High Potential Individual visa

The High Potential Individual route is opened for recent graduates of top global universities who would like to work, or look for work in the UK. The applicant must have successfully completed the study equivalent to UK Bachelor’s degree-level or above. 

This route does not require sponsorship. Applicants they may be joined or accompanied by a dependent partner and dependent children.

Successful applicant will be granted entry clearance or permission to stay of 3 years if their eligible qualification is PhD or in other doctoral level; while entry clearance or permission to stay of 2 years will be granted for other degree level of qualifications.

This route does not lead to settlement.

Eligibility

You must satisfy the following requirements when you apply the High Potential Individual visa:

• You are aged 18 or above on the date of application;
• You have not been granted permission under Student Doctorate Extension Scheme, Graduate visa or High Potential Individual visa previously;
• You meet the qualification requirement in the next few sections.

Qualification requirement

In order to qualify for the High Potential Individual Visa, you must 5 years immediately before the date of application, have been awarded an overseas degree level or above, and the course which Ecctis confirms meets, or exceeds, the recognised standard of a UK bachelor’s or UK postgraduate degree. Ecctis will also confirm the date when you were awarded the degree.

The institution which awarded your degree must appear on the Global Universities List in respect of the date when you were awarded the degree. The Global Universities List is a list of universities published by Home Office, which is compiled on an annual basis and consists of all non-UK institutions that are ranked in the top 50 of at least two of the ranking systems below:

• Times Higher Education World University Rankings;
• Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings;
• The Academic Ranking of World Universities.

English Language Requirement

You must you meet the English language ability on CEFR of at least level B1, there are 4 ways in which you can show you meet the English language requirement. These include:

• being a national of a majority English speaking country; or
• passing an English language test level from a provider listed in Appendix O and had taken the test at a Secure English Language Test centre – note that you must achieved the required scores in all relevant component in a single sitting; or
• holding a degree that was taught in English and is equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree or
• had already shown that you met the requirement, of level B1, in previous successful application for entry clearance or leave to remain.

Maintenance

You must show that you have enough money to support yourself (and any dependants). They must have the adequate amount (see below) of personal savings in cash held for at least consecutive 28 days before the date of application;

• £1,270 for the main applicant
• £285 for a dependent partner
• £315 for a first child
• £200 for each subsequent child

If you have been in the UK with permission for 12 months or longer on the date of application, you will meet the financial requirement and do not need to show funds.

Switching into the High Potential Individual visa

Applicants who have other permissions to stay in the UK can switch to High Potential Individual visa except where you were last granted permission as a Visitor, a Short-term Student, a Parent of a Child Student, a Seasonal Worker, a Domestic Worker in a Private Household or outside the Immigration Rules.