After you graduate
How long can I stay to work afterwards?
The main route for a bachelor's or master's graduate in each country, from our guides. Conditions differ a great deal: some let you work in any job, some only let you look for work, some need a job offer first. Open the guide before you plan around one.
| Country | Stay after graduating | Route | Work while studying | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 3 years | Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) | 24 a week | A 2026 cap and a 59% refusal rate make the study permit hard to get, and a Provincial Attestation Letter is required for most bachelor's applicants. |
| Denmark | 3 years | Job-seeking permit | 20 a week | Students on programmes that are not state-approved who applied after 2 May 2025 have no right to work. |
| New Zealand | 3 years | Post-Study Work Visa | 25 a week | Tuition figures are University of Auckland 2026 undergraduate fees and living costs are only given as weekly figures, with the NZD 20,000 minimum equal to about NZD 385 a week. |
| Australia | 2 years | Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) | 24 a week | The AUD 29,710 proof of funds covers living costs only: first-year tuition and travel must be shown on top, and the 485 has an age limit of 35. |
| Brazil | 2 years | Work residence for graduates of Brazilian degrees (Resolucao CNIg/MJSP 50/2024) | Not published | There is no job-search period: the two-year graduate residence requires a work contract in your field, and PEC-G students may not take jobs. |
| Croatia | 2 years | Temporary stay to seek employment or set up a business | 20 a week | The monthly funds figure is reset every March and a separate EUR 869.40 for the return journey must also be shown. |
| Finland | 2 years | Residence permit to look for work | 30 a week | Tuition must be shown on top of the EUR 9,600, in your own account, and a 2026 proposal would cancel permits for claiming social assistance. |
| South Korea | 2 years | D-10 job-seeker visa | 10 a week | Work hours range from 10 to 35 a week depending on level, TOPIK score and university, and the tuition figure is only Seoul National University's 2024 undergraduate average. |
| Spain | 2 years | Residence authorisation to look for work or start a business | 30 a week | Public fees depend on the region, with Madrid charging non-EU students six to eight times more, and the 24-month job search permit does not allow work. |
| Taiwan | 2 years | Two-year extension of stay | 20 a week | Proof of funds is set by each university for at least six months, with NTU asking for a balance of NT$200,000. |
| United Kingdom | 2 years | Graduate Route | 20 a week | The Graduate Route falls to 18 months for applications from 1 January 2027 and maintenance funds rise on 30 November 2026. |
| Germany | 18 months | Jobseeker residence permit (section 20 Residence Act) | 20 a week | Baden-Wuerttemberg charges non-EU students EUR 1,500 a semester and TU Munich charges non-EU students EUR 2,000 to 6,000 a semester. |
| Iceland | 18 months | Residence permit to seek employment after graduation (bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree from an Icelandic university) | Not published | Proof of funds is ISK 259,951 a month from 18 May 2026; the annual figure is our calculation for a one-year permit. visa_fee is the residence permit processing fee. Tuition is the University of Iceland registration fee; public universities may now charge non-EEA students tuition (law passed June 2026) but no amounts or start date are published. Work limit is 60% of full-time employment, not stated in hours. Post-study period cut from up to three years to up to 18 months on 8 July 2026. |
| Austria | 1 year | Student permit renewal to seek work or start a business | 20 a week | The proof of funds nearly doubles at age 24 (EUR 15,700.68 a year) and rises further if rent exceeds EUR 386.43 a month. |
| Belgium | 1 year | Search year | 20 a week | The proof of funds rose to EUR 1,062 a month for 2026-2027 and is re-indexed every February, so older EUR 835 figures will be refused. |
| Cyprus | 1 year | Master's graduate job-search permit | 20 a week | Institutions in the north of the island are not recognised by the Republic of Cyprus, and the 12-month job-search stay is for master's graduates only. |
| France | 1 year | Recherche d'emploi ou creation d'entreprise (APS) | 20 a week | Fee waivers for non-EU students are now capped at 30% of a university's foreign students, so budget for EUR 2,902 or EUR 3,950 a year. |
| Greece | 1 year | Residence permit to look for work or set up a business (Article 119, Law 5038/2023) | 20 a week | Greek-language degrees are free but English-taught ones charge fees, and the EUR 400 a month funds floor is well under half a real budget. |
| Ireland | 1 year | Third Level Graduate Programme (Stamp 1G) | 20 a week | The €10,000 threshold covers only about four months of UCD's median budget, and Dublin housing is extremely scarce. |
| Japan | 1 year | Designated Activities (job hunting) | 28 a week | Most degree programmes teach in Japanese, and the 28-hour weekly work cap is enforced and needs prior permission. |
| Lithuania | 1 year | Temporary residence permit to look for work or become self-employed | 20 a week | First- and second-year bachelor's students may work only 20 hours a week from 22 May 2026 (40 for others), and a return-journey sum must be shown on top of the funds. |
| Luxembourg | 1 year | Residence permit for private reasons: job search or business creation (master's graduates and PhD holders only) | 15 a week | Proof of funds is 80% of REVIS for one adult (EUR 1,944.40 a month from 1 June 2026), about EUR 1,556 a month; the annual figure is our calculation. Plus EUR 80 residence permit fee for all non-EU students. Tuition is the University of Luxembourg registration fee of EUR 400 a semester. The EU Immigration Portal still gives 9 months post-study; Guichet.lu gives 12. Uni.lu itemises costs (rent from EUR 450, meals EUR 360 a month) but gives no total besides the immigration minimum. |
| Malaysia | 1 year | Graduate Pass | 20 a week | The 12-month Graduate Pass is open only to listed nationalities, needs a Malaysian citizen sponsor and allows part-time work only. |
| Netherlands | 1 year | Orientation year (zoekjaar) | 16 a week | Housing is the biggest risk, with a national shortage of about 20,200 student rooms and Amsterdam costing €1,400 to €1,800 or more a month. |
| Norway | 1 year | Residence permit as a job seeker | 20 a week | Fees vary hugely between universities since 1 August 2026, and the NOK 5,400 permit fee comes from BI rather than UDI and was not verified. |
| Portugal | 1 year | Residence permit to look for work or set up a company (Article 122(1)(p)) | Not published | The one-year job search permit is only for master's and PhD graduates, and the visa fee could not be verified. |
| Singapore | 1 year | Long-Term Visit Pass for graduates | 16 a week | The lower fee needs the MOE Tuition Grant, which binds you to work in Singapore for three years, and the one-year pass after graduation does not itself allow work. |
| Sweden | 1 year | Residence permit to seek work | 15 a week | Since 11 June 2026 term-time work is capped at 15 hours a week and permits need study progress, and tuition must be paid before applying. |
| Thailand | 1 year | ED Plus one-year stay after graduation | Not allowed | Proof of funds and visa fees are set by each Thai embassy, and students cannot work without a work permit. |
| Türkiye | 1 year | Short-term residence permit for graduates | Not published | Fees and prices move with the lira, and the visa fee varies by nationality, so the figure given is the residence permit card fee. |
| United States | 1 year | Optional Practical Training (OPT) | 20 a week | OPT is under formal DHS review and the usual next step, H-1B, now needs a USD 100,000 payment. |
| Albania | 9 months | Residence permit to look for a job or start a business (Law no. 79/2021 on Aliens, Article 51) | 15 a week | Proof of funds must be a deposit in a second-tier bank in Albania (or monthly income of at least 32,000 leke). Tuition is the University of New York Tirana (private) bachelor's fee; no public university fee for foreign students was verified. Visa fee is set by reciprocity and varies by nationality. Work allowed only from the second year. Residence permit fee 4,500 leke first time, 2,250 leke renewal. |
| Bulgaria | 9 months | Stay to seek and start work after finishing education (register with the Employment Agency within 7 business days to use its services) | 20 a week | No annual proof of funds figure is published. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' general type D checklist asks for six monthly minimum wages, about EUR 3,721 at the 2026 minimum wage of EUR 620.20 (our calculation); confirm with the embassy. Tuition range is UNWE (Sofia) international student fees, academic year not stated; medicine costs more. Visa fee is EUR 200 for the one-year Article 15(2) visa. No official living cost figure. |
| Czechia | 9 months | Long-term residence permit to seek employment or start a business | Not published | Czech-taught programmes at public universities are free for all nationalities, while English-taught programmes charge fees. |
| Estonia | 9 months | Stay to look for work after graduation | Not published | The EUR 880 a month proof of funds is far above the official EUR 300-500 living-cost estimate, and Tartu ended tuition waivers for new non-EU students. |
| Hungary | 9 months | Residence permit for seeking a job or starting a business | 30 a week | Hungary sets no minimum proof of funds, but the authority judges whether your money plausibly covers a year, and medicine costs about EUR 18,680 a year. |
| Malta | 9 months | Post-study residence permit | 20 a week | The official floor is about €746 a month but the University of Malta asks its students to show €950 a month, and no verified non-EU tuition figure is given. |
| Poland | 9 months | Graduate residence permit to seek work or start a business | Not published | The funds test is assessed over a 15-month first permit and rent, travel and tuition must be shown on top of PLN 1,010 a month. |
| Romania | 9 months | Extension of study residence to look for work | Not published | A full year of tuition must be paid before the visa, and students may work up to six hours a day on a part-time contract. |
| Slovakia | 9 months | Nine-month renewal of study residence | Not published | Slovak-taught degrees are free but foreign-language programmes charge fees, and the work limit is 80 hours a month rather than a weekly figure. |
| Slovenia | 9 months | Single permit to seek employment or self-employment | Not published | Most bachelor's degrees are taught in Slovene and the permit process has no published processing time, so late applicants often start late. |
| Switzerland | 6 months | Six-month job search period | 15 a week | Funds and permit fees are set by each canton, and students cannot work at all in their first six months. |
| Latvia | 4 months | Stay after graduation (plus possible 9-month job-search extension for master's graduates) | 20 a week | Graduates get only four months to stay on, with a possible nine-month extension for master's and doctoral graduates. |
| United Arab Emirates | 4 months | Jobseeker visit visa | Not published | The jobseeker visa of up to 120 days is only for top 500 university graduates or skill levels 1 to 3, and no public university tuition or living cost figure is given. |
| Argentina | No route | Not published | Since 29 May 2025 each public university may charge tuition to students without permanent residence, and no national fee schedule exists. | |
| Chile | No route | 30 a week | The student permit must be applied for from outside Chile and there is no post-study permit, though students may work up to 30 hours a week. | |
| China | No route | Not allowed | Students have no general right to work and there is no post-study visa, though master's graduates with good grades may get a work permit within a year of graduating. | |
| Egypt | No route | Not published | Public university fees for international students are shown only in the Study in Egypt portal, and there is no post-study work route. | |
| Georgia | No route | Not published | Check recognition of a Georgian medical degree with your home regulator before enrolling, and note that work authorisation has been required since 1 March 2026. | |
| India | No route | Not allowed | Students have no right to work, there is no post-study visa, and registration with the FRRO within 14 days of arrival is compulsory. | |
| Indonesia | No route | Not allowed | Students may not work, there is no post-study route, and the visa must be sponsored and filed by your university. | |
| Italy | No route | 20 a week | State university fees depend on family income via the ISEE Parificato, and students who miss the deadline pay the top bracket by default. | |
| Mexico | No route | Not published | The funds test is either monthly income of MXN 25,808.20 or an average balance of MXN 268,639.90, and students need INM permission before any paid work. | |
| Morocco | No route | Not published | Official figures for funds, visa fee, public tuition and work rights are not published, so only private university fees such as Al Akhawayn's can be checked. | |
| Philippines | No route | Not allowed | Students have no general right to work, and tuition is charged per unit so there is no annual figure to compare. | |
| Qatar | No route | 20 a week | You cannot sponsor yourself, so a third party must provide a QAR 20,000 bank guarantee or bank statements, and the living figure is the HBKU stipend level rather than a budget. | |
| Saudi Arabia | No route | Not published | Public universities work mainly through full scholarships, and no official figure is published for funds, visa fee, living costs or work rights. | |
| South Africa | No route | 20 a week | Tuition depends on whether you are from SADC, elsewhere in Africa or the rest of the world, and compulsory medical aid is an extra monthly cost. | |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Not published | Not published | Proof of funds is 400 BAM a month in a bank account (annual figure is our calculation); a notarised guarantee or scholarship is accepted instead. Plus 150 BAM temporary residence fee. Tuition is the University of Banja Luka first-cycle range for foreign citizens, 2026/27; University of Sarajevo fees not verified. D visa fee as listed by BiH embassies in Berlin and Podgorica. Student work is governed by entity laws and was not confirmed. | |
| Montenegro | Not published | Not published | Tuition is the University of Montenegro MONTEB English-taught bachelor's (2025 call); other programmes charge the self-funded Montenegrin fee, not verified. The Law on Foreigners sets no subsistence amount and the current rulebook could not be read. The 15 hours a week work limit and 9-month job-search permit in Article 48 apply to international exchange programme students, not degree students. Visa and residence permit fees not found. | |
| North Macedonia | Not published | 10 a week | Proof of funds amount is set by Government decision, which we could not find. UKIM lists EUR 2,000 to 5,000 for English-taught programmes but does not say whether per year, so tuition fields are null. The 10-hour limit is from the 2023 English text of the Law on Employment and Work of Foreigners (Article 14); amendments reportedly took effect in September 2025 and the current limit was not confirmed. D visa only after Ministry of Interior residence approval. | |
| Serbia | Not published | 20 a week | Proof of funds is a Serbian bank balance 'in the amount of minimum salary' for the year of application; no total or period is published (net minimum wage 2026: RSD 64,554 a month). Visa fee applies only to nationalities needing a visa; temporary residence costs RSD 430 plus RSD 23,450. Tuition range is the School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade, 2025/2026. No dedicated post-study permit found. No official living cost figure. |
Figures from each country guide, checked against official sources on 24 September 2026. The United Kingdom's Graduate Route falls from two years to 18 months for applications from 1 January 2027.