What was claimed
The government is cancelling post-study work visas from November 2025, meaning international graduates will have just 30 days to leave the UK after their course ends.
Our verdict
False. There is no evidence the government is cancelling graduate visas. However, their standard length is being shortened to 18 months (down from two years) if the person applies on or after 1 January 2027.
Videos viewed over a million times online claim that the government is cancelling “post-study work visas” from November, giving international graduates “just 30 days to leave Britain”.
But this isn’t true. Full Fact could find no evidence of any government announcements to remove graduate visas. The government is reducing the standard length of the graduate visa for international students to stay on and work in the UK from two years to 18 months (but it will remain three years for students who have a PhD).
It is already the case that people on a short-term study visa (for courses between six and 11 months long) need to leave the UK within 30 days of their course end date (as long as their stay isn’t longer than 11 months).
The length of time those on a student visa are allowed to stay after their course finishes depends on the course length. Those whose courses were 12 months or longer should be able to stay for four months after their course end date.
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After completing their studies, students can apply for a graduate visa, which we assume is what the ‘post-study’ visa in the video is referring to.
In May 2025 the government announced some changes to how long people can stay on this visa for, but this is still far longer than the 30 days claimed in the video.
The standard length of a graduate visa is currently two years, but this will be reduced to 18 months if the person applies on or after 1 January 2027. The visa will remain for three years if they have a PhD.
The videos, which have been widely shared on Facebook, use voiceovers which appear to resemble the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Although we can’t say definitively, they are extremely likely to have been made using AI tools. Some clues are that Mr Starmer appears to be criticising his own policy as “short-sighted, cruel and economically foolish”, and speaks using unnatural phrasing and cadence.
This is just one of many videos about fake government policies we have fact checked in recent weeks—other examples include clips claiming a curfew is being introduced, that there’s going to be a reduction in the state pension from April next year, and that the government is introducing a £27 WiFi charge for all households.
Before sharing videos such as this that you see online, first consider whether they come from a trustworthy and verifiable source. You can find guides and tips in our Full Fact toolkit to help you navigate information online.
This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as false because there is no evidence the government is cancelling graduate visas.
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Subscribe to weekly email newsletters from Full Fact for updates on politics, immigration, health and more. Our fact checks are free to read but not to produce, so you will also get occasional emails about fundraising and other ways you can help. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy.