High Potential Individual visa solicitors

The High Potential Individual (HPI) visa allows eligible graduates of leading overseas universities to live and work in the UK without a job offer or employer sponsorship. To qualify, you must have been awarded an eligible overseas degree-level qualification within the last five years and meet the other requirements of the route.

JMW’s immigration solicitors advise people applying for a High Potential Individual visa from overseas and those who are eligible to switch to the HPI visa from within the UK. We assess eligibility, advise on the Ecctis process and supporting documents, prepare applications and help clients plan the immigration route they may use after their HPI visa expires.

To speak to an immigration solicitor about a High Potential Individual visa application, call 0345 872 6666 or complete our online enquiry form.

How JMW can help

We advise international graduates at every stage of the High Potential Individual visa process, from checking whether a qualification meets the requirements to preparing the application.

We provide advice on:

• Eligibility: We assess your qualification, award date, awarding institution, English language ability, financial requirement and immigration history against the current Immigration Rules.
• The Global Universities List: We check the correct list for the date your qualification was awarded and advise you if your eligibility is uncertain.
• Ecctis assessments: We explain the assessment you need for your overseas qualification and the evidence required.
• HPI visa applications: We prepare and review the application and supporting documents before submission to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).
• Switching from another UK visa: We advise whether you can apply from within the UK and whether any restrictions apply to your current immigration category.
• Dependants: We advise on applications for eligible partners and children and the additional financial and other requirements that may apply.
• Suitability and immigration history: We advise where previous immigration issues or other circumstances may affect the outcome of the application.
• Future immigration planning: We advise HPI visa holders on switching to another route before their permission expires, including the Skilled Worker visa, Global Talent visa, Innovator Founder visa and relevant family routes.

You do not need a solicitor to make a High Potential Individual visa application. However, legal advice can be valuable if you want your eligibility checked before applying, are unsure which Global Universities List applies, need advice about switching from another visa, are applying with dependants or want to plan your longer-term immigration position.

Our immigration team advises both individuals and employers. This means that, where a HPI visa holder later moves into sponsored employment, we can advise on the worker's Skilled Worker application and support the employer with the sponsorship requirements where appropriate.

Partner Gemma Tracey has more than 10 years' experience in UK immigration law. She advises private individuals as well as employers and HR teams on immigration matters. Gemma is recognised as a Next Generation Partner by the Legal 500, and JMW's immigration team has also been noted as a Firm to Watch.

Meet the team

Our immigration solicitors advise people at different stages of their UK immigration journey, including graduates using unsponsored work routes and those moving into longer-term UK immigration routes.

What is the High Potential Individual visa?

The High Potential Individual visa is an unsponsored UK immigration route for recent graduates of eligible overseas universities. It allows successful applicants to live in the UK, look for work and work but, unlike other visa routes, you do not need to secure a job offer or employer sponsorship to apply.

The length of permission depends on the qualification used for the application:

• Applicants relying on a PhD or other doctoral-level qualification are granted a HPI visa for three years.
• Applicants relying on another eligible degree-level qualification are granted a HPI visa for two years.

The HPI visa cannot be extended, and the route does not itself lead to settlement. It is therefore important to consider what immigration route you may use next if you intend to remain in the UK after your HPI visa expires.

The High Potential Individual route is also capped at 8,000 applications per allocation year, which runs from 1 November to 31 October. The current requirements are set out in Appendix High Potential Individual of the Immigration Rules.

Am I eligible for a High Potential Individual visa?

HPI visa eligibility is based on three main requirements: the Global Universities List degree requirement, the English language requirement and the financial requirement. Applicants must also meet the route's validity and suitability requirements.

The Global Universities List degree requirement

You must have been awarded an overseas degree-level academic qualification in the five years immediately before the date of your HPI visa application. Ecctis must confirm that the qualification meets or exceeds the recognised standard of a UK bachelor's degree or UK postgraduate degree.

The institution that awarded the qualification must appear on the Global Universities List that applies to the date the degree was awarded. The five-year period is calculated from the date of award confirmed by Ecctis, rather than the date of a graduation ceremony.

An Ecctis assessment is therefore an important part of the application. It confirms the level of the overseas academic qualification and the relevant award date.

The English language requirement

To qualify for a High Potential Individual visa, you must demonstrate English language ability at level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in reading, writing, speaking and listening, unless an exemption applies.

Depending on your circumstances, you may meet the requirement through your nationality, an eligible academic qualification taught in English, a UK degree or an approved secure English language test. The detailed methods for meeting the requirement are set out in Appendix English Language.

The financial requirement

Applicants who need to meet the financial requirement must normally show at least £1,270 in available funds. The funds must usually have been held for at least 28 consecutive days, with the end of that 28-day period falling within 31 days of the application.

If you are applying for permission to stay from within the UK and have already been in the UK with valid permission for at least 12 months at the date of application, you will normally meet the financial requirement without needing to provide evidence of these funds.

In addition to these three core requirements, you must make a valid application and meet the suitability requirements. You must also not previously have been granted permission under the Student Doctorate Extension Scheme, as a Graduate or as a High Potential Individual.

JMW will review each of these requirements before an application is submitted and advise on any issue that needs to be addressed.

Which universities qualify for the High Potential Individual visa?

The Home Office publishes a Global Universities List for each relevant annual period. Your awarding institution must appear on the list that covers the date your qualification was awarded.

Under the current Immigration Rules, the Global Universities List is made up of non-UK institutions ranked within the top 100, subject to any exclusions made by the Home Secretary, in at least two of the following ranking systems:

• Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
• QS World University Rankings.
• The Academic Ranking of World Universities.

The list changes each year, so it is important to check the correct historic list rather than the most recent version.

UK universities are not eligible for the High Potential Individual visa. If you studied in the UK, the Graduate Route visa may be relevant instead, depending on your circumstances and current immigration status.

What can you do on a High Potential Individual visa?

The High Potential Individual visa gives successful applicants flexibility to live and work in the UK without employer sponsorship.

HPI visa holders can:

• Look for work in the UK.
• Work in most jobs and at different skill levels without employer sponsorship.
• Change employers without making a new visa application.
• Be self-employed.
• Undertake voluntary work.
• Travel outside the UK and return while their permission remains valid.
• Study on courses that are not eligible for a Student visa.
• Live in the UK with an eligible partner and children who have been granted permission as dependants.

The HPI visa itself does not impose a minimum salary requirement. However, if you later switch to another work route, such as the Skilled Worker visa, that route will have its own eligibility and salary requirements.

HPI visa holders cannot access most public funds and cannot work as a professional sportsperson. The visa also cannot be extended.

How do I apply for a High Potential Individual visa?

You can apply for a High Potential Individual visa from outside the UK or, if you are eligible to switch, from within the UK. The application is made online through UKVI.

The process usually involves:

1. Checking your eligibility: Confirm that your qualification, awarding university and date of award meet the HPI requirements, and review the English language, financial, validity and suitability requirements.
2. Obtaining the Ecctis assessment: Ecctis must assess the overseas qualification relied on for the application.
3. Gathering the supporting documents: Prepare the identity, qualification, English language, financial and other evidence that applies to your circumstances.
4. Completing the online visa application: Submit the correct form for an overseas application or an application to switch from within the UK.
5. Paying the relevant charges: Pay the application fee and immigration health surcharge.
6. Proving your identity: Depending on your nationality, passport and circumstances, you will either use the UK Immigration: ID Check app and a UKVI account or provide biometric information at an appropriate application service point.
7. Waiting for the decision: UKVI will consider the application and supporting evidence.

If you are already in the UK, not every immigration category allows you to switch into the HPI route. For example, you cannot switch from a Graduate visa. There are also restrictions for people in the UK as visitors, short-term students, Seasonal Workers, domestic workers in a private household and certain other categories. The current switching rules are set out on GOV.UK.

If you hold a Student visa, you will normally need to have completed the course you were sponsored to study before switching. Different provisions apply to some full-time PhD students who have completed at least 24 months of study.

What documents do I need for an HPI visa application?

The core documents normally include:

• A valid passport or other travel document showing your identity and nationality.
• Proof that you meet the English language requirement.
• The Ecctis unique person identifier number or certificate relating to your qualification assessment, along with documents relating to your qualification.
• Evidence of the required maintenance funds, where this applies.
• Evidence relating to your partner or children if they are applying as dependants.
• A tuberculosis test certificate where this is required.
• Certified translations for relevant documents that are not in English or Welsh.

You may also need documents relating to your degree when obtaining the Ecctis assessment. The GOV.UK HPI document guidance sets out the current application requirements.

We advise on the documents required for your circumstances, prepare the application and review the information before submission.

How long does an HPI visa application take?

UKVI states that applicants will usually receive a decision within three weeks when applying from outside the UK and within eight weeks when applying from inside the UK, once the application, identity checks and supporting documents have been completed.

UKVI may take longer where it needs to verify supporting documents, request further information or consider matters arising from the applicant's circumstances.

How much does the High Potential Individual visa cost?

The current HPI visa costs include the Home Office application fee, the immigration health surcharge and the cost of the Ecctis assessment.

Applicants who need to meet the financial requirement must also normally show at least £1,270 in available funds. This is not an application fee; it is money you must be able to demonstrate you hold for your maintenance in the UK.

You can check the current figures on the GOV.UK HPI visa costs page.

Our legal fees are separate from Home Office and Ecctis charges. If you instruct us, we will explain the work we will undertake and confirm our legal fee before we commence work.

What comes after a High Potential Individual visa?

A High Potential Individual visa cannot be extended and does not itself lead to settlement. If you want to remain in the UK after your HPI permission expires, you will need to qualify for another immigration route and make the relevant application before your current permission ends.

For many HPI visa holders, the route provides time to establish their career or other plans in the UK before moving into a longer-term immigration category.

A common option is the Skilled Worker visa. You will need an eligible job with a Home Office-approved sponsor, a Certificate of Sponsorship and a salary that meets the requirements for the role and your circumstances. JMW advises individuals on Skilled Worker applications and employers on sponsor licence and sponsorship matters, so we can advise on both parts of the process where appropriate.

Other possible routes include the Global Talent visa, the Innovator Founder visa and, for eligible applicants, a family or partner visa.

The appropriate route will depend on your work, qualifications, personal circumstances and long-term plans. We advise HPI visa holders on the available options and prepare switching applications before their existing permission expires.

Can my partner and children come to the UK on an HPI visa?

Your partner and children may be eligible to apply as your dependants. They can apply at the same time as you or, where the Immigration Rules allow, after your HPI visa has been granted. Their permission will normally end on the same date as yours.

An eligible partner can be your spouse or civil partner, or an unmarried partner where you have been in a relationship similar to a marriage or civil partnership for at least two years. The relationship must meet the requirements in the Immigration Rules. Children must meet the relevant relationship, care, age and independent-life requirements.

Where the financial requirement applies, dependants must show additional maintenance funds. These are currently:

• £285 for a partner.
• £315 for the first child.
• £200 for each additional child.

These amounts are in addition to the £1,270 required for the main HPI applicant where that requirement applies. The required funds generally need to be held for the specified 28-day period.

Each dependant makes a separate application and pays the relevant visa application fee and immigration health surcharge. GOV.UK provides further information on partners and children under the HPI route.

We advise on dependant eligibility, financial requirements and the evidence needed for partner and child applications.

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Does the HPI visa count towards indefinite leave to remain?

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The High Potential Individual route does not itself lead to indefinite leave to remain, and HPI permission does not count towards a route-specific qualifying period such as the five-year Skilled Worker settlement route.

However, the current Long Residence rules generally allow lawful time spent in the UK with permission on most immigration routes to count towards the 10-year long residence qualifying period. Whether you qualify will depend on your full immigration history, continuous residence and the other settlement requirements.

We can advise on longer-term immigration planning and indefinite leave to remain where relevant.

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Can I extend my High Potential Individual visa?

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No. You can only be granted permission as a High Potential Individual once, and the HPI visa cannot be extended.

If you want to stay in the UK after it expires, you will need to qualify for another immigration route. It is sensible to consider your next route before your HPI permission approaches its end date so that you understand any requirements you will need to meet.

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Can I bring my family to the UK on my HPI visa?

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Yes, eligible partners and children can apply as your dependants. Each family member must meet the relevant requirements, make a separate application and pay the applicable fees and immigration health surcharge.

Their permission will normally expire at the same time as the main HPI visa holder's permission.

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Can I apply for an HPI visa if I graduated more than five years ago?

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No. The qualification relied on for the High Potential Individual visa must have been awarded within the five years immediately before the date of application.

The relevant date is the award date confirmed by Ecctis, rather than the date you attended a graduation ceremony.

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What happens if my university is not on the Global Universities List?

You will not meet the HPI degree requirement if the institution that awarded your qualification does not appear on the Global Universities List covering your award date.

Another UK immigration route may still be available depending on your circumstances. We can advise on alternative UK visa options where the HPI route is not available.

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Can I switch from a High Potential Individual visa to a Skilled Worker visa?

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Yes, provided you meet the Skilled Worker requirements. You will need to undertake an eligible role with an employer that holds a sponsor licence, a Certificate of Sponsorship and a salary that meets the applicable rules to qualify for a Skilled Worker visa.

JMW advises workers on Skilled Worker applications and employers on the sponsorship process. We do not provide employment-finding services.

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Do I need a solicitor to apply for the HPI visa?

No. There is no requirement to instruct a solicitor to make a High Potential Individual visa application.

You may want legal advice if you wish to check your eligibility, are uncertain about the correct Global Universities List, have an unusual immigration history, are switching from another visa, are applying with dependants, or want to plan the immigration route you will use after your HPI visa expires.