May 30, 2022
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The UK has announced a new visa scheme aimed at attracting graduates from the world‘s top universities to work and live in the UK.
The Home Office says the “high potential individual” visa pathway, which starts today (May 30), will attract the “best and brightest” people who are just starting their careers.
The new visa scheme will be open to graduates of the last five years from 50 top universities outside the UK who will not be restricted by their place of birth and will not need to have already secured a job position in the UK.
Successful applicants will have a two-year work visa if they have a bachelor’s or master’s degree; if they have a doctoral degree, they will receive a three-year work visa.
Later, they will be able to switch to other long-term employment visas if they meet certain requirements.
Eligibility and Requirements
One condition that applicants for this visa must meet is that the university they attend in the year they graduate must be in the top 50 in any two of the following three university rankings.
The three world university rankings are: Times Higher Education World University Rankings, QS World University Rankings (Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings) and The Academic Ranking of World Universities. World Universities).
In the 2021 list of eligible universities published by the British government on the official website, there are 20 American universities including Harvard, Yale and MIT; universities in Asia include Tsinghua University, Peking University, The University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Tokyo University, Kyoto University.
The visa costs £715 plus the Immigration Health Surcharge, which allows immigration to the UK to use the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).
Graduates who are successfully granted this visa can bring their dependents, but must have at least £1,270 in living expenses.
They must also pass security and criminal record checks and be proficient in English to at least an intermediate level of B1, which means “communicating fluently with native English speakers”.
Visa introduction background
Before the introduction of this visa program, in September 2019, the United Kingdom resumed the two-year graduate work visa (PSW) for international students, allowing international students in the UK to stay in the UK for two years after graduation to seek job opportunities and guide talented international students in the UK. Seek professional development.
After announcing the “High Potential Individual” visa pathway, Chancellor of the Exchequer Sunak said: “This visa pathway means the UK will develop into a world-leading centre for innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship.
“We want to start building tomorrow’s businesses here today, which is why I call on students to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to develop their careers in the UK,” he said.
Home Secretary Patel added: “This new visa pathway is exciting and I’m proud to roll it out. It’s part of our points-based immigration system. This system is about people’s ability above all else. , not where it came from.”
Visa Features
According to the regulations of the British government, if you successfully apply for a “high potential talent” visa, you can:
- do most jobs
- Look for work
- Self-employment
- Live in the UK with an eligible partner and children
- Do volunteer work
- Travel abroad and return to the UK
However, this visa holder cannot:
- apply for most public benefits or state pensions
- Work as a professional athlete
- visa extension
- Apply for permanent settlement in the UK