A New UK Immigration Policy for University Graduates

The UK has just launched a new immigration policy for the brightest minds around the world. This new policy has been launched due to a skilled labour shortage in the UK. The new visa is called the High Potential Individual (HPI) and it aims to attract high-degree holders from eligible universities and allows these students to stay in the UK for at least 2 years even if they do not have a job offer. 

As per the UK home office, the HPI visa is aimed to draw a large number of talented university graduates who “demonstrate exceptional promise, providing a highly desirable and able pool of mobile talent from which UK employers can recruit.”

So, if you have been awarded a qualification by an eligible university in the last 5 years, you can easily apply for the High Potential Individual visa. Check the list of universities that allows you to get the HPI visa here. The eligible universities list includes universities in the USA, Germany, Hong Kong, Canada, Japan, Australia, China, France, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, and more countries. 

This news sounds great but make sure you demonstrate English language ability on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in all four components (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) to at least level B1 (intermediate), so you become qualified for the HPI visa. 

The HPI visa allows the beneficiary’s partner and children to accompany them to the UK. So it will not be a problem at all to live with your loved ones once you get the HPI visa. Also, with the HPI visa, you can look for work or be self-employed, as work is not an obstacle at all for the HPI visa holders. Additionally, if you got an HPI visa, you can travel abroad and return back to the UK freely. Another privilege of the HPI visa is that the duration of staying in the UK is extended up to 3 years for PhD or other doctoral level qualification holders.

You can actually switch to the HPI visa if you are an applicant who is already in the UK and has one of the following visas: a visit visa, a short-term student visa, a graduate visa, a parent/child student visa, a seasonal worker visa, an immigration bail, or if you have been allowed to stay in the country on compassionate grounds. 

The HPI visa is different from the UK graduate visa in terms of university place and duration. The HPI visa is aimed for the students who have a university degree from an eligible university outside the UK while the UK graduate visa is for the students who study within the UK. Also, the HPI visa allows its holders to stay in the UK for up to three years if they have the requirements, while the UK graduate visa holders are allowed to stay for only only years after completing a degree in the UK.