How to Get PR in the UK as a Student: Nepal Guide
A UK student visa doesn't convert into PR. Here's the real pathway — Graduate Route, Skilled Worker salary rules, and what it costs Nepali students.
There is no direct student-to-PR route
A UK Student visa does not convert into permanent residence. The realistic sequence is Student visa → Graduate Route (unsponsored post-study work) → Skilled Worker visa with a licensed employer sponsor → settlement, which is a separate, longer visa category this guide does not cover in figures. Each step has its own eligibility rules, and the step most families underestimate is the third one — finding a sponsor who will pay enough. Start planning for this at the course-choice stage, not after graduation. See the UK hub for course and institution basics before you get to this stage.
The pathway, step by step
Step 1 — Student visa. You study, you comply with attendance monitoring, and — critically — if your course is a taught master's (MSc, MA, MBA) starting on or after 1 January 2024, you cannot bring a spouse or child. Only a PhD, other doctorate, or a research-based higher degree carries dependant rights, or government sponsorship on a course longer than 6 months. Raise this with your family before you apply, not after the CAS is issued.
Step 2 — Graduate Route. This gives unsponsored work rights after you finish — no job offer and no employer sponsor needed to apply. The length depends on when you apply, not when your course started:
| Who | Length | Applies if you apply |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's or master's graduate | 2 years | On or before 31 December 2026 |
| Bachelor's or master's graduate | 18 months | On or after 1 January 2027 |
| PhD / doctoral graduate | 3 years | Any time (unchanged) |
A student starting a one-year master's in September 2026 finishes in late 2027 and falls into the 18-month regime. Do this date arithmetic yourself against your own course dates — it decides how much time you actually have to find sponsored work.
Step 3 — Skilled Worker sponsorship. This is the step that actually gets you toward long-term UK status, and it is the one most families have not budgeted for.
The real hurdle: salary, not paperwork
The Skilled Worker salary floor is £41,700 a year, or the going rate for the job if higher — raised on 22 July 2025. There is a lower rate for new entrants: £33,400 a year, available if you're under 26, still studying, a recent graduate, or in professional training, paid between 70% and 90% of the going rate. The skills threshold was also raised on the same date, to RQF Level 6 — degree level — so the job itself has to be graduate-level, not just well paid.
Set that against what UK graduates actually earn. The median UK graduate salary, across all subjects, is £30,000 (HESA Graduate Outcomes 2023/24). Some subjects clear the new-entrant floor comfortably, some don't:
| Subject | Median graduate salary |
|---|---|
| Medicine and dentistry | £43,749 |
| Veterinary sciences | £34,990 |
| Mathematical sciences | £32,450 |
| Engineering and technology | £32,478 |
| Computing | £31,788 |
| Business and management | £28,990 |
| Law | £26,488 |
| Media, journalism and communications | £25,938 |
| ALL SUBJECTS (median) | £30,000 |
Only a handful of fields sit above the £33,400 new-entrant floor on the typical graduate salary alone, and almost none clear the full £41,700 general floor straight out of university. This is the gap a counsellor has to explain early: the Graduate Route gets you time in the UK, but the Skilled Worker visa that follows it needs an employer willing to pay above these thresholds, and most entry-level graduate jobs don't.
What you need to fund the student visa first
Before any of the above is relevant, you need to clear the Student visa itself. The maintenance (living-cost) requirement is separate from and additional to your tuition fee — don't add them together, look at them side by side and check both against your own budget:
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Student visa application fee (from outside the UK) | £558 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge | £1,035 per year of stay |
| Maintenance — London courses | £1,483/month, up to 9 months |
| Maintenance — outside London courses | £1,136/month, up to 9 months |
| TB test (required, courses over 6 months) | £65 |
| Graduate visa application (later, if taken) | £937, plus IHS £1,035/yr |
The maintenance money has to sit in the account for 28 consecutive days, and that 28-day window must end within 31 days of your visa application date. This — not the amount itself — is the most common reason a Nepali student's visa gets refused. Prepare the statements around your actual application date, not months in advance. Run your own numbers through the Master Reckoner tool to match a course, its fee, and the matching maintenance figure before you commit to an offer.
Mistakes that derail the plan
Assuming dependants are allowed. They're not, for a taught master's. Only a PhD, doctorate, or research-based higher degree carries that right. If your family's plan depends on a spouse joining, a research route needs to be on the table from day one.
Budgeting to the visa floor, not real costs. £1,483/month (London) or £1,136/month (outside London) is the Home Office minimum, not a comfortable living budget. Treat it as a floor, not a target.
Assuming fees are fixed once you accept. Some institutions reserve the right to raise fees after enrolment — check the specific terms on your offer letter before relying on a fixed total across your whole course.
Treating the Graduate Route as settlement. It is a fixed window — 2 years, 18 months, or 3 years for a doctorate — to find sponsored work. It is not itself a path to long-term status; the Skilled Worker visa afterwards is, and that depends on clearing a salary floor your course and subject choice should be chosen with in mind.
Skipping attendance. Visa sponsors monitor and report attendance and engagement to the Home Office. A compliance breach during the Student visa stage can end the whole plan before the Graduate Route is even reached.
Common questions
Can a UK student visa lead straight to PR?
No. There's no direct conversion. The realistic route is Student visa, then the Graduate Route for unsponsored post-study work, then a Skilled Worker visa with a sponsoring employer paying at least £41,700 a year (or £33,400 as a new entrant) — settlement is a further, separate step after that.
How long do I get to work after graduating?
Two years if you apply for the Graduate Route on or before 31 December 2026, 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027, and 3 years for a PhD or doctorate. It's the application date that matters, not your course start date — check where your own graduation falls.
Can I bring my spouse while studying for a master's?
No, not for a taught MSc, MA or MBA starting on or after 1 January 2024. Dependant rights only apply to a PhD, other doctorate, or a research-based higher degree, or to government-sponsored students on courses longer than 6 months.
Is a UK degree still worth it if settlement isn't realistic?
Often yes, but for a different reason than PR. A one-year UK master's costs one year of fees and living costs rather than two, carries real recognition with employers across South Asia and the Gulf, and usually comes with 18-24 months of UK work experience through the Graduate Route. For most students, the return is realised back home or in a third country, not through UK settlement. Browse more guides on the blog before you decide.
Official sources
- University of Huddersfield — https://www.hud.ac.uk/
- University of Huddersfield, London — https://london.hud.ac.uk/
- Ulster University — https://www.ulster.ac.uk/
- University of Exeter — https://www.exeter.ac.uk/
- University of Plymouth — https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/
- Keele University — https://www.keele.ac.uk/