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O2 Outreach line, stop 2 of 4

Explain the Graduate visa in one short message

Say what your visa lets you do, until which month, and when sponsorship would start. Nothing more.

Checked against gov.uk, 7 October 2026

Fill these in once. Every script fills in as you type.

Your name, course and role are kept on this device only. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Explain the Graduate visa

Channel

Subject: My visa, in brief

Hi [contact name],

A short note on my visa for the [target role] role. I hold a Graduate visa. It lets me work in the UK in most jobs, with no sponsorship needed, until [month and year]. To stay after that I would need Skilled Worker sponsorship, which [employer] would apply for nearer the time.

Happy to answer any questions,
[your name]

Hi [contact name], on my visa: I hold a Graduate visa, so I can work in most jobs with no sponsorship until [month and year]. After that I would need Skilled Worker sponsorship. Glad to share the dates if that helps with the [target role] role. [your name]

When to send
When a recruiter asks about your visa.
If they say no
Ask which part is unclear, and offer a short call with your visa dates in front of you.

Give the recruiter three facts, in this order

A recruiter does not need the rules. They need to know whether you can start, how long that holds, and when a sponsorship decision would fall. Put those three facts in one message and stop there.

Copy your end month from your own visa, never from a rule of thumb. For applications made on or before 31 December 2026, the Graduate visa lasts 2 years. Scheduled From 1 January 2027, new applications get 18 months. After a PhD it lasts 3 years.

The message, in three lines

  1. I can work for you now, with no sponsorship.
  2. That holds until the month and year on my visa.
  3. From then I would need Skilled Worker sponsorship.

Answer the next questions in one line each

These are the questions a recruiter asks next. Keep each answer short and true, and send the source if they want it.

"Can you extend the visa?"
No, and say so. Then give the next step from gov.uk: The Graduate visa cannot be extended. Holders may switch to a Skilled Worker visa from inside the UK and may qualify for the new-entrant rate.
"Will sponsoring you later cost us a higher salary?"
Not always. Graduate visa holders count as new entrants, so a lower salary rate can apply. Read your offer against both lines with the salary rule.
"When would you need us to sponsor you?"
Give the month and year your visa ends, and say the application would be made before then. The timing planner turns that month into dated steps.
"What would sponsoring you involve for us?"
A licence, a Certificate of Sponsorship and charges the employer pays itself. Send the business case card rather than explaining it on the call.

Attach a note for the employer if they want one

Some recruiters want a page they can forward to HR. Do not write one yourself. ukvisasponsorguide.com keeps a one-page note for employers on hiring someone on a Graduate visa: find it there and attach it to your message.

If they still say no, thank them and ask whether another team sponsors. The Plan B branches cover what to do next, and the recruiter script covers how to ask in the first place.

Who counts as a new entrant

Any one of: under 26 on the date of application; on a Student visa at bachelor’s degree level or above (or in the last 2 years, with a Student or visit visa as the most recent visa); on a Graduate visa (or in the last 2 years, with a Graduate or visit visa as the most recent visa); working towards a recognised qualification in a UK regulated profession; working towards full registration or chartered status; a postdoctoral position in listed science or higher education codes.

Checkpoint

Flip each switch when it is done. They stay set on this device only.

Before you ask

Should I mention my visa before they ask?

You may put one line in a cover letter or supporting statement, as careers services suggest. Keep the full explanation for when a recruiter asks.

Do I give my exact end date?

Give the month and year. It is precise enough for planning, and it is the date the recruiter will work back from.

What if I have not applied for the Graduate visa yet?

Say so, and say which month you expect it to end. Never describe a visa you do not hold yet as one you have.

Every other card is in the script library.

A steel escalator runs between brushed metal walls to a tiled, lit landing under a curved ceiling.
Embankment station, escalator and corridor, London.Call Me Fred, Unsplash Licence.

Sources

  1. Immigration Rules, Appendix Graduate, GR 8.1 (as substituted by HC 1333, APP GR3) (opens gov.uk)
    "2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026"
    Checked 7 October 2026
  2. Immigration Rules, Appendix Graduate, GR 8.1, substituted by Statement of Changes HC 1333 (APP GR3), in force 11 November 2025 (opens gov.uk)
    "18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027"
    Checked 7 October 2026
  3. Immigration Rules, Appendix Graduate, GR 8.1 (opens gov.uk)
    "If you have a PhD or other doctoral qualification, it will last for 3 years."
    Checked 7 October 2026
  4. gov.uk guidance, Graduate visa: Overview; Immigration Rules, Appendix Skilled Worker, SW 12.2(f) and SW 12.3 (opens gov.uk)
    "You cannot extend your Graduate visa. However, you may be able to switch to a different visa, for example a Skilled Worker visa."
    Checked 7 October 2026
  5. Immigration Rules, Appendix Skilled Worker, SW 12.2 (opens gov.uk)
    "you’re currently in the UK on a Graduate visa (or you have been in the last 2 years, and a Graduate or visit visa was your most recent visa)"
    Checked 7 October 2026
  6. Visas & immigration after studies (University of Edinburgh Careers Service) (opens careers.ed.ac.uk)
    "You may choose to explain your eligibility, or potential eligibility, to work in the UK in your cover letter or supporting statement."
    Checked 7 October 2026
  7. Talking to employers about your visa (The University of Manchester Careers Service) (opens careers.manchester.ac.uk)
    "Never misrepresent your visa status or provide false information to potential employers."
    Checked 7 October 2026

Updated Checked against gov.uk on

What changed

  • 7 October 2026: First published.

This is a playbook, not immigration advice. Before you act, check the rule on gov.uk or ask a regulated immigration adviser or a solicitor.