From Student Visa to Skilled Worker: Does Your Time in the UK Count?
Switching from a Student visa to a Skilled Worker visa is common — here's how your time on each route affects your route to ILR.
Thousands of international students each year graduate from UK universities and move on to working in the country. If that’s your plan, you’ll want to understand how your different visa periods affect your eventual settlement.
Student visa time doesn’t count toward the 5-year Skilled Worker ILR
This is the key point: time spent on a Student visa does not count toward the 5-year qualifying period for ILR on the Skilled Worker route. Your qualifying period starts when your Skilled Worker visa begins.
So if you studied for 3 years and then switched to a Skilled Worker visa, you’ll still need another 5 years on the Skilled Worker visa before you can apply for ILR.
The Graduate visa
After graduating, you may be eligible for the Graduate visa, which lets you stay for 2 years (3 if you have a PhD) without a job sponsor. Graduate visa time also does not count toward the 5-year Skilled Worker ILR qualifying period.
However, it’s a valuable bridge — giving you time to find a sponsored role without pressure.
What about the 10-year long residence route?
Time on a Student visa does count toward the 10-year long residence route to ILR. This is a useful backup option if your career has involved multiple visa types.
Absence rules during student years
Student visa holders don’t face the same 180-day rolling rule. However, if you plan to rely on the 10-year long residence route, you should track your student-era absences too — the 184-day/548-day limits apply.
Absences while on the Graduate visa
The Graduate visa is flexible — there are no strict absence limits while you’re on it. But again, if you’re planning for long residence eventually, keep a record.
Tips for the transition
- Start tracking from your Student visa — even if not strictly required, it future-proofs your records
- Apply for Skilled Worker before your Student visa expires to avoid gaps
- Keep all graduation and visa correspondence — it’s needed for later applications
- Know your qualifying dates — the clock for your Skilled Worker ILR starts the day your Skilled Worker visa begins
Use awayfrom.uk from day one
awayfrom.uk supports tracking across multiple visa periods. You can log your student-era trips and seamlessly continue tracking under your Skilled Worker visa.