The High Potential Individual (HPI) route is a short-term work visa for professionals in their early careers who have demonstrated that they can contribute to the UK workforce.
International graduates from the world's most renowned colleges will soon be able to work in the UK without necessitating a job offer under the new High Potential Individual visa. The High Potential Individual visa, which will launch on 30 May 2022 as part of the UK Government's initiative of various new immigration pathways aimed at facilitating top global talent coming to the UK, will open in order to encourage top global graduates to start realising their career aspirations in the UK while also providing UK employers and organisations access to an international pool of talent.
The new High Potential Individual visa is designed for highly skilled and academically exceptional migrants who want to share their knowledge and contribute to the UK economy. This covers international inventors and entrepreneurs seeking to work or establish a firm in the United Kingdom.
The path is also intended to make it easier for existing UK businesses and organisations to acquire the talent they need to become world-class, whether it be in technology, digital technology, vaccine discoveries, or a variety of other fields and industries.
High Potential Visa requirements
Applicants who have graduated from a top worldwide university will be eligible for the new High Potential Individual visa.
Furthermore, there would be no job offer requirement to ensure that the UK benefits from a boom in high-skilled migrants, providing visa holders with the option to work or swap occupations or companies. This will make it considerably easier for international talent with immense promise to come to the UK without a job offer as an unsponsored employment path.
Educational requirements
The applicant must have received an international bachelor's or postgraduate degree qualification from a top global university in the recent 5 years to be eligible for an High Potential Individual visa. This institution is listed on the Home Office's Global Universities List. The granting institution must be included on the Global Universities List for the date the graduate received their diploma.
The list of universities includes:
| UNIVERSITIES | COUNTRY |
|---|---|
| California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | USA |
| Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) | Hong Kong |
| Columbia University | USA |
| Cornell University | USA |
| Duke University | USA |
| Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL Switzerland) | Switzerland |
| ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) | Switzerland |
| Harvard University | USA |
| Johns Hopkins University | USA |
| Karolinska Institute | Sweden |
| Kyoto University | Japan |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | USA |
| McGill University | Canada |
| Nanyang Technological University (NTU) | Singapore |
| National University of Singapore | Singapore |
| New York University (NYU) | USA |
| Northwestern University | USA |
| Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University | France |
| Peking University | China |
| Princeton University | USA |
| Stanford University | USA |
| Tsinghua University | China |
| University of British Columbia | Canada |
| University of California, Berkeley | USA |
| University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | USA |
| University of California, San Diego | USA |
| University of Chicago US | USA |
| University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong |
| University of Melbourne | Australia |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | USA |
| University of Munich (LMU Munich) | Germany |
| University of Pennsylvania | USA |
| University of Texas at Austin | USA |
| University of Tokyo | Japan |
| University of Toronto | Canada |
| University of Washington | USA |
| Yale University | USA |
SOURCE: Government of UK
English language requirements
The applicant must be capable of understanding and speak in English at a particular level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale to be eligible for a High Potential Individual visa. This requires at least Level B1 reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills (intermediate). However, a High Potential visa candidate might meet the English language criterion in a variety of ways.
If an individual is a citizen of a country with a large English-speaking population, they will just need to verify their identification and nationality to meet the language requirement. Similarly, if an individual has been given a degree taught in English — or gained an English GCSE, A Level, or Scottish National Qualification level 4 or 5 while attending school in the UK — they will again meet this condition, subject to verification of the applicable qualification achieved.
In all other instances, unless a candidate can demonstrate that they have already met the English language requisite in a previous application for entry clearance or permission to stay, such as if switching to a High Potential Individual visa from within the UK, they will be required to pass a Secure English Language Test (SELT). A SELT must be taken with a test centre that has been authorised. A SELT must be taken with Pearson, PSI Services (UK) Ltd, IELTS SELT Consortium, or LanguageCert for applicants who are not from the United Kingdom. The test must be taken through Pearson, Trinity College London, IELTS SELT Consortium, or LanguageCert if the applicant is from the United Kingdom.
Financial requirement
An applicant for a High Potential Individual visa must be able to demonstrate that they will be able to sustain themselves in the UK without relying on public subsidies. This means having cash funds of at least £1,270 on hand at the time of application.
The candidate for a High Potential Individual visa must be able to verify that the funds have been in their account for at least 28 days and no more than 31 days before the application deadline. If the applicant has previously been in the UK for at least 12 months and is seeking to switch to this pathway, they will not be required to produce money.
How to apply for a High Potential Individual visa?
A High Potential Individual visa application will be identical to other work visa applications. The candidate must fill out an online application, pay the required price, and provide a variety of supporting papers. Applicants must also schedule an appointment to furnish biometric information, which includes facial recognition and fingerprint scanning.
Alternate options for high potential applicants
The other options other than High Potential Individual visa for applicants include:
Global Talent Visa
Skilled Worker visa
The Global Talent visa path is already accessible to those who are world leaders or future world leaders in academics or research, arts and culture, or digital technology, and visas are issued to persons who make significant contributions to their profession.
This is a visa that permits prospective applicants to enter the United Kingdom without being attached to a single sponsor and with the freedom to engage in a variety of activities with few restrictions. It also provides an expedited settlement process.
Despite the fact that the Global Talent Pathway normally requires endorsement, the UK government has established a list of prominent awards for accomplishments in science and the arts to which global prize recipients are immediately eligible. This means that highly skilled migrants who have been awarded a qualifying award might skip the endorsement stage and proceed straight to the visa stage. The Academy Awards, BAFTAs, Brits, Golden Globes, and the Nobel Prize for chemistry, economic science, literature, physics, and medicine are now eligible honours for Global Talent, though the UK government is aiming to expand the list.
A Global Talent visa allows the holder to reside and work in the United Kingdom for up to 5 years. A visa holder can stay in the UK for an indefinite amount of time, but they must renew their visa when it lapses. Depending on the field in which the person works, they may be eligible to apply for indefinite permission to remain after 3 or 5 years in the UK. This will enable them to remain in the UK permanently.
If a candidate is not eligible for a Global Talent visa, there are alternative options, such as filing for a Skilled Worker visa. A Skilled Worker visa allows someone to travel to the UK and work in a qualifying job for a licenced sponsor. Under the prior rules, this visa has superseded the old Tier 2 (General) work visa.
A Skilled Worker visa allows the applicant to reside and work in the United Kingdom for up to 5 years before requiring an extension. They can petition to renew their visa as many times as they like as long as they meet the qualifying standards, and after 5 years, they can use this immigration path to settle in the United Kingdom.
Themis Technologies serves the needs of exceptional persons who want to relocate their professional base to the United Kingdom and contribute to the growth of the tech industry. Competition for technological expertise has risen as the economy has become more digital. To close the widening skill gap, the demand for qualified workers with technological aptitude will increase.
Contact us for more information on the Global Talent Visa to take advantage of the opportunities given by the UK tech industry.
