and the rules in this article apply to both terms. If a worker tells you they are on a PSW visa, treat the conversation as a Graduate route switch.
The three-month employment requirement for care roles
For workers switching into SOC 6135 or 6136 (care worker roles), the worker must have been employed by the sponsoring employer for a minimum of three months before the visa application can be submitted. This evidence is assessed by the Home Office and must be supported through payslips, an employment contract, and confirmation of hours worked.
The displaced worker route (Regional Care Partnership)
Since the July 2024 rule changes, an alternative to the three-month employment rule is available where you are hiring from a local displaced worker pool through the Regional Care Partnership (RCP). In that case, the Home Office may ask for evidence of the displacement at the application stage. Acceptable evidence includes documents or emails showing you contacted the RCP and successfully hired through that channel. Workers who do not meet either the three-month employment route or the displaced worker route cannot be sponsored under 6135 or 6136 at this time.
HC 997 transitional exemption (July 2025)
A narrow transitional exemption from the three-month rule was introduced in HC 997, the statement of changes laid on 22 July 2025. It can apply to some workers who already held Skilled Worker leave before that date and are switching their sponsorship into 6135 or 6136. The scope is case-specific. Where there is any doubt, do not assign a CoS until the worker has completed three months of employment, or take independent immigration advice on whether the exemption applies in your case before assigning the CoS.
Other Skilled Worker roles
For roles outside SOC 6135 and 6136, there is no mandatory three-month employment requirement when switching immigration categories.
Salary requirements
Workers switching from a Graduate visa must meet the current minimum salary requirements for their occupation code. For SOC 6135 and 6136, the minimum is £12.82 per hour, with a minimum annual salary of £25,000. Both the hourly and annual thresholds must be met.
New entrant salary rate
Workers may qualify for a reduced new entrant salary rate if they are under 26, in the first three years of their post-doctoral career, or if their first Skilled Worker CoS was assigned on or before 4 April 2024. The new entrant rate for most care roles is £17.13 per hour.
Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)
Workers switching from a Graduate visa may be exempt from paying the IHS if they are switching within five years of their initial student visa. However, IHS exemption eligibility should be confirmed on a case-by-case basis before submission.
Dependants for care workers switching post-March 2024
Workers switching into SOC 6135 or 6136 after 11 March 2024 cannot bring dependants unless transitional protections apply. See the dependants article for full details.
Government guidance: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa
Government guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-rules-statement-of-changes
Immigration Skills Charge (ISC) exemption
The Immigration Skills Charge exemption only applies to workers who hold a Student visa when the CoS is assigned. A Graduate visa is not a study visa, so the ISC is payable when sponsoring a Graduate visa holder: £480 per year for small or charitable sponsors and £1,320 per year for medium or large sponsors. It is paid by the sponsor and cannot be recovered from the individual. This exemption applies to the switch itself. If you later assign a fresh Certificate of Sponsorship to the same worker for a different reason, check whether the charge applies at that point. The IHS exemption described above and this ISC exemption are separate, so confirm each one individually for your worker's circumstances.
How long you can use the new entrant rate
The reduced new entrant salary can be used for a maximum of 4 years in total. All permission previously granted on the Graduate, Skilled Worker and Tier 2 (General) routes counts towards the 4 years, whether or not it was continuous. Time on a Graduate visa is deducted, so someone who has held a 2 year Graduate visa usually has 2 years of new entrant time left.
The Home Office grants the visa for up to 14 days beyond the CoS end date and the whole grant must fit inside the 4 years, so set the CoS end date with that in mind. For example, a Graduate visa that started on 22 November 2024 leaves new entrant time for a CoS running from 23 November 2026 to 8 November 2028.
The cap only matters if you rely on the reduced rate. If the salary meets the standard going rate and the general threshold you can sponsor for longer, and the platform warning about the new entrant rate can be ignored.
You use an undefined CoS from your annual allocation; there is no separate CoS for Graduate visa holders. A CoS is deducted from your allocation when it is assigned, and its start date cannot be more than 3 months after the assignment date. It does not need to match the Graduate visa expiry date because the individual can switch before their Graduate visa ends.
Government guidance: https://www.gov.uk/uk-visa-sponsorship-employers/immigration-skills-charge