Want to know what is the new HPI Visa or the High Potential Individual Visa? Who is eligible for the new UK visa? Let us find out.
The UK is working hard towards making itself the hub for entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation and is tapping student power to achieve this. The UK recently reintroduced the student visa scheme to allow international students in the UK to work and stay in the country for up to 2 years after graduation.
In addition, they have recently announced a High Potential Individual (HPI) visa scheme designed specifically for students from the world’s top universities.
Read: Different Types Of UK Visas – A Complete Guide
What is the HPI Visa In The UK?
The HPI visa allows alumni from the top universities outside the UK to live and work in the UK for specific time durations. Graduates with a bachelor’s or master’s degree from eligible universities can get a work visa for 2 years while Ph.D. holders can get a 3-year visa. T
hey do not need a job offer to be eligible for this visa. Also, the candidate’s nationality does not influence visa eligibility. There is no cap currently on this visa category. As the visa validity draws to a close, eligible candidates can switch to a long-term employment visa. The HPI visa cannot be extended.
Read: UK-India Young Professionals Scheme
High Potential Individual Visa Eligibility
To be eligible for this visa, the applicant must meet the below criteria:
- Must have graduated from one of the eligible universities within the last 5 years with a Bachelor/ Master’s/Ph.D. degree
- Must be able to read, speak and write English to at least the B1 level. This can be proved by any one of the following:
- Must clear the SELT exam
- Must have a level 4 or 5 GCSE
- Must have a degree taught in English
- Must have at least £1270 available to support oneself in the UK
Eligible Universities
To be eligible for this visa, the applicant should have graduated from a university that is listed in at least two of the following rankings:
- Times Higher Education World University Rankings
- Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings
- The Academic Ranking of the World Universities
For 2022, the eligible universities are:
- California Institute of Technology (Caltech), USA
- Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Hong Kong
- Columbia University, USA
- Cornell University, USA
- Duke University, USA
- Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL Switzerland), Switzerland
- ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Switzerland
- Harvard University, USA
- Johns Hopkins University, USA
- Karolinska Institute, Sweden
- Kyoto University, Japan
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA
- McGill University, Canada
- Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore
- National University of Singapore, Singapore
- New York University (NYU), USA
- Northwestern University, USA
- Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University, France
- Peking University, China
- Princeton University, USA
- Stanford University, USA
- Tsinghua University, China
- University of British Columbia, Canada
- The University of California, Berkeley, USA
- The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), USA
- The University of California, San Diego, USA
- University of Chicago US, USA
- University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- University of Melbourne, Australia
- University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, USA
- University of Munich (LMU Munich), Germany
- University of Pennsylvania, USA
- The University of Texas at Austin, USA
- University of Tokyo, Japan
- University of Toronto, Canada
- University of Washington, USA
- Yale University, USA
Documents Required For The HPI Visa
- Valid passport
- Graduation degree
- Proof of sufficient command over the English language
- Academic Qualification Level Statement/ Academic Qualification Level Statement and English Language Proficiency Statement from Ecctis
- Proof of relationships with partner/children if they are also to be included in the visa application
- Police character certificate
UK High Potential Individual Visa – Cost Of Application
- Application fee: £715
- Health surcharge for 2-year visa: £1248
- Health surcharge for 3-year visa: £1872
- Fee for Ecctis to validate qualification: £210
In the case of canceling an application, the application fee can be refunded only if the UK Visas and Immigration has not started processing the application.
Dependents
The applicant’s partner and dependent children can also be included on this visa. Eligible dependents are:
- Civil partner/ husband/ wife
- An unmarried partner who has been in a relationship with the applicant for the last two years
- Children under the age of 18 years
- Children over the age of 18 years who are already in the UK as the applicant’s dependents. In this case, they must also be:
- Unmarried
- Not in any civil partnership
- Be financially supported by the applicant
- Not have any children of their own
- Live with the applicant or in a full-time boarding school/ college/ university
If dependents are being included in the visa application, the applicant must prove the availability of additional funds for sustenance.
- For the applicant’s partner: £285
- For 1 child: £315
- For every additional child: £200
How To Apply For The UK’s HPI Visa
Applicants from outside the UK can submit their applications online here. The same application number may be used to apply for dependent visas. The identity proof method depends on the applicant’s nationality. This will be indicated when the application is submitted. If you cannot complete the application in one session, the form can be saved and continued later.
Once the application is submitted and the applicant’s identity has been proved, a decision is usually given within 3 weeks.
Switching To The HPI Visa
Applicants already in the UK cans witch to an HPI visa as long as they are not holding one of the below visas:
- Visit visa
- Short-term student visa
- Graduate visa
- Parent/child student visa
- Seasonal worker visa
- Immigration bail
- Or if they have been allowed to stay in the country on compassionate grounds
Eligibility and visa fees remain the same. Applicants will have to submit their biometric information and can apply online from here. A decision is usually given within 8 weeks of submitting the application.
Also Read
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- UK Visa Policy Welcomes Doctors And Nurses From India But Ignores Students
- How To Apply For The UK Start Up Visa