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Graduates from top global universities wooed with new High Potential Individual UK visa option (6 June 2022)

Date: 06/06/2022
Duncan Lewis, Business Immigration Solicitors, Graduates from top global universities wooed with new High Potential Individual UK visa option

A new High Potential Individual (HPI) visa has been created in a bid to make the UK a more attractive place to work for students from the world’s top universities.

Some of the changes of recent years have acted as a disincentive, such as removing the two-year post-study work visa, which has now been reinstated.

The High Potential Individual visa is part of a massive overhaul of the entry system, which included scrapping the discredited ‘golden visa’ scheme.

Clearly, the intention is to make ‘UK PLC’ a much more attractive destination to business leaders and entrepreneurs by creating kind of European Silicon Valley, and attracting applicants who have degrees from institutions such as Harvard, Yale, and Tsinghua University to assist with the future economic recovery.

The Government hopes this new route, which launched on Monday, May 31, will lure the "brightest and best" to these shores at the beginning of their careers.

Successful applicants with a bachelor's or master's degree will get a two-year work visa, while PhD-holders will have a three-year visa.

Universities want the Government to look at longer post-study work visas in the future, which have been proven to attract more students to countries such as Australia, where students can get a post-study visa for up to four years.

However, the Government does insist that students will be able to "switch to other long-term employment visas, if you meet the eligibility requirements".

Graduates must be over 17 and have been awarded their degree - equivalent to a UK bachelor's or postgraduate degree - no more than five years before the application date.

There is no limit on numbers and candidates do not need a prior job offer. Dependents will be allowed to accompany them.

Only graduates from the world's top 50 universities outside the UK will be able to apply.

The scheme is part of an overhaul of the visa scheme designed to attract talent post-Brexit, and includes the creation of new innovator and start-up categories and the scrapping of the old tier-based categories.

The criteria:

  • Candidates must pass a security and criminal check

  • Graduates must be able to speak, read, listen and write English to at least the B1 (intermediate) level.

  • The visa will cost £715 (successful applicants will need to pay the immigration health surcharge to use the NHS.)

  • Applicant must have maintenance funds of at least £1,270

  • The universities must appear in the top 50 rankings of at least two of these lists: Times Higher Education World University Rankings, Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings, or The Academic Ranking of World Universities.

  • Eligible universities from 2021 comprise 20 US institutions, universities from Canada, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Germany, Australia, Singapore, France, Sweden, and Switzerland, according to the Government list.


Announcing the new route, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: "The route means that the UK will grow as a leading international hub for innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship.

"We want the businesses of tomorrow to be built here today, which is why I call on students to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to forge their careers here."


If you are a graduate who meets the above criteria and wants to come to the UK to work contact our expert, Legal 500 ranked, business immigration team for advice.


Vicash Ramkissoon is a business and private immigration director and solicitor with more than 18 years’ post qualification experience advising international businesses and individuals in complex applications under the Points Based System (PBS). Contact him via email at vicashr@duncanlewis.com or telephone on 020 3114 1105.


Tamana Aziz is also a director and solicitor in the private and business Immigration department at Duncan Lewis, with more than 20 years’ experience assisting people with a wide variety of immigration law cases and applications. Contact her via email at tamanaa@duncanlewis.com or by telephone on 020 3114 1130.




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