The United Kingdom, a dreamland for many international students, is introducing a new visa to bring talented graduates to the country. On the other hand, the new policy targets mostly expats from high-level universities in the north of the globe.
The policy will be launched on May 30. The High Potential Individual (HPI) visa aims to attract high-skilled foreign university graduates—who will be allowed to work and stay in the UK for two or three years, depending on their degree level. What is impactful for expats, especially those outside Europe, is that usually, the Tier 4 visa requires a job offer and sponsorship from companies to allow expatriates to work in the UK. However, for this new program, applicants won't need a job offer or sponsorship, and holders of this visa will be free to come to the UK to work, set up as self-employed, and volunteer.
“The new High Potential Individual route will make it as simple as possible for internationally mobile individuals who demonstrate high potential to come to the UK,” Minister for Safe and Legal Migration Kevin Foster said in a statement. “It will enable those who have already demonstrated their potential through academic achievement to come to the UK without a prior job offer”, he added.
Does it really include expats?
Although it seems very good news for international graduates, the new visa (HPI), which costs £715, could be seen as a classist and excluding one, as its criteria lead this opportunity for expats from well-to-do families who can easily meet the requirements of education. For instance, the first qualifying step for this visa is a degree is to be from a world renowned university which last year (until October 2022) only had high-level ones, from specific countries (US, China, Switzerland, Sweden, Japan, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, and Germany). The British government will be releasing the list of universities once a year on the Gov.uk website. The last one relates to qualifications awarded between November 1, 2021, and October 31, 2022. It includes schools that feature in the top 50 in at least two of three renowned rankings: Times Higher Education World University rankings, Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University rankings and The Academic Ranking of the World Universities. Also, the international graduate must have been awarded the degree within five years of application. The degree can be in any discipline but has to be equivalent to not less than a UK bachelor's degree.
What is surprising is that the English requirement is not as demanding as the university background. Expats will need to pass only the B1 level of an accepted English language test. If their degree was taught in English, they will need a certificate from the awarding body or a university transcript. If the degree was awarded outside the UK, graduates will need confirmation from Ecctis that the qualification meets the required standard of a UK bachelor's, master's or doctorate degree.
Financial requirements
Expatriates will need to show the equivalent of at least £1,270 in their bank account for a continuous 28-day period no later than 31 days prior to making the High Potential Individual visa application. But if international graduates have been residents in the UK for more than 12 months, they might not need to meet this requirement.
How long can expats stay in the UK on the (HPI) visa?
Graduates with a bachelor's or a master's degree will be given a two-year visa. PhD or other doctoral-level graduates will get visas valid for three years. This visa can only be granted once and will not be available to those who have already had a graduate visa.
What happens after the visa expires?
Expatriates cannot directly apply for a Permanent Residential Visa. However, before their visa expires, they can switch to permits under (the skilled worker, start-up and innovator, exceptional talent, or scale-up route).
Can you bring your dependents?
Expats with the (HPI) visa will be able to bring dependents, such as a partner or children under the age of 18. “Partner” refers to either a spouse, civil partner, or unmarried partner. However, unmarried partners must show that they have lived together for at least two years and that their relationship is genuine, according to reports.
Job areas in high demand
The UK government has a shortage occupation list, which includes many skilled (and varied) roles such as nurses, geoscientists, artists, software developers and architects. This list is updated regularly, reflecting the best careers in the UK if expats are job hunting for an HPI visa. Other positions that need to be filled are programmers and Software Developers; cybersecurity specialists; health services and residential care; architects; graphic designers and physical scientists.
It also means that expatriates are more likely to succeed if they secure a high-demand job meeting the salary threshold.
