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Looking up at the steel stair towers and pipes of the Lloyd's building in the City of London, between glass office towers

Singaporean and Malaysian graduates in the UK

The Lloyd's building, City of London. Photograph: Choinowski, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped

Law, the Big 4 and banking in London: the calendar, the routes after a UK degree, and your scholarship terms first.

418 Singaporean nationals were granted a Graduate visa in the year to June 2026. Source: Home Office.

By the Get a job in the UK desk

Updated

Checked against gov.uk on

The Season

I graduate in
  1. Graduate scheme applications From August 2026 to January 2027 Most open September or October, banks from August; many deadlines fall in November and December.
  2. Spring weeks and insight programmes September 2026 to January 2027 For first-years, and second-years on four-year courses; most applications fall in autumn, programmes run around Easter.
  3. Summer internship applications (summer 2027) From August 2026 to January 2027 For penultimate-year students; many review applications as they arrive and close early.
  4. Assessment centre season November 2026 to April 2027 First rounds follow deadlines; final assessment days run from November into spring.
  5. Graduate visa lengths A Graduate visa applied for on or before 31 December 2026 usually lasts 2 years. For applications made on or after 1 January 2027, it is scheduled to last 18 months.
Today, 9 October

Full calendar

This edition is for Singaporean and Malaysian students and graduates of UK universities. The editions index has four more.

Without Youth Mobility, the Graduate visa is your bridge

Neither Singapore nor Malaysia appears on the Youth Mobility Scheme lists on gov.uk’s eligibility page (opens gov.uk), so that route is closed. After a UK degree, the Graduate visa is the bridge to a first job here.

The bridge In the rules
The Graduate visa A Graduate visa applied for on or before 31 December 2026 usually lasts 2 years. For applications made on or after 1 January 2027, it is scheduled to last 18 months. After a PhD it lasts 3 years.
Switching A Graduate visa cannot be extended, but you may switch to a Skilled Worker visa from inside the UK
Who counts as a new entrant If you are on a Graduate visa, or were in the last 2 years, you count as a new entrant for the salary rules
The general threshold £41,700
The going rate The salary must meet both the threshold and the going rate for the job’s occupation code

£33,400 salary floor for new entrants on a Skilled Worker visa

Source: GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa

The salary rules then decide which offers work.

Check your scholarship terms, then the budget

If a scholarship or a sponsored place paid for your degree, its terms may say where you work after it: check them with your scholarship sponsor before you apply for UK roles.

£2,332 average monthly private rent in London, August 2026

Source: Office for National Statistics

Then price the first year, and set the rent against the salary on any offer before you accept. London on a graduate salary works through take-home pay, rent by area and travel at three salaries.

A row of tall terraced houses painted yellow, green, grey, blue and purple on Lancaster Road in Notting Hill, west London
Painted houses on Lancaster Road, Notting HillPhotograph: Bex Walton, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped

Travel is the next fixed cost. A monthly Travelcard for Zones 1 to 2 costs £171.70 on Transport for London’s current fares, so choose where you live with the commute in mind.

Law, Big 4 and banks recruit in autumn

For a training contract, the vacation scheme comes first. White & Case recruits the majority of its London trainees from its schemes.

Employer or body What its own page says
Linklaters Each vacation scheme ends with a training contract interview with a partner; applications close on 3 December 2026
Solicitors Regulation Authority Pass SQE1 and SQE2, plus two years' full-time (or equivalent) qualifying work experience
KPMG UK Two online assessments, a recorded video interview, then a half-day final stage
Deloitte UK The graduate final stage is in person, at the office linked to your application
Goldman Sachs Summer analyst places for penultimate and final-year students, reviewed on a rolling basis
Barclays A closing date of 31 October 2026 for one 2027 London internship, which might close earlier
LSE Department of Finance Bank internships are paid and in many cases lead to a full-time offer
targetjobs Most graduate programmes open in September or October
University of York careers service Big Four schemes are expected to close by December or January

Big 4 recruitment, stage by stage has the full sequence.

For Singaporeans: count the visa into the degree

If you are a Singaporean weighing a UK degree, count the Graduate visa into the plan from the start: you must have studied in the UK for at least 12 months of a course longer than 12 months, or the whole of a shorter one.

418 Graduate visas for Singaporean nationals in the year to June 2026

Graduate route grants to Singaporean main applicants, by year ending June: 2022, 319; 2023, 446; 2024, 428; 2025, 390; 2026, 418.

Source: Home Office, Immigration System Statistics, table Data_Exe_D01, main applicants granted an extension on the Graduate route. Download the figures (CSV)

View as a tableHide the table
Graduate visas for Singaporean nationals, by year ending June
Year ending JuneGraduate visas granted
2022319
2023446
2024428
2025390
2026418

At a UK university already, the autumn of your final year is the season that matters: most schemes open then, and the Graduate visa covers the gap if an offer comes after your course ends.

More on the one-year master'sLess on the one-year master's

On a one-year master’s, the scheme season begins almost as soon as you arrive. LSE’s finance department tells its incoming students that most finance schemes open as early as August and close in October or November.

For Malaysians: use the final year and the visa

As a Malaysian student at a UK university, put your final-year autumn into scheme applications and internships, which LSE Careers notes large companies often use to find permanent recruits.

1,046 Graduate visas for Malaysian nationals in the year to June 2026

Graduate route grants to Malaysian main applicants, by year ending June: 2022, 1,313; 2023, 1,696; 2024, 1,704; 2025, 1,385; 2026, 1,046.

Source: Home Office, Immigration System Statistics, table Data_Exe_D01, main applicants granted an extension on the Graduate route. Download the figures (CSV)

View as a tableHide the table
Graduate visas for Malaysian nationals, by year ending June
Year ending JuneGraduate visas granted
20221,313
20231,696
20241,704
20251,385
20261,046

Your visa year then opens a second front.

Your visa year What to know
Applying You apply from inside the UK before your Student visa ends, once your university has told the Home Office you have finished your course
Direct-entry roles Advertised throughout the year, says LSE Careers, so the search continues after your course
Before you accept an offer Check its salary against the new-entrant floor above

Job hunting on a Graduate visa sets out the months.

Check each employer, too, on the register of licensed sponsors on gov.uk (opens gov.uk).

Law firms and banks that hire graduates in London

  • Linklaters Trainee solicitors rotating through four seats Skilled Worker licence on the Home Office register, checked
  • Freshfields Trainee associates in commercial law Skilled Worker licence on the Home Office register, checked
  • Slaughter and May Trainee solicitors and solicitor apprentices Skilled Worker licence on the Home Office register, checked
  • A&O Shearman Trainee solicitors from any degree subject Skilled Worker licence on the Home Office register, checked
  • Goldman Sachs Final-year students and graduates as new analysts Skilled Worker licence on the Home Office register, checked
  • UBS Graduates in wealth, finance, operations and technology Skilled Worker licence on the Home Office register, checked

Logos identify each employer. A listing here is a fact about the employer, not an endorsement, and implies no affiliation.

This week

  1. Reread your scholarship or funding terms and note any work commitment
  2. Diary the vacation scheme deadlines on the training contract page
  3. Write the date your Student visa ends at the top of your plan
  4. Price a month in London with the graduate budget

Filed in November

Sources

  1. GOV.UK: Switching from a Graduate visa to Skilled Worker You cannot extend your Graduate visa. However, you may be able to switch to a different visa, for example a Skilled Worker visa. Checked
  2. GOV.UK: Who counts as a new entrant you’re currently in the UK on a Graduate visa (or you have been in the last 2 years, and a Graduate or visit visa was your most recent visa) Checked
  3. GOV.UK: Skilled Worker general salary threshold You’ll usually need to be paid the ‘standard’ salary rate of at least £41,700 per year, or the ‘going rate’ for your job, whichever is higher. Checked
  4. GOV.UK: The going-rate rule Going rates in Table 1 are per year and based on a 37.5-hour working week. They must be pro-rated for other working patterns, based on the weekly working hours stated by the applicant’s sponsor. Checked
  5. GOV.UK: Skilled Worker new-entrant salary floor You can be paid 70% of your job’s standard going rate if your salary will be at least £33,400 per year and one of the following applies: Checked
  6. GOV.UK: Minimum time studied in the UK for a Graduate visa at least 12 months, if your course’s total length is more than 12 months Checked
  7. GOV.UK: When to apply for a Graduate visa You must apply before your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa expires. Checked
  8. GOV.UK: Graduate visa length (applications on or before 31 December 2026) 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026 Checked
  9. GOV.UK: Graduate visa length (applications on or after 1 January 2027) 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027 Checked
  10. GOV.UK: Graduate visa length after a PhD or other doctorate If you have a PhD or other doctoral qualification, it will last for 3 years. Checked
  11. Office for National Statistics: Private rent and house prices, UK: September 2026 (released 16 September 2026) Average rent was highest in London (£2,332) and lowest in the North East (£788) in August 2026. Read
  12. Transport for London: Adult rate prices 2026 (Transport for London fares table, PDF, last modified 1 March 2026) Zones 1 to 2: Pay as you go caps: Daily peak £8.90; Daily off-peak £8.90; Monday to Sunday £44.70. Travelcards: Day anytime £16.60; Day off-peak £16.60; 7 Day £44.70; Monthly £171.70; Annual £1,788 Read
  13. Solicitors Regulation Authority: Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) route You will need to pass both parts, SQE1 and SQE2 Read
  14. Solicitors Regulation Authority: Qualifying work experience (updated 26 January 2024) All candidates looking to qualify through the SQE route will need to complete two years' full-time (or equivalent) qualifying work experience (QWE). Read
  15. Linklaters: Vacation Schemes Our Spring and Summer Vacation Schemes are the best route to securing a Training Contract with us. ... Final Training Contract interview: At the end of the scheme, you’ll have a guaranteed interview for a Training Contract with a Partner and Managing Associate. ... Closing Date 03/12/2026 Read
  16. White & Case: Vacation schemes (UK) We recruit the majority of our London trainees (on average 80 percent) from our vacation schemes, with up to 25 participants in each intake. ... Spring vacation scheme 5 to 16 April 2027 Who can apply? penultimate-year and final-year law students, final-year non-law students, and graduates from any discipline. When can I apply 24 September 2026 to 6 December 2026 Summer vacation scheme 28 June to 9 July 2027 Read
  17. KPMG UK: Application process (graduate) After submitting your application, you will be automatically invited to complete two online assessments. ... If you are successful at Stage 2, you may be invited to our Video Interview. ... If you are successful at Stage 3, you will be invited to attend the final stage of the recruitment process: Launch Pad, an in-person, half day event. Read
  18. Deloitte UK: Early Careers Assessment If you're applying for a Graduate, Entry Level Apprentice, Industrial Placement or BrightStart Apprentice role, your final stage assessment will take place in person at the Deloitte office linked to your application. ... The Final Stage Assessment is split into two exercises*: A discussion about your topic preparation with one of our assessors. ... A skills and motivation interview where we’ll ask some questions to learn more about your alignment with the capabilities we look for at Deloitte. Read
  19. Goldman Sachs: 2027 Summer Analyst Programme (EMEA) The Summer Analyst role is for candidates currently pursuing a Bachelors or Masters university degree and in their penultimate or final year of study. We review applications on a rolling basis and encourage you to apply as soon as you are ready. Read
  20. Barclays: 2027 Marketing Analyst Summer Internship Programme London The closing date for applications is 31 October 2026. Please note that this vacancy may close ahead of the advertised date due to application volumes, and we therefore recommend submitting your application as early as possible. ... To be considered for this opportunity, you must be in your penultimate year of university. You must be graduating in 2028. ... Please also note that, during your summer internship, you will be considered for a place on our 2028 graduate programme. Read
  21. University of York Careers and Placements: Recruitment time frames May to June: Some schemes may re-open if they have unfilled vacancies. ... Schemes with the "Big Four" professional services companies are likely to close by December/January Read
  22. targetjobs: When to apply for graduate jobs Most employers offering formal graduate programmes open for applications in September/October, with a view to graduates starting work the following September/October. ... Applications for graduate schemes in investment banking often open in August and close as early as October. Read
  23. LSE Careers: Graduate job market You will also find there is more flexibility on when to apply for graduate jobs; opportunities will tend to be advertised throughout the year, recruitment will often take place closer to the time of hireInternships can vary from a few weeks to a year, and they are often used by large companies to identify candidates for permanent roles. Read
  24. LSE Department of Finance: Careers advice (MSc Finance and Economics offer holders) They are paid positions, and in many cases can lead to an offer of a full-time position by the employer. These are offered by most investment banks, strategy consulting firms, and other financial and tech institutions. The application process is similar to that for full time positions, although deadlines are usually later in the autumn or JanuaryPrepare early: most schemes open as early as August and close in October or November (your course begins in early September). Read
  25. GOV.UK: Youth Mobility Scheme visa, eligibility You can apply for the visa if you're aged 18 to 35 and from: Australia Canada New Zealand South Korea ... You can apply for the visa if you're aged 18 to 30 and from: Andorra Iceland Japan Monaco San Marino Uruguay. You must be selected in the Youth Mobility Scheme ballot before you can apply for your visa if you're from: Hong Kong, if you have an SAR passport; Taiwan Read
  26. LSE Careers: Graduate scheme applications Recruitment Timeframes August to January Graduate schemes open, some fixed date, some rolling Formal internship schemes open including parliamentary internships October to April Assessments & offers Traineeship applications June to September Internships, grad schemes begin Smaller organisations in public and private sector hire throughout the year Read
  27. targetjobs: Graduate scheme applications Many employers set application deadlines in November and December. ... Some employers do not set a deadline and keep their graduate programmes ‘open’ all year or have ‘ongoing recruitment’, but they still expect to receive most of their applications by Christmas. Read
  28. Lancaster University Management School Careers: Spring weeks and insight programmes They generally take place during the Easter break in your first spring term. They, therefore, require applications in September and October in your first year at university! Note: Only first-year students can apply unless you are on a four-year course, where second-year students can also apply. ... Some schemes will open in July and August! Read
  29. Piper Sandler: Spring weeks and insight programmes For those that are successful on the Spring Week programme, you may receive an offer to be fast-tracked for a 2028 summer internship. Applicants should be either in the first year of a three-year degree or the second year of a four-year degree, graduating in 2029. ... Applications open from midday on Tuesday 1 December 2026. ... The confirmed dates for Spring Week are April 2027. Read
  30. targetjobs: Assessment centre season Those recruiters who set deadlines in November and December typically hold first-round interviews and assessments in January and February. Assessment centres are usually held in March and April and job offers made in April, May and June. Read
  31. KPMG UK: Assessment centre season The dates of our Launch Pad events can be found below: Tuesday 17th November 2026: London Oval ... Wednesday 5th May 2027: Leeds New Dock Hall ... If successful you will have your job offer within 2 working days! Read
  32. University of Warwick: Degree results Postgraduate Taught Students (awards only), Friday 26th June 2026 ... Undergraduate Finalist students, Thursday 9th July 2026 Read
  33. University of Kent: Degree results Exam results for finalists and Year In students will be published throughout the day on KentVision, Monday 20 July. Read
  34. Greenberg Traurig: Training contract applications (direct) Apply: September to November 2026 ... Applications for our 2029 training contract are now open. To apply, please click here. Applications will close on Monday 30th November 2026 at 23:59. ... We do not run vacation schemes. Applications for our training contracts are direct only. Read

This page is about the UK job hunt and is not immigration advice. For your own situation, speak to a regulated immigration adviser or an immigration solicitor, and check the current rules on gov.uk.

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