How to Get PR in the UK After Study: The Honest Route
There is no direct PR route after a UK degree. Here is the actual path: Student visa, Graduate Route, Skilled Worker, and the real costs and hurdles.
The short answer
The UK does not have a "study to PR" route. Settlement (indefinite leave to remain) is not granted at the end of a degree or at the end of post-study work — you have to move onto a sponsored work visa first, and that is where most Nepali graduates get stuck.
The realistic sequence is: Student visa → Graduate Route (unsponsored post-study work) → Skilled Worker visa with a licensed employer sponsoring you → and only then a settlement application under whatever rules apply at that time. Each step has its own conditions, and the Skilled Worker salary floor is now well above the median UK graduate wage. Rules on settlement are set by the Home Office and change; confirm each stage on gov.uk before you plan around it.
Step 1 — the Student visa, done correctly
Nothing later matters if the first visa is refused. Financial evidence is the most common point of refusal, and the reasons are boringly consistent.
The maintenance requirement is set by the Home Office and is in addition to the tuition fee shown on your CAS:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Maintenance — London | £1,483/month, max 9 months = £13,347 |
| Maintenance — outside London | £1,136/month, max 9 months = £10,224 |
| Student visa application (outside the UK) | £558 |
| Student visa extend / switch (inside the UK) | £558 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge | £1,035 per year of stay |
| TB test | £65 |
| Graduate visa application (later, if taken) | £937 + IHS £1,035/yr |
Maintenance is capped at 9 months regardless of how long the course is. The catch is not the amount — it is the timing. The money must sit in the account for 28 consecutive days, and the end of that 28-day period must be within 31 days of the visa application date. The account must be in the student's name or a permitted sponsor's name. Prepare the statements around the application date, not months in advance.
Two more things that cost Nepali applicants their place every intake:
- London or not London is a Home Office definition tied to the institution's location, not a judgement about how urban the town feels. Confirm which side of the line your specific campus falls on before you calculate funds — the difference between the two monthly figures is set out above.
- A TB certificate from a UKVI-approved clinic is required for Nepalese applicants on courses longer than 6 months. Book it before the visa application.
Dependants: for postgraduate courses starting on or after 1 January 2024, a partner or child is permitted only on a PhD or other doctorate (RQF level 8) or a research-based higher degree, or for a government-sponsored student on a course longer than 6 months. A taught MSc, MA or MBA does not qualify. If you are married and planning a one-year taught masters, settle this before you pay any deposit.
Use the Master Reckoner to match your marks, budget and English score to courses before you commit, and see the UK destination hub for the full visa document list.
Step 2 — the Graduate Route
The Graduate Route gives unsponsored work time after the degree. No job offer and no minimum salary are needed. The length depends on the date you apply, not the date your course started.
| Who | Length | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's or master's graduate | 2 years | Applying on or before 31 December 2026 |
| Bachelor's or master's graduate | 18 months | Applying on or after 1 January 2027 |
| PhD / doctoral graduate | 3 years | Unchanged |
The reduction was announced in the Immigration White Paper of 12 May 2025. Work through what this means for your own timeline: a student starting a one-year masters in September 2026 finishes in late 2027 and therefore falls into the 18-month regime. Counsellors who tell that family "two years" are setting up a complaint later.
The Graduate Route costs £937 plus IHS at £1,035 per year. It is a genuine window to gain UK experience and earn back part of the investment. It is not a settlement route on its own.
Step 3 — Skilled Worker, which is the real hurdle
To stay in the UK long term you need a licensed sponsor and a job that clears both the skills and salary thresholds.
- General salary threshold: £41,700/yr, or the going rate for the job, whichever is higher. Raised from £38,700 on 22 July 2025.
- New-entrant / recent-graduate discount: at least £33,400/yr, paid between 70% and 90% of the going rate, for applicants who are under 26, studying, a recent graduate or in professional training.
- Skills threshold: raised to RQF Level 6 (degree level) on 22 July 2025.
Now put those thresholds next to what UK graduates actually earn. These are HESA Graduate Outcomes 2023/24 medians, published 4 June 2026, for UK-domiciled full-time first-degree graduates in full-time UK employment — the closest official proxy available, as HESA does not publish a separate international-graduate median:
| Subject | Median salary |
|---|---|
| Medicine and dentistry | £43,749 |
| Veterinary sciences | £34,990 |
| Engineering and technology | £32,478 |
| Mathematical sciences | £32,450 |
| Computing | £31,788 |
| Education and teaching | £30,980 |
| Social sciences | £30,000 |
| Subjects allied to medicine | £30,000 |
| Business and management | £28,990 |
| Law | £26,488 |
| Psychology | £26,244 |
| Design, and creative and performing arts | £25,998 |
| Media, journalism and communications | £25,938 |
| ALL SUBJECTS | £30,000 |
Read the general threshold of £41,700 against the all-subjects median of £30,000. The typical graduate does not clear even the discounted new-entrant floor of £33,400. That is the whole problem in one line, and it is why "study in the UK and get PR" is a claim you should distrust when an agent makes it.
81% of the 2023/24 cohort were in paid or unpaid work. Earning is not the issue. Earning at a sponsorable salary is.
What actually improves your odds
Choose the subject with the thresholds in view
Business and management is the most-chosen subject by South Asian students and sits squarely mid-table on pay. Medicine, dentistry, veterinary sciences, engineering, mathematical sciences and computing have the highest medians in the table above. If sponsorship is your goal, that ranking matters more than a university's marketing.
Take the placement year if you can afford it
A placement year adds cost and a year of time, but it is the most effective way to convert a UK degree into a UK job offer. Several institutions price placements explicitly: Huddersfield £3,300 (hud.ac.uk), MMU £1,955 (mmu.ac.uk), Gloucestershire £2,575 (glos.ac.uk), UCA £3,490 (uca.ac.uk).
Keep the total cost low so the maths still works
If you may end up returning to Nepal, the size of the debt decides whether the degree was worth it. Fees vary widely:
| Course | Annual / course fee |
|---|---|
| Master's — Bradford, classroom-based | £15,700 |
| Master's — Huddersfield MA/MSc | £18,700 |
| Master's — Huddersfield LONDON MSc | £18,700 |
| Master's — Ulster, standard taught masters | £18,310 |
| Master's — Gloucestershire Band A | £20,190 |
| Bachelor's — Ulster (per year) | £17,490 |
| Bachelor's — Exeter science/engineering (per year) | £31,200 |
| International Foundation Diploma — UCB | £11,000 |
| Pre-Master's — UoLIC (Business/Economics/Finance) | £25,210 |
Keele caps any 2026/27 fee increase at 5% and notifies by 30 April 2026 (keele.ac.uk). Ulster charges a separate clinical placement levy of £12,133 on relevant programmes (ulster.ac.uk). Ask about levies and increases in writing before you accept.
Consider the research route if settlement is the actual goal
A PhD or other doctorate (RQF level 8) or a research-based higher degree is the only level that restores dependant rights and the only one carrying a 3-year Graduate visa. A UK masters followed by a UK PhD is a longer plan, but it is a stronger one if staying is the point.
Do not budget on part-time work
Permitted working hours depend on the course level and whether it is term-time or vacation, and are set per case on the gov.uk Student visa page — check your CAS rather than assuming the familiar 20-hour figure. The National Living Wage is £12.71/hour for those aged 21 and over from 1 April 2026 (£10.85/hour for 18 to 20). Part-time work helps with living costs. It does not pay UK tuition.
Common questions
Is there a direct PR visa for Nepali students after a UK degree?
No. A degree does not lead to settlement by itself, and neither does the Graduate Route. You need to move onto a sponsored work visa — Skilled Worker, at £41,700 or £33,400 on the new-entrant rate — and meet whatever settlement rules apply at that point. Check gov.uk for the current position before making plans.
How long is the post-study work visa now?
It depends on your application date, not your course date. A bachelor's or master's graduate applying on or before 31 December 2026 gets 2 years; anyone applying on or after 1 January 2027 gets 18 months. PhD graduates get 3 years.
Can I bring my spouse and later apply for family settlement?
Not on a one-year taught masters. For postgraduate courses starting on or after 1 January 2024, dependants are permitted only on a PhD or other doctorate (RQF level 8) or a research-based higher degree, or for a government-sponsored student on a course longer than 6 months. A taught MSc, MA or MBA does not qualify.
Is a UK degree still worth it if I cannot stay permanently?
Often yes, for a different reason than families assume. A one-year taught masters means one year of fees and one year of living costs, plus a qualification that carries real weight with employers across South Asia and the Gulf, and usually a period of UK work experience through the Graduate Route. Returning to Nepal, India or the Gulf with a UK degree and UK experience is the most common realistic outcome — plan for it rather than being surprised by it.
Official sources
Institution fee and placement figures quoted above:
- University of Exeter — https://www.exeter.ac.uk/
- Ulster University — https://www.ulster.ac.uk/
- Manchester Metropolitan University — https://www.mmu.ac.uk/
- Keele University — https://www.keele.ac.uk/
- University of Huddersfield — https://www.hud.ac.uk/
- University of Huddersfield, London — https://london.hud.ac.uk/
- University for the Creative Arts — https://www.uca.ac.uk/
- University of Gloucestershire — https://www.glos.ac.uk/
- University of Plymouth — https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/
- University of West London — https://www.uwl.ac.uk/
- City St George's, University of London — https://www.citystgeorges.ac.uk/
- St Mary's University, Twickenham — https://www.stmarys.ac.uk/
Visa fees, maintenance amounts, Graduate Route lengths, Skilled Worker thresholds and wage rates are published on gov.uk. Salary medians are from HESA Graduate Outcomes 2023/24, published 4 June 2026.
More country guides are in the blog, and the full UK breakdown sits on the UK hub.