High Potential Individual (HPI) Visa
The High Potential Individual (HPI) route enabling recent graduates to come to the UK to work or look for work opened for applications on 30 May 2022.
This is an unsponsored route, meaning applicants will not need a job offer to qualify. There is no need for a Home-Office approved sponsor in the UK.
The route is open to graduates who have completed an eligible course of study equivalent to UK bachelor’s degree level or above from a top global university.
The HPI route is a short-term work visa for individuals at an early career stage, who have shown they have potential to benefit the UK workforce.
This route does not directly lead to settlement in the UK.
Requirements to apply for HPI
The applicant must be aged 18 or above
Previously not granted permission under the Student Doctorate Extension Scheme (as a Graduate or HPI)
Pay the immigration health surcharge and the application fee
Must provide all required biometrics
Current valid passport or travel document which identitys the applicant and his nationality
If currently in the UK, must not have, or have last been granted, permission:
(a) as a Visitor; or
(b) Short-term Student; or
(c) Parent of a Child Student; or
(d) Seasonal Worker; or
(e) Domestic Worker in a Private Household; or
(f) outside the Immigration Rules
If, in the 12 months before the application, the applicant received an award from a government or international scholarship agency covering both fees and living costs for study in the UK, a written consent to the application is also required from that government or international scholarship agency.
Points requirements for HPI
– The applicant must be awarded a total of 70 points.
– 50 points for satisfying the Global Universities List degree requirement
- 10 points for English language requirement at level B1
- 10 points for satisfying the financial requirements
What is the Global Universities List degree requirement?
You can apply for a HPI visa if you have graduated from an eligible international university in the 5 years immediately before your application. Eligible institutions are listed in the Home Office’s Global Universities List. The awarding institution must appear on the list in respect of the date when you graduated with your degree.
Your qualification must be at the same level as:
a UK bachelor’s degree
a UK postgraduate degree
a UK PhD or doctorate.
You will need to apply through Ecctis to check that your qualification is valid and at the right level.
As part of the application process, you will also need to prove your knowledge of English language ability on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in all 4 components (reading, writing, speaking and listening) of at least level B1 and prove that you have enough personal savings to support yourself in the UK (unless you have been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months).
Dependant partner and children:
Applicant’s dependent partner and dependent children can apply on this route. If successful, their permission to stay will end on the same date as their partner’s or parents’ permission.
– Eligibility and relationship requirements for a dependent partner
Must be the partner of a person who has or is at the same time being granted permission as a HPI.
The relationship between the applicant and their partner must be genuine and subsisting.
They must intend to live together throughout the applicant’s stay in the UK.
Dependent partner must be aged 18 or over on the date of application.
– Eligibility and relationship requirements for a dependent child
Must be the child of a parent who has or is at the same time being granted permission as a High Potential Individual.
Each of the child’s parents must be applying at the same time as the child or have permission to be in the UK, unless the parent with permission as a HPI route is the sole surviving parent, has sole responsibility for the child’s upbringing, or there are serious and compelling reasons to grant the child leave to remain with the parent who is applying for the HPI route.
The child must be under the age of 18 at the date of application unless they were last granted permission as the child of their parent or parents.
If they are aged 16 or over, they must not be leading an independent life.
Financial requirement for a partner or child on the HPI route
If the applicant is applying for entry clearance or has been in the UK for less than 12 months on the date of application, financial requirements must be satisfied.
The funds required are:
at least £285 for a partner in the UK or applying to come to the UK; and
at least £315 for the first child in the UK or applying to come to the UK; and
at least £200 for each additional child in the UK or applying to come to the UK.
The required level of funds must have been held for a 28-day period.
UK global talent visa
The Global Talent visa is open to talented and promising applicants within the fields of science, engineering, medicine, humanities, digital technology and arts and culture (including film and television, fashion design and architecture) who wish to work in the UK.
Global Talent Visa Requirements
In order to qualify for a Global Talent visa, you will need to satisfy UK Visas and Immigration that:
- You are aged 18 or over
- You have been issued with an endorsement letter by a Home Office approved endorsing body or have been awarded a prize listed in Appendix Global Talent: Prestigious Prizes
- Your application does not fall under the general grounds for refusal
- You have provided a valid TB certificate, if required.
Global Talent Endorsement Application
In order to apply for a Global Talent visa, most applicants will need to receive an endorsement from an appropriate endorsing body as evidence of their exceptional talent or promise. You can be endorsed in the fields of science, engineering, medicine, humanities, digital technology and arts and culture (including film and television, fashion design and architecture).
Each endorsing body has its own set of criteria for a Global Talent endorsement, but in each case you will need a substantial body of work and support from experts in your field.
