High Potential Individual (HPI) Visa Application Guidance UK

All High Potential Individual visa applicants must fulfill the eligibility criteria. Many applicants may need clarification when checking the requirements for the HPI visa. 

Partnering with WestBridge Business Immigration can help you make sense of all the little nuances. There are a number of different criteria for the HPI visa application.

These include: 

• Having a degree issued by a top 50 university in the last five years (the university must be on the list when you were awarded your degree)
• You must have a degree equivalent to at least a UK bachelors degree or above
• You must meet the maintenance requirement of being able to support yourself up to the value of £1,270 for at least 28 days continuously
• Meet the English language requirement to level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale

Furthermore, your partner and children under the age of 18 can also join you inside the UK. If your child is over the age of 18 and not leading an independent life, and they are currently inside the UK as your dependent they are also eligible to apply as your dependent. 

This list is updated every year based on the top 50 global universities.

There are universities listed from many different countries including the USA, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, China, Singapore, France, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong and Germany.

Apart from graduating from a reputed university, you also need to hold a qualifying degree. Your qualification should be equivalent to one of the following:

• UK Bachelors Degree
• UK Postgraduate Degree or 
• UK Doctorate or PhD

You must check whether your qualification is equivalent to any of the above three. You will need to apply to Ecctis to check whether your degree qualifies. 

Ecctis only checks whether your qualification is eligible. This is an important thing to keep in mind as well. It does not check whether the university is eligible.

As stated above, you need evidence that you can communicate in English to level B1 of CEFR. There are a number of ways you can prove this, including through being a national of a majority English language country, holding a relevant qualification taught in English or taking an approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) at an approved centre. 

You must show that you can speak, listen, read and write in English to the required level.

Applicants should have at least £1,270 in their bank account for at least 28 days continuously.  

If your partner and children are coming along, you need to evidence that you can maintain them. Here is how much you need to show to prove that you can support them in the UK:

• For partners you need to also have £285
• For your first child you need to also have £315
• For each additional child you need to also have £200

These figures are in addition to the savings required for yourself.

Here are the documents you will need when applying for the HPI visa.

• Documents for proving identity and nationality. 
• Proof of your English language proficiency
• Ecctis statements that prove you graduated with a qualifying degree and your evidence that your degree was taught at a listed university

The above documents are common for all candidates. However, in some circumstances, the Home Office might ask you for additional supporting documents. Here is a list of other documents that could be required for an HPI visa.

• Proof of relationship with your partner and children (only if they are applying with you)
• Tuberculosis result (if you are coming from one of the listed countries)

The TB test is not required for all countries. 

WestBridge Business Immigration can help you submit all the documents you need when applying for a HPI visa. We have years of experience in UK immigration.

Applications for a HPI are done completely online. Fortunately, it makes things a bit easier. Here are the steps you must follow to apply for a HPI visa successfully.

Step 1: ECCTIS Verification

First, you must apply to Ecctis to check whether your university degree qualifies for an HPI visa. 

The fee is £210 if you are outside the UK or £252 if you are inside the UK. ECCTIS will issue you with a certificate verifying your degree and if it was taught in English you can also ask them to verify that it was taught in English.

Step 2: Complete the Online HPI Visa Application Form

The second step is to complete the HPI visa application form online. Remember that you don't have to finish the form in one sitting. You can save your progress and complete it later.

Step 3: Submission

At this stage you will need to submit it online and pay the relevant fees and schedule your appointment.

Step 4: Attend Your Appointment and Await a Decision

You may need to attend an appointment to submit your biometric information, this depends on your circumstances. Once you have attended your appointment, the Home Office should process your application within approximately 15 working days if outside the UK, or within eight weeks if inside the UK.

You cannot apply for an HPI visa if you are studying or graduated from a university in the UK. If you are already in the UK on another visa, you might be able to switch to an HPI visa. 

If you are in the UK on any of the following visas, you cannot switch to the HPI visa:

• Graduate visa
• Immigration bail
• Domestic worker visa
• Private household visa
• Visit visa
• Short-term student visa
• Parent of a Child's Student visa
• Seasonal worker visa
• Permitted to stay outside the immigration rules 

Those on other UK visas can switch inside the UK.

Fees for a HPI Visa

The total visa application and healthcare surcharge consist of the following costs:

• £210 for Ecctis qualification check
• £715 application fee per applicant
• Immigration Healthcare surcharge of £624 per year for each person aged 18 or over (including spouses)
• Immigration Healthcare surcharge of £470 per year for each dependent child aged 18 or under 

Remember that the healthcare surcharge will be counted as such:

• £1,248 for 2 years
• £1,872 for 3 years

How Long Will My HPI Visa Be Granted For?

For individuals coming to the UK that have a PhD or other doctoral qualification, your visa will be granted for three years.

For individuals coming to the UK, with a degree below PhD or doctoral qualification, your visa will be granted for two years.

Unfortunately, no. You cannot extend the UK HPI visa, unlike other visas. The validity period for the High Potential Individual (HPI) visa is 2 years. If you hold a Ph.D. or any other doctorate-level degree, you can stay for 3 years. 

However, if you wish to stay longer, you can switch to another type of visa. 

The High Potential Individual (HPI) visa does not count towards Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). Therefore, an HPI visa will not lead to a settlement. 

At WestBridge Business Immigration, we take full responsibility for your High Potential Individual (HPI) visa application. We take care of everything from advising on supporting documents, drafting the application submission/cover letter, working with the Home Office on your behalf, and supporting your application.

We are immigration and visa specialists with years of experience. This means we have in-depth expertise and knowledge regarding the HPI visa process. 

We offer fixed fees, so there are no surprise charges at the end. Our clients have a dedicated senior associate providing a comprehensive hand-holding service.

In addition, we provide rapid responses. Our service standard for replying to emails and telephone messages is the next business day.