Post-Study Work Visas in Europe Compared
Germany gives all graduates 18 months at full-time work rights; Ireland gives bachelor's graduates 12 months and master's/PhD graduates 24 months; the UK is reducing its Graduate Route from 2 years to 18 months for applications from 1 January 2027. Malta and Cyprus exclude bachelor's graduates from their job-search permits entirely, and Hungary and Poland each offer 9 months.
At a glance: all seven destinations
| Destination | Post-study permit | Who qualifies | Duration | Extendable? | Leads to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | §20(1) jobseeker residence permit | All graduates of a German or foreign recognised institution | 18 months | No | Skilled-work permit or EU Blue Card |
| UK | Graduate Route visa | All graduates of a licensed UK sponsor | 18 months (from 1 Jan 2027); PhD = 3 yrs | No | Skilled Worker visa |
| Ireland | Stamp 1G (Third Level Graduate Programme) | All graduates of ILEP-listed programmes | 12 months (level 8); 24 months (level 9+) | No (but see 2×12) | Critical Skills or General Employment Permit |
| Malta | Graduate Seeking Employment permit | MQF 7/8 (master’s, doctoral) graduates only | ~12 months (verify) | Not standard | Single Permit (work + residence) |
| Cyprus | Job-search/entrepreneurship residence permit | EQF Level 7+ (master’s, doctoral) graduates only | 12 months | No | Employer-sponsored employment permit or EU Blue Card |
| Hungary | Job-search or business-start residence permit | All graduates of a Hungarian institution | Max 9 months | No | Hungarian Card, EU Blue Card or work permit |
| Poland | Graduate TRP (temporary residence permit) | All graduates of a Polish higher education institution | 9 months (granted once) | No | Employer-sponsored TRP; Polish-university graduates work-permit-free |
All details confirmed against official sources June 2026. Re-verify before applying — post-study visa policies are subject to change.
Germany: 18 months, any job, full-time
Germany’s post-study provision is straightforward and well-regarded. Under §20(1) of the Residence Act, a graduate of a German or foreign university may apply for a job-search residence permit of up to 18 months. During this period, you may work any job, full-time — you are not restricted to a role related to your degree.
The permit is not renewable. Once the 18 months are exhausted, you must either have converted to a skilled-work residence permit (or EU Blue Card) on the basis of a qualifying job offer, or leave Germany.
The onward route from the jobseeker permit to settlement is real but not quick: a standard settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) typically requires around 24 months of qualifying skilled employment after graduation, plus contributions to the pension system, a B1 German language certificate, and an integration test. The EU Blue Card has a shorter settlement track (21 months if you have B1 German; 33 months otherwise) and is available for salaries above the Blue Card threshold — check the current salary threshold on make-it-in-germany.com as this is volatile.
Key watch-out: the 18-month German permit runs from the date it is issued, not from graduation. Delays in the application process consume your time. Apply promptly after receiving your degree certificate — before your student visa expires.
UK: the Graduate Route deadline you must not miss
The UK Graduate Route is currently the most widely discussed post-study provision in the Africa-to-Europe corridor — and the most time-sensitive.
Confirmed on gov.uk as of June 2026:
- Graduate Route applications submitted on or before 31 December 2026: 2 years (bachelor’s and master’s).
- Graduate Route applications submitted on or after 1 January 2027: 18 months (bachelor’s and master’s).
- PhD graduates: 3 years regardless of application date.
This is enacted policy, not a proposal. If you are currently studying for a UK bachelor’s or master’s degree and expect to graduate in 2026 or early 2027, the date on which you apply for the Graduate Route — not the date you graduate — determines whether you receive 2 years or 18 months. Students who can graduate and submit their Graduate Route application before 1 January 2027 are locking in an additional 6 months of work rights.
The Graduate Route allows any work including self-employment. It cannot be extended. The onward route is switching to a Skilled Worker visa before the Graduate visa expires. Critically, time spent on a Student visa and on the Graduate visa does not count toward Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR); the standard Skilled Worker ILR track requires 5 years of qualifying employment.
One further watch-out: the UK Immigration White Paper published in May 2025 proposed extending the ILR qualifying period to 10 years (“earned settlement”). As of June 2026, the effective date of this proposal was not confirmed. Re-check gov.uk if you are planning a long-term UK residency strategy.
Ireland: the best route for master’s graduates
Ireland’s Third Level Graduate Programme delivers a Stamp 1G permission to remain and seek employment:
- 12 months for graduates of an NFQ Level 8 (honours bachelor’s) programme.
- 24 months (two consecutive 12-month permissions) for graduates of NFQ Level 9 or above (master’s, postgraduate diploma, doctoral).
This is the most generous post-study route for master’s graduates in this comparison. A Stamp 1G holder may work full-time and take up any employment — there is no sector restriction.
The onward route is a Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP) or a General Employment Permit. The CSEP salary threshold from 1 March 2026 is €40,904 for applicants with a relevant degree, or €36,848 for recent graduates (qualification within the prior 12 months). Roles paying above €68,911 are eligible regardless of qualification — confirmed by the Department of Enterprise (enterprise.gov.ie) as of June 2026. This threshold is volatile; re-check before advising.
Important: the programme must be on the ILEP (Interim List of Eligible Programmes) and must be full-time at NFQ Level 6 or above. If you studied on a Stamp 2A permission (non-ILEP course), you are not eligible for the Stamp 1G. Confirm ILEP status before choosing your programme.
Malta: master’s only, bachelor’s excluded
Malta’s “Graduate Seeking Employment” residence permit is available only to graduates of MQF Level 7 or 8 (master’s and doctoral) programmes completed at a Maltese institution, confirmed by Identità Malta (identita.gov.mt).
The permit allows you to seek employment or set up a business. The reported duration is approximately 12 months, consistent with the EU’s Directive 2016/801 minimum of 9 months for graduate job-search permits, though the exact Maltese-issued duration should be verified directly with Identità Malta before relying on it.
Bachelor’s graduates in Malta have no automatic post-study work pathway. This is the single most important planning consideration for applicants targeting a Maltese bachelor’s degree for its own sake — the post-study position is significantly weaker than Germany, the UK or Ireland.
On a job offer, a graduate can transition to a Single Permit (combined work and residence permit, 1 year, renewable), which allows legal employment and residence in Malta.
Cyprus: 12 months for master’s and PhD, nothing for bachelor’s
Cyprus’s Civil Registry and Migration Department grants a 12-month job-search/entrepreneurship residence permit to graduates at EQF Level 7 (master’s) or above. The permit allows you to seek employment or set up a business matching your level of study.
There is no automatic post-study work provision for bachelor’s graduates in Cyprus. This is a structural weakness compared to Germany, the UK and Ireland, and it is significant for the large number of African students who enrol in bachelor’s programmes at Cypriot private universities (UNIC, EUC and others).
On a job offer, the transition is to an employer-sponsored employment permit or, for highly qualified employment, the EU Blue Card. Cyprus is an EU member but is not in the Schengen zone, so a Cypriot residency permit does not confer Schengen travel rights.
Hungary: 9 months, with a PR watch-out
Hungary’s Office of Immigration and Asylum (OIF) grants a job-search/business-start residence permit of maximum 9 months, not extendable, to graduates of a Hungarian institution. The permit allows you to seek employment or start a business matching your completed studies. Applications must be made inside Hungary, at least 15 days before the study permit expires.
On a job offer, you can convert to a Hungarian Card or EU Blue Card (the latter requires a salary at least 1.5 times the national average and a degree-level qualification, minimum 6-month contract).
The PR watch-out is critical: Hungary explicitly excludes time spent on a student permit — and on the job-search permit — from the 3-year clock for a National Residence Card (permanent residence equivalent). A graduate who remains on the job-search permit for 9 months and then works on a Hungarian Card/Blue Card for 3 years has effectively spent roughly 4 years in Hungary before becoming eligible for permanent residence. Students planning a long-term Hungary route should factor this in from the start.
Poland: 9 months, but liberal work access
Poland’s Office for Foreigners grants a graduate TRP (temporary residence permit for seeking work or starting a business) of 9 months, granted once, to graduates of Polish higher education institutions. This is confirmed by gov.pl/web/udsc-en/permit-for-temporary-residence–graduate.
Two significant advantages differentiate Poland from Hungary at this stage:
- Graduates of Polish universities do not need a work permit even after graduation — this is waived for holders of Polish university qualifications.
- Student visa/TRP time counts at 50% toward the 5-year long-term residency (EU permanent residence) threshold. Two years as a student = approximately 1 year credited. This is better than Hungary’s zero credit.
Poland also has a pathway via the EU Blue Card for highly qualified employment: a minimum 6-month contract and salary at least 150% of the national average wage (confirmed by Poznań Voivodeship Office; check the current average wage at GUS — Poland’s national statistics office — before calculating the threshold).
Comparing the routes for African students
For students prioritising maximum post-study flexibility:
Germany is the most straightforward: 18 months for all graduates, any job, no sector restriction, clear pathway to skilled-work permit and eventual settlement.
Ireland gives master’s graduates 24 months — the longest standard post-study route in this group for that degree level — and has a clear CSEP pathway with published salary thresholds.
UK at 2 years (if you apply before 1 January 2027) is the most flexible in terms of employment type, including self-employment. The 18-month version from January 2027 is still useful but leaves less job-search time. The absence of a direct ILR route from student/graduate status is a meaningful long-term limitation.
Hungary and Poland at 9 months each are the most constrained in post-study time, though Poland’s work-permit waiver and partial PR credit partially offset the shorter duration.
Malta and Cyprus are weak options for bachelor’s graduates specifically, given the exclusion from the job-search permit. For master’s graduates they are comparable to Hungary in terms of duration, with a less clear PR pathway.
For programme- and corridor-specific detail — including which of your scholarships and visas apply — visit the World Study Africa visa guide. To check whether your passport qualifies for the scholarships that make any of these routes more affordable, use /eligibility-check/.
How World Study Africa can help
Post-study planning is part of the advice we give every student from the first conversation, not an afterthought. We help you understand not just how to get a visa but what happens when your degree ends — and whether the destination you are considering gives you a realistic path to recover your investment through earnings.
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Frequently asked questions
Ireland offers the longest route for master's and PhD graduates: 24 months (2 years) under the Stamp 1G Third Level Graduate Programme. Germany and the current UK Graduate Route (for applicants by 31 December 2026) each offer 18–24 months. The UK PhD Graduate Route provides 3 years. From 1 January 2027, the standard UK Graduate Route reduces to 18 months.
No. Malta's "Graduate Seeking Employment" permit is restricted to graduates of MQF Level 7 or 8 programmes — master's and doctoral level only. Cyprus similarly restricts its 12-month job-search/entrepreneurship permit to graduates at EQF Level 7 (master's) or above. Bachelor's graduates in both countries have no automatic post-study work route and must leave or convert to a different visa category.
It depends on the country. In Poland, student time counts at 50% toward the 5-year long-term residence requirement. In Hungary, study permit time and the post-study job-search permit are both explicitly excluded from the 3-year national permanent residence clock. In Ireland, student time does not count toward naturalisation. In Germany, post-study work time on the §20(1) jobseeker permit does count toward the standard settlement track once you convert to employment.
Confirmed on gov.uk as of June 2026: students who apply for the Graduate Route on or before 31 December 2026 receive 2 years (bachelor's/master's). Those who apply on or after 1 January 2027 receive 18 months. The PhD route stays at 3 years regardless. This is not a rumour — it is enacted policy. If you can graduate and apply before 1 January 2027, you lock in the longer route. Re-check gov.uk before applying, as further changes are possible.
In all seven destinations, yes — but the exact route differs. Germany: convert the §20(1) jobseeker permit to a skilled-work residence permit or EU Blue Card on a job offer. UK: switch to a Skilled Worker visa before the Graduate visa expires (no extension, no direct to ILR). Ireland: apply for a Critical Skills Employment Permit (salary threshold €40,904 from March 2026, or €36,848 for recent graduates) or a General Employment Permit. Hungary, Poland, Malta and Cyprus all allow conversion to an employment-based permit on a job offer.