The United Kingdom is looking to launch an attractive visa option to attract high potential individuals to the country.
It is expected to launch on May 30; the High Potential Individual (HPI) visa aims to attract high-skilled foreign university graduates, who will be entitled to work and stay in the UK for two or three years, depending upon the degree level.
Applicants would not be offered any job or sponsorship, and holders of this visa will be free to come to the UK to work and be self-employed and volunteer.
Kevin Foster, Minister for Safe and Legal Migration, said in a statement that “The new High Potential Individual route will make it as simple as possible for internationally mobile individuals who demonstrate high potential to come to the UK,”
“It will enable those who have already demonstrated their potential through academic achievement to come to the UK without a prior job offer.” He added.
The first step to qualifying for an HPI visa is a degree from a world-renowned university. The British government will release the list once a year on its official website Gov. uk.
It will include schools that feature in the top 50 in at least two of three renowned rankings:
- Times Higher Education World University rankings
- Quacquarelli Symonds (QS.) World University rankings
- The Academic Ranking of the World Universities
Also, you must have been awarded the degree within five years of application. The degree can be in any discipline but has to be equivalent to not less than a UK bachelor’s degree.
If the degree is not taught in English, you will need to pass at least the B1 level of an accepted English language test.
If the degree was taught in English, the applicant would need a certificate from the awarding body or a university transcript. If the degree was awarded outside the UK, the applicant would need confirmation from Ecctis that the qualification meets the required standard of a UK bachelor’s, masters or doctorate degree.
The interest individuals will need to show the equivalent of at least £1,270 in their bank account for a continuous 28-day period no later than 31 days before making the High Potential Individual visa application.
If the applicant has been resident in the UK for more than 12 months, they might not need to meet this requirement. The visa will cost £715.
Graduates with a bachelor’s or a master’s degree will be given a two-year visa. PhD or other doctoral-level graduates will get visas valid for three years.
This visa can only be granted once and will not be available to those who have already had a Graduate visa.
The applicants cannot directly apply for PR. Instead, they can switch to permits under the skilled worker, start-up and innovator, exceptional talent, or scale up the route before the visa expires.
The applicants will be able to bring their dependents, such as a partner or children under 18, with you. “Partner” refers to either a spouse, civil partner, or unmarried partner. However, according to reports, unmarried partners must show that they have lived together for at least two years and that their relationship is genuine.
