UK Budget 2026: Two-Year Graduate Visa Promised for Some Universities, HPI Visa Widened to Top 150

In short: Two months before the UK's Graduate visa shrinks to 18 months, the UK government has said some graduates will get two years after all. Its Budget on 28 October promises a two-year Graduate visa for graduates of "high-compliance" universities, and opens the High Potential Individual (HPI) visa to the world's top 150 institutions. The catch: the rules, the list of universities and the start date are not out yet.

What did the Budget actually say?

HM Treasury's Budget 2026, published on 28 October, has two lines that matter to students:

• Graduate visa: the government will set it at two years for people who graduate from "high-compliance universities where there are strong labour market outcomes".
• HPI visa: it will be expanded to people with qualifications from the top 150 institutions in the world, with a matching rise in the yearly cap.

It also says visa salary rules will change from spring 2027. Lower salary thresholds for many jobs and a single, simpler discount for people who are studying or have recently graduated should make it easier for graduates to move onto a work visa.

What is not decided yet?

• Which universities count. The Budget does not define "high-compliance" or "strong labour market outcomes", and no list has been published.
• When it starts. No date is given.
• The rules today are unchanged. We checked GOV.UK on 29 October. It still says a Graduate visa lasts 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026 and 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027. A PhD still gets 3 years.

So for now, the 18-month rule we explained two days ago still stands. The two-year promise will only count once the Home Office changes the Immigration Rules.

And the HPI visa?

The HPI visa is for people who graduated from a top university outside the UK in the last five years. No job offer is needed. Today it gives 2 years (3 after a PhD), and you can apply only once. GOV.UK says you cannot get it if you have already had a Graduate visa.

The current list, for degrees awarded between 1 November 2025 and 31 October 2026, has 80 institutions, and none is in India. A top-150 list is wider, but the Budget does not say which ranking will be used. Whether any Indian institute makes the new list will only be clear when it is published.

For students

1. Finishing a UK degree this year? Nothing has changed for you. If you can apply by 31 December 2026, you still get two years under today's rules. Don't wait for the new policy.
2. Applying for 2027 entry? Plan on 18 months until the rules are out. Then treat any extra time as a bonus.
3. Ask universities two questions. Do they expect to count as "high-compliance"? And how many recent international graduates are in graduate-level jobs? No university can promise this yet.
4. Studying at a top university outside the UK? Keep an eye on the new HPI list. It could be a route to UK work without studying there.

For parents

Do the money maths on 18 months. For a UK master's starting in 2027, base the loan and payback plan on 18 months of post-study work. If the university later qualifies for two years, that is six extra months, not something to borrow against. The spring 2027 salary changes matter too: they decide how easily a graduate moves onto a work visa.

Don't let anyone sell you the promise. If you hear that a university "has the two-year visa", ask for the GOV.UK page. Until the Home Office publishes the rules, nobody can know.

Key dates

Date	What
28 Oct 2026	UK Budget announces the plans
31 Dec 2026	Last day to apply for a 2-year Graduate visa under current rules
1 Jan 2027	18 months for bachelor's and master's graduates (current rules)
Spring 2027	New visa salary rules, as the Budget plans
Not yet announced	Start of 2-year visa for high-compliance universities; new HPI list

Sources

• HM Treasury, Budget 2026 (28 October 2026): Graduate visa, HPI expansion, salary rules from spring 2027. Checked 29 Oct 2026.
• GOV.UK, Graduate visa: 2 years if you apply by 31 December 2026, 18 months from 1 January 2027, 3 years after a PhD. Checked 29 Oct 2026.
• GOV.UK, High Potential Individual visa and eligibility: length, one-time rule, Graduate visa rule. Checked 29 Oct 2026.
• GOV.UK, HPI global universities list 2025: 80 institutions. Checked 29 Oct 2026.

If a calm map of the UK route would help, more on easyapply.in.

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