This page covers the following topics
- Introduction
- High Potential Individual visa – Overview
- Cost of a UK High Potential Individual visa
- Bringing a partner and children to the UK on a High Potential Individual visa
- Switching to a High Potential Individual visa while in the UK
- Next steps to take after your High Potential Individual visa expires
Introduction
- The UK Home Office is all set to launch the ‘High Potential Individual’ visa on 30th May 2022.
- This visa will allow applicants who have recently graduated from top-ranking universities outside the UK. They are permitted to work/do business in the country.
- Get in touch with Conroy Baker, either call us on +44 203 773 2948 or drop an email at [email protected] to know about the High Potential Individual visa, its eligibility criteria, requirements, and the application process in detail.
High Potential Individual visa – Overview
- The UK Home Office is all set to launch the ‘High Potential Individual’ (HPI) visa on 30th May 2022.
- The visa is aimed to attract high-skilled foreign university graduates, who will be allowed to work and live in the UK for 2-3 years, depending on their degree level.
- Applicants DO NOT need a job offer or sponsorship for this visa.
- They will be free to come to the UK to work as self-employed or set up a business or be a volunteer.
- The High Potential Individual visa will NOT lead to settlement in the UK.
- The High Potential Individual visa is similar to the UK Graduate visa. However, this visa focuses on recently graduated candidates from the top-ranking universities outside the UK.
- The visa can only be granted once and will not be available to those who have already had a UK Graduate visa.
- The main applicant can be accompanied by a dependent partner and children (under 18 years) to the UK on a High Potential Individual visa.
| English language requirement | Financial requirement | Degree requirement and period of grant |
|---|---|---|
| If the applicant’s degree was not taught in English, the applicant will need to pass an English language test qualifying to at least B1 level in these 4 areas – reading, writing, speaking, and listening. | Applicants applying for a UK High Potential Individual visa have to demonstrate that they have at least £1,270 held in their bank account for at least 28 days prior to the date of the application. | The applicant’s degree must be dated within 5 years of applying for the visa. |
| If the applicant’s degree was taught in English, and the degree was awarded outside the UK, the applicant will need confirmation from ECCTIS that the qualification meets the required standard of a UK Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctorate degree. | The degree can be in any discipline but has to be equivalent to not less than a UK Bachelor’s degree. | |
| Graduates with a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree will be given a 2 years visa grant to live in the UK. | ||
| Graduates with a Ph.D. or another doctoral level qualification will be given a 3 years visa grant to live in the UK. This will include schools that feature in the top 50 in at least two of three renowned rankings: T
|
Cost of a UK High Potential Individual visa
The applicant is required to pay:
- £715 as the application fee, plus
- £624 for each year granted on the visa as the immigration healthcare surcharge.
- (application fees updated as of May 2022).
Bringing a partner and children to the UK on a High Potential Individual visa
An applicant of a High Potential Individual visa can bring a partner (spouse or a civil partner, or an unmarried partner) and children (under 18 years) to the UK.
Switching to a High Potential Individual visa while in the UK
Applicants are permitted to switch to a High Potential Individual visa from a different visa category without leaving the UK.
The only exception is – if the applicant is on a visitor visa or short-term student visa, or those who have been granted Leave To Remain outside the immigration rules or parents of a child at school and domestic worker visa holders.
Next steps to take after your High Potential Individual visa expires
A UK High Potential Individual visa is not a route to settlement in the UK. However, the applicant can switch to any work permitted category leading to a settlement in the UK, such as:
- A UK Skilled Worker visa,
- A UK Start-up visa,
- A UK Innovator visa,
- A UK Exceptional Talent visa, or
- A UK Scale-up visa.
The applicant is allowed to switch at any time before the current visa’s expiry date.
