The High Potential Individual (HPI) visa was introduced in May 2022 to allow individuals who have been awarded a degree from an eligible overseas university within the last 5 years to live and work in the UK without sponsorship.
An applicant must have been awarded a qualification equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree, postgraduate degree or PhD/doctorate within the last 5 years.
At the time the qualification was awarded, the institution must appear on the appropriate Global Universities List:
- 1 November 2022 to 31 October 2023
- 1 November 2021 to 31 October 2022
- 1 November 2020 to 31 October 2021
- 1 November 2019 to 31 October 2020
- 1 November 2018 to 31 October 2019
- 1 November 2017 to 31 October 2018
The following universities have been added to the list for qualifications awarded between 1 November 2023 and 31 October 2024:
- Delft University of Technology, Netherlands
- Fudan University, China
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
This means that if you are due to graduate from one of the above universities, you will be newly eligible to apply for a UK visa for 2-3 years.
If you graduated from one of the following universities between 1 November 2018 and 31 October 2019, this year is your last change year to apply:
- PSL Université Paris (Paris Sciences & Lettres), France
- Technical University of Munich, Germany
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
An applicant can only apply for the HPI visa once and cannot be combined with the Graduate route or Doctorate Extension Scheme.
Applicants will be granted either a two-year or three-year visa depending on the level of qualification. If a visa is granted, it allows the applicant to live and work in the UK, including self-employment.