UK High Potential Individual visa for global graduates

Your bachelor’s, postgraduate or doctoral qualification must have been awarded in the last 5 years by a university on the list for the year you graduated; the Home Office publishes a list for each year from November to October, based on global rankings. UK universities are excluded. Ecctis must confirm that the qualification is genuine and at UK degree level for £252, but it does not check the university’s ranking.

You must prove English at B2 and hold £1,270 for 28 consecutive days. No job offer is needed. You can only get this visa once, and not if you have already held a Graduate visa or Doctorate Extension Scheme leave. A yearly limit applies to applications from 1 November to 31 October; if it has been reached, the online form tells you.

Budget for £252 for Ecctis, the £880 visa fee and the health surcharge of £2,070 for 2 years or £3,105 for 3 years, plus the same fee and surcharge for each dependant.

You can work in most jobs, change jobs freely, look for work, be self-employed and volunteer. Study is only allowed on courses not eligible for a Student visa. The visa cannot be extended and does not count towards settlement, so plan a switch, for example to Skilled Worker, before it expires.

If the application is refused you can usually ask for an administrative review within 28 days of the decision if you were outside the UK (14 days inside) where you think UKVI made a caseworking error; it costs £80 and the result usually takes 28 days or more. You can also simply make a fresh application.