Graduate Visa Translation Requirements UK

What Is the UK Graduate Visa?

The Graduate visa (once called the Post-Study Work visa) lets international students stay in the UK after finishing a degree at a licensed Student sponsor institution. You do not need a sponsor. You can work, or look for work, at any skill level. You do not need a job offer.

The standard grant is 2 years for undergraduate and postgraduate graduates. If you finished a PhD or another doctoral-level qualification, you get 3 years. You can only hold the Graduate visa once. It cannot be extended, and you cannot switch back to a Student visa from it.

Undergraduate & Postgraduate

A 2-year Graduate visa after you finish a Bachelor's, Master's, or other taught postgraduate qualification at a licensed UK university.

PhD & Doctoral Graduates

A 3-year Graduate visa if you have finished a PhD or research doctorate at a licensed UK university.

Core Eligibility Requirements

To apply for the Graduate visa, you must meet all of the following conditions:

Graduate Visa Eligibility Checklist

You are currently in the UK on a valid Student visa (or in the process of switching from one)
You have been awarded a degree or doctoral qualification by a licensed Student sponsor institution
Your sponsor institution tells the Home Office you have graduated. Do not apply until your award is confirmed
You meet the English language requirement (your Student visa study history covers this)
You have not previously held a Graduate visa

Documents That May Require Translation

The Graduate visa application is fairly simple, because your UK university does much of the work. It confirms your award straight to the Home Office. But you still need to send supporting documents. Any document that is not in English or Welsh must come with a certified translation. Here are the documents that most often need one.

1. Degree Certificate

You will need to translate a degree certificate if you studied abroad before coming to the UK, or if your application mentions earlier qualifications from abroad. This usually applies in three cases: you studied at a joint-award institution, you did a foundation or pre-sessional year overseas, or you are applying for a PhD Graduate visa and need to show a Bachelor's or Master's degree you earned abroad.

Your UK degree certificate comes from your UK university and is in English, so it needs no translation. But if your UK degree was awarded jointly with an overseas partner, that partner's award document may be in another language.

2. Academic Transcript

You may need transcripts from overseas universities you attended before your UK study, to show your full qualification history. This matters most for PhD applicants, who must show their earlier undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications. Transcripts from India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Turkey are among the most common. Each country has its own format and wording, and a translator must handle these accurately.

The translation must show grades, grading scales, credit values, module titles and institution details exactly. Missing items or loosely worded course names are a common reason for UKVI to query a document.

3. Previous Qualifications (Pre-UK Study)

Some applicants, especially PhD graduates, need to show the steps that led to their doctoral study. This can include school leaving certificates, A-level equivalents, or undergraduate degree papers from your home country. Any of these that are not in English need a certified translation before you submit them.

4. Sponsorship and Scholarship Documents

If a government scholarship, an employer or an overseas foundation paid for your studies, you may have award letters or sponsorship agreements in your own language. Translate these if you send them with your application. That matters most when they show how your study was funded. This is useful context for doctoral applicants whose research was funded by an outside body.

When Translation Is NOT Required

Not every document needs translation. Knowing when you can skip it saves you time and money.

Documents That Do Not Need Translation

Your UK university degree certificate
UK institutions issue all degree certificates in English. No translation is needed.
Your UK university academic transcript
Transcripts from UK universities are in English. They need no translation, even if you send them with overseas transcripts.
Overseas degree certificates issued in English
Some universities in India, Nigeria, Ghana and other countries issue degree certificates fully in English. If the original is already in English, you need no translation.
Overseas transcripts issued in English
Overseas transcripts written in English need no translation. Many universities in Singapore, Malaysia and the Caribbean issue transcripts in English.

Important: Bilingual Documents

Some institutions print degree certificates and transcripts in both the local language and English on the same page. If the English text is a full copy of the content, and not just a summary, UKVI usually accepts it without a separate certified translation. If you are unsure, getting a translation is always the safer choice.

Switching from a Student Visa: What Changes?

The Graduate visa is built as a switch you make from inside the UK. You apply online while your Student visa is still valid. You do not need to leave the country. This changes what you need to translate, compared with applying for a Student visa from abroad.

For your original Student visa, you would have sent translations of qualifications, financial papers and personal documents. For the Graduate visa switch, you do not send most of those again. The big difference is that your UK university tells the Home Office you have graduated. So you do not send your degree certificate yourself.

Document	Student Visa (Original)	Graduate Visa (Switch)
UK degree certificate	Not applicable (not yet awarded)	Your university confirms it — you do not send it
Overseas degree certificate	Often required; translation needed if not in English	Only to show earlier study for a PhD; translation needed if not in English
Bank statements / financial proof	Required; translation needed if not in English	Not required for Graduate visa switch
Academic transcripts (overseas)	Often required; translation needed if not in English	May be needed for PhD applications; translation needed if not in English
Tuberculosis test certificate	Needed for some nationalities; translation if not in English	Not required for in-country switch
English language evidence	Required (SELT or equivalent)	Not required — your Student visa study history covers it

In short, the Graduate visa switch usually needs fewer translated documents than your first Student visa application. You will still need translations if you are a doctoral applicant showing overseas qualifications, or if UKVI asks you for extra documents.

Country-Specific Degree Certificate Formats

Degree certificates and transcripts look very different from country to country. The format, the language and the content all vary. A translator working on these documents needs to know how qualifications are set out in your home country. That is especially true for the six countries that most Graduate visa applicants come from.

Country	Degree Certificate Format	Transcript Format	Key Translation Notes
India	Usually in English. Some regional universities (Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala) also use the regional script	Mark sheets come one per semester. Often in English, but headings may be in a regional language	Translate every page, including the back if it has content. State honour divisions (First Class, Second Class) clearly
China	Issued in Chinese (Simplified). A few top universities give bilingual certificates, but most do not	Transcripts (成绩单) are in Chinese. Credit values, GPA and module names all need translating	Describe university seals and stamps in the translation. Chinese grading (百分制 / GPA) needs a short explanation
Nigeria	Most universities issue in English. The NYSC discharge certificate is usually needed too, and is in English	Transcripts are in English. Keep the Nigerian grading scale (5-point GPA or percentage) exactly as it is, with no conversion	Degree certificates rarely need translation. Personal documents such as birth certificates and police clearances often do
Pakistan	Usually in English. HEC (Higher Education Commission) attestation papers may include Urdu text	Transcripts are usually in English. Some university papers and attestation letters have Urdu sections	Translate HEC attestation stamps and any Urdu text. Keep percentage scores and division classes exactly as they are
Bangladesh	Public universities often issue in Bengali (বাংলা). Private universities may use English or both languages	Transcripts are often in Bengali. They use a CGPA or percentage scale, by semester or by year	Public university papers need a full Bengali-to-English translation. Translate course titles exactly, do not reword them
Turkey	Issued in Turkish. Some universities give bilingual Turkish/English certificates if you ask	Turkish transcripts use a 4.0 GPA scale with letter grades. Course names are in Turkish and need translating	Translate Turkish institution words (e.g. Üniversitesi, Yüksekokul) accurately. ÖSYM placement papers may also need translating

ECCTIS / ENIC-NARIC: When You Need Both Evaluation and Translation

ECCTIS (formerly UK ENIC, previously NARIC) is the UK's national agency for comparing international qualifications. It issues Statements of Comparability. These say which UK qualification level your overseas qualification matches.

You do not normally need an ECCTIS evaluation for the Graduate visa itself. That visa is based on your UK study, not on an overseas qualification. But in a few cases you may need both a certified translation and an ECCTIS Statement of Comparability:

When ECCTIS Evaluation Is Required Alongside Translation

PhD applicants evidencing a prior degree level qualification
You are applying for the 3-year doctoral Graduate visa, and your university's notice to UKVI mentions your overseas undergraduate degree. UKVI may then ask for an ECCTIS evaluation to confirm the degree matches a UK Bachelor's degree.
Switching to a Skilled Worker visa after the Graduate visa
Many people move from a Graduate visa to a Skilled Worker visa. The points-based salary and job rules may ask you to prove your overseas qualification level. At that point you usually need both a certified translation and an ECCTIS Statement of Comparability.
Professional registration (medicine, nursing, law, engineering)
UK regulators (GMC, NMC, SRA, Engineering Council) may ask for an ECCTIS evaluation before they recognise an overseas qualification. This is separate from the visa, but it matters if you work in a regulated profession.

Here is the key difference. A certified translation tells UKVI what your document says. An ECCTIS Statement of Comparability tells UKVI which UK qualification level it matches. Most Graduate visa applicants only need the translation. You need the ECCTIS evaluation when someone must formally confirm the level, and that is usually for a later visa application, not the Graduate visa.

For more detail on the ECCTIS process, see our guide on ENIC-NARIC and ECCTIS credential evaluation for UK visas.

Timeline: When to Get Translations

Timing matters for the Graduate visa. Apply too early and your award may not be confirmed yet. Apply too late and your Student visa may run out. Here is the timeline we suggest.

Finish
Course

Complete Your UK Course

Finish your final assessments or hand in your thesis. Your Student visa stays valid during this time. Do not apply for the Graduate visa until your university has confirmed your award. Applying too early is one of the most common reasons for refusal.

Award
Notified

University Notifies Home Office of Your Award

Your university updates your record in the Student sponsor management system (previously SITS or the UKVI Sponsor Management System). This is what makes you eligible. Most universities tell the Home Office within a few weeks of confirming results. Your university should let you know when this is done.

Gather
Docs

Identify and Gather Documents Needing Translation

Once your award is confirmed, work out whether you need to send any overseas qualification documents. PhD applicants should check whether UKVI will want proof of earlier qualifications. Collect the originals and clear, high-resolution scans of anything not in English.

Order
Trans.

Order Certified Translations

Order certified translations of every overseas document that is not in English. Standard turnaround is 24 hours. Allow 3–5 days in total, in case there are questions or changes. Make sure your name is spelled the same way on every document. A mismatch with your passport name can cause delays.

Apply
Online

Submit Graduate Visa Application

Apply online through the UK Visas and Immigration portal while you are still in the UK on a valid Student visa. Upload your certified translations as PDFs, along with the originals where needed. You must apply before your Student visa expires. There is no grace period for late applications.

Decision

Await Decision

Graduate visa decisions usually take up to 8 weeks from the date you apply. Once granted, your 2-year (or 3-year) period starts from the decision date, not the application date. During that time you can work in any job.

Common Mistakes That Cause Delays and Refusals

The Graduate visa has a low refusal rate compared with other routes. Even so, translation errors cause a real share of queries and refusals. These are the most common mistakes.

1. Submitting Provisional or Predicted Results

Provisional results, grade notices and "expected to be awarded" letters are not the same as a confirmed award. Translating a provisional results letter and sending it as proof of graduation is one of the most common mistakes. Your university must confirm the award before you apply. Your documents must show that confirmed award, not predicted grades.

2. Translating the Wrong Qualification Level

For PhD applicants seeking the 3-year Graduate visa, the qualification level matters. If you send a translated overseas degree to show you held a Bachelor's or Master's before your doctorate, the translation must state the level clearly, not just the subject. If a translation calls your degree a "Diploma" or "Certificate" when it is really a full Bachelor's degree, UKVI may put it in the wrong category.

3. Missing Transcripts When a Degree Certificate Alone Is Insufficient

A degree certificate proves the qualification was awarded. A transcript shows the subjects you studied and the grades you got. Sometimes the certificate alone is not enough. That happens when UKVI or an ECCTIS evaluation needs detail about what you studied. If you send overseas qualifications, include both the certificate and the full transcript. Translate them separately if they use different formats.

4. Inconsistent Name Transliteration

Your name must be spelled the same way in your passport and in every translated document. If your passport spells it one way and your translated degree certificate spells it slightly differently, UKVI may wonder whether these are two different people. Give your translator your exact passport spelling before work starts, and ask for a correction if the spelling comes back different.

5. Using a Non-Certified or Machine-Only Translation

UKVI requires every translation to be certified by a qualified translator, with a signed statement confirming it is accurate. Machine output with no human review and no certification does not meet that standard. That includes AI tools and free online translators. An uncertified translation risks your documents being rejected and your application queried or refused.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to translate my UK degree certificate for the Graduate visa?

No. Your UK university issues degree certificates in English, and it tells the Home Office directly that you have graduated. You do not send your UK degree certificate with the Graduate visa application at all. You only need translations for overseas documents that are not in English.

I studied at a UK university but my previous degree was from China. Do I need to translate it?

For most Graduate visa applications based on a UK Bachelor's or Master's degree, you will not need to send your Chinese degree at all. Your UK study history is enough. But you would need a certified translation in two cases: you are applying for the 3-year doctoral Graduate visa and UKVI asks for proof of earlier qualifications, or your Chinese degree is mentioned in the application for any other reason. Chinese degree certificates are written fully in Chinese (Simplified), so they always need translation when you send them.

Can I apply for the Graduate visa before my Student visa expires if I've finished my course but haven't graduated yet?

You can apply once your university has formally confirmed your award, but not before. Finishing your course and handing in your dissertation is not the same as having the award confirmed. Most universities hold graduation ceremonies months after the academic year ends. Award confirmation happens separately, often in August or September for summer finishers. Ask your university when they will tell the Home Office. Do not apply until you have that confirmation.

Do I need an ECCTIS evaluation for the Graduate visa?

No, not for the Graduate visa itself. ECCTIS (formerly ENIC-NARIC) evaluations are not a standard part of the Graduate route. But if you later apply for a Skilled Worker visa and your employer wants to count your overseas qualification toward the points, you may then need an ECCTIS Statement of Comparability. If you plan to enter a regulated profession, the registration body may also ask for an ECCTIS assessment, separately from any visa.

How long does it take to get a certified translation of a degree certificate or academic transcript?

Standard turnaround at CertifiedVisaTranslation.com is within 24 hours. We suggest allowing 3–5 days in total, to leave room for questions, name checks or changes before you apply. If your deadline is tight, we also offer same-day rush translations.

Graduate Visa Translation Requirements UK: Post-Study Work Route 2026