UK's Latest High-potential Talent Visa

For many young people who do not have a BNO and want to immigrate to the UK, the UK's latest "High Potential Individual" (HPI) visa launched yesterday may be a good choice.

This is believed to be a solution to the post-Brexit brain drain, allowing graduates from the world's top 50 non-UK universities in the past five years to apply to the UK.

One of the significant features of the HPI visa is that graduates do not need to be hired by a UK employer first. If they successfully apply, they can immediately go to the UK and find a job, even in self-employment or volunteer work.

This visa allows applicants to bring their partner and dependent children to the UK. For the time being, the British Home Office has not stated the visa limit, which shows they are indeed eager for talent.

Regarding the top 50 non-UK universities worldwide, the UK government website published the list from 2016 to 2021. The calculation method is that the university must be on the list of eligible universities in the same year as graduation.

Taking Hong Kong as an example, the eligible universities in 2021 include CUHK and HKU; in 2020, only HKU; in 2019, there are HKU and HKUST. Among mainland Chinese universities, Peking University and Tsinghua University graduates in the last five years (2017-2022) also meet the application criteria.  

The application fee for this HPI is 715 pounds. It is required to pay for medical insurance and provide a bank account for 28 consecutive days and a minimum deposit of 1,270 pounds 31 days before the application as proof of living expenses. If you have lived in the UK for more than one year, the certificate of deposit can be waived. 

This article was written by Miao Xiaotong, the founder of British Immigrants and a British barrister. Contact our team right below if you want to find out more about UK immigration to Ireland!