High Potential Individual visa is a new platform that the UK official has introduced to attract international students to the country. It brings the students who have studied in top universities and makes them interested in the UK.
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ToggleWhat is the new High Potential Individual visa?
International students who have completed a course in a top university outside the UK can apply for a High Potential Individual visa. They must have completed the course in the last five years, and the applicant must be at least 18 years old.
The program provides the UK with better-competing opportunities for hiring talented people.
The good feature of the High Potential Individual visa is that you do not need a job offer to move to the UK.
This is an excellent way to hire new employees for British employers as they do not have to pay the sponsorship fee. When applicants arrive in the UK, they have the opportunity to look for a job.
Which universities are eligible for the High Potential Individual visa?
The qualified universities for the High Potential Individual visa must be on the Home Office’s Global University List. This list will probably comprise the top 50 universities or education centers in the world approved by at least one of the followings:
- Times Higher Education World University Rankings
- Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings
- The Academic Ranking of World Universities
The top universities of 2021 by the QS are as follows. The High Potential Individual visa might get applicants from them:
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- Stanford University
- Harvard University
- California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
- University of Oxford
- ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
- University of Cambridge
- Imperial College London
- University of Chicago
- UCL – London’s Global University
- National University of Singapore (NUS)
- Princeton University
- Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU)
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne
- Tsinghua University
- University of Pennsylvania
- Yale University
- Cornell University
- Columbia University
- The University of Edinburgh
Of course, the top universities vary every year. But you can find the above names every name, and they are unlikely to change this soon.
High Potential Individual visa eligibility principles
Graduating from a top university in the last five years is not the only requirement. The UK officials have set a few other rules:
English language proficiency
Applicants need to provide the result of a language proficiency test approved by the immigration officials. They might be as follows;
- Pearson
- PSI Services (UK) Ltd
- IELTS SELT Consortium
- LanguageCert
- TOFEL
If applicants come from an English-speaking country where English is the official language or have passed a course in English, they might be exempt from this option.
Proof to have enough funds
The financial requirements need to be at least £1,270 in cash to cover the first and basic expenses. It needs to be enough until applicants get a job in the UK.
How long can you stay under a High Potential Individual visa?
Your duration of stay is up to your educational certificate. If you have a Ph.D., you can stay in the UK for three years. But the applicants who have a BA or MA can stay for two years.
What about next? You don’t have to be worried about extending the visa or staying longer. You can apply for other UK work visas and stay in the country as long as you have a job contract.
How is a High Potential Individual visa different from a UK student visa?
The main difference between a High Potential Individual visa and a UK student visa is that the latter allows international students to stay in the UK after graduation and get a job. They even have the opportunity to stay for a while without a job and look for a job that suits their skills. Students do not have to get a job that meets income requirements.
The HPI visa allows people who have studied in a foreign university to move to the UK. They might not have lived in the UK or studied at any British university, but they have the chance to move to the country. This group can move to the UK and look for a job.
Visit the Visa Library for more details about the High Potential Individual visa.