This is the second blog post covering the new visa routes being introduced by the Home Office. Make sure to read the first so you’re all caught up.
This blog post will cover the High-Potential Individual (HPI) route. This route is due to launch on the 30th of May, and its goal is for new graduates from top universities to able to live and work in the UK on an unsponsored basis for a limited period. This is only available to graduates who have a degree from the Global Universities List which will be published by the Home Office, which will be updated annually and will include all institutions ranked within the top 50 of at least two ranking systems.
It will be possible for applications to be made either from abroad or from within the UK, provided the applicant is not in the UK as a visitor with other limited immigration statuses. The HPI route will have a similar grant profile to the Graduate route, offering successful applicants three years’ immigration permission if they have a qualification equivalent to a UK PhD, or two years if they have one that is equivalent to a UK Bachelor or Masters degree.
The route will not lead to settlement or be a category under which time can be counted as part of the continuous qualifying period for settlement in any other route. It is therefore likely that some eligible applicants may prefer either to bypass the route in favour of one that leads to settlement or will seek to switch into a settlement route as soon as they are eligible. Employers should be aware that migrants in this route may approach them for sponsorship at some point before their HPI permission is due to expire.
The HPI route opens the door to graduates wanting to work in the UK after their studies, but with a lengthy and detailed list of eligibility requirements as well as an exclusive universities list, you can’t be sure whether it will have the intended success.
Read the next blog post to find out more about the other new visa routes being introduced in the coming months.
Written by:
Tahir Shahab Khan
Managing Director of Law Lane Solicitors