The UK is opening a new visa route in May 2022. Its called the High Potential Individual Visa – Dont need a Job – Dont need sponsorship – Dont need any permit. See More below!
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When is the Application OPENING:
30th May 2022
Tell Me About UK High Potential Individual Visa:
The High Potential Individual route is a new immigration route which aims to deliver the UK Government’s commitment in the Plan for Growth to “introduce an elite points-based route to attract the brightest and best to the UK to maintain our status as a leading international hub for emerging technologies”.
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Opening on 30 May 2022, the High Potential Individual route will be available to recent graduates of leading overseas universities who wish to work, or look for work, in the UK.
Unlike the existing Skilled Worker route and the forthcoming Scale-up route, opening on 22 August 2022, the High Potential Individual route is not a sponsored route. This means that graduates do not need a job offer for an eligible skilled job in the UK from a Home Office-approved sponsor. While the route will be open to overseas graduates with a UK job offer, it will also be available to graduates who have no current job offer in the UK and who simply wish to look for work (any type of work) in the UK.
Although applicants for a High Potential Individual Visa must be at least 18 years old to apply, unlike the Youth Mobility Scheme there is no upper age limit for a High Potential Individual visa and the route is also open to all nationalities.
The High Potential Individual route will not lead directly to settlement in the UK. However, graduates in the UK with a High Potential Individual Visa will be able to apply from within the UK to switch into another immigration route which may subsequently lead to settlement. High Potential Individuals may also be joined or accompanied by a partner and dependent children.
How is the HPI visa different from graduate visas?
The key difference between the High Potential Individual Visa and the UK graduate visa is that the first is available specifically to graduates of schools outside the UK. The UK graduate visa allows people who’ve completed a degree within the UK to stay for at least two years after graduating.
How are Applicants Selected?
People who’ve received their bachelor’s, master’s, or post-doctorate degrees from a qualified school within the past five years also have to meet a few other eligibility requirements. According to the immigration law firm Richmond Chambers, these include:
- An English language requirement, which involves showing that you either come from a majority-English-speaking country or that you’ve passed a test or received a degree demonstrating your English language ability
- A financial requirement, which asks that applicants have at least £1,270 available in cash
Which Universities are Eligible?
Applicants must have attended a university from the Home Office’s Global University List. Released annually, the list will comprise schools outside the UK that appear in the top 50 on at least two of the following world rankings:
- Times Higher Education World University Rankings
- Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings
- The Academic Ranking of World Universities
The schools that appear on world rankings may vary from year to year, but tend include a lot of familiar names, such as Harvard, Stanford, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US; Canada’s University of Toronto; Peking University and Tsinghua University in China; and the University of Tokyo in Japan.
Where will Award be Taken?
UK
How Many High Potential Individual Visas will be Given?
Numerous
What is the Benefit of High Potential Individual Visas?
- Applicants aren’t required to have a job offer in order to qualify for visas.
- UK employers will be free to hire HPI visa holders without paying sponsorship fees. After arriving in the UK, visa holders can apply for jobs in any industry.
How long can you stay in the UK with an HPI visa?
If you have a PhD from a qualifying university, your HPI visa is good for three years, according to Richmond Chambers. Those with bachelor’s or master’s degrees can stay for up to two years. The UK government said in a statement that people who are granted HPI visas “will be permitted to move into other long-term employment routes,” leaving the door open to their settling down in the UK.
How to Apply for High Potential Individual Visa:
Application opens 30th May 2022
It is important to go through all requirements before application opens.
Goodluck!
