High Potential Individual Visa Solicitors

You must be at least 18 and have received an eligible overseas degree within the five years immediately before applying. The awarding institution must appear on the Global Universities List covering the date of the award. A university’s appearance on today’s list does not validate every earlier qualification.

The qualification must be recognised as equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree or postgraduate degree. Ecctis checks the qualification level and award date; GOV.UK states that it does not check whether the university is eligible. Both checks therefore matter.

UK universities do not qualify for HPI. Someone completing an eligible UK course may instead need to consider Graduate permission. Do not substitute a graduation ceremony date or enrolment date for the confirmed award date.

• HPI qualification eligibility
• Graduate visas

The route is unsponsored and does not require a job offer. It is nevertheless subject to an annual maximum of 8,000 applications, with the allocation year running from 1 November to 31 October. Eligibility does not guarantee an available place or an approved application.

You cannot obtain HPI permission if you have previously been granted HPI, Graduate or Student Doctorate Extension Scheme permission. Check past grants, not merely the visa you currently hold.

Applications can be made overseas or, where permitted, from within the UK. Switching is excluded from categories including Visitor, Short-term Student, Parent of a Child Student, Seasonal Worker, Domestic Worker in a Private Household and permission outside the Rules. Students generally need to have completed their course or at least 24 months of qualifying PhD study.

The current English requirement is B2 in reading, writing, speaking and listening, unless an exemption applies. An accepted English-taught qualification, eligible nationality or other permitted evidence can be relevant; an approved test is not the only method. Degree-level equivalence for HPI and English-language evidence are separate checks.

The main applicant normally needs £1,270 held for 28 consecutive days, ending within 31 days before applying. An applicant seeking permission to stay after being in the UK with permission for at least twelve months meets the financial requirement without showing funds under the relevant rule.

Additional maintenance may be needed for dependants. A future job offer is not a substitute for the required savings, and HPI does not offer sponsor-certified maintenance simply because an employer is willing to hire you.

Obtain the relevant qualification assessment before relying on the degree. Check that the institution, qualification level and confirmed award date align with the applicable published list and five-year window.

Complete the correct online application and required identity steps. A tuberculosis certificate and certified translations may be needed. Some government or international scholarship awards covering UK study fees and living costs require written consent for a subsequent application; check this where relevant.

• Passport and current immigration permission, if applying in the UK.
• Degree and qualification assessment, with the applicable award-date university list.
• Accepted English evidence and financial evidence or exemption.
• Relationship and dependant evidence where family members apply.

HPI permission lasts two years for an eligible bachelor’s or master’s-level qualification, or three years for an eligible PhD or other doctorate. Most work, including self-employment and voluntary work, is allowed, but professional sportsperson work, including sports coaching, is excluded.

Study is restricted where it would qualify for the Student route, and ATAS conditions can apply. The permission does not provide access to public funds.

An eligible partner and children can apply as dependants, subject to their own relationship, age, financial and other requirements. Children over 18 need the relevant existing dependant permission. Family permission is not automatic and must be applied for separately as required.

• HPI partners and children

HPI cannot be extended and is not a direct route to settlement. If you wish to remain longer, assess another immigration route before permission expires. A Skilled Worker application, for example, requires a qualifying sponsored job and the applicable salary and other conditions.

Do not assume HPI time counts towards another work route’s settlement period. Any possible long-residence claim is a separate assessment of the full immigration history.

For an enquiry, identify the awarding university, exact award date, qualification, assessment position and previous UK visas. Those details help establish which eligibility questions need advice before you incur application costs.

• Skilled Worker visas
• Long residence