A new High Potential Individual (HPI) visa route introduced in London on Monday allows graduates from the world’s top 50 non-UK institutions, including Indian students, to come and work in Britain.
Rishi Sunak and Priti Patel, both of Indian descent, said the new “exciting” category under the post-Brexit points-based system is intended at recruiting the “best and brightest” talent from across the world, regardless of country, in a joint statement.
Successful candidates will be granted a two-year work visa, with those with a Ph.D. receiving a three-year visa, without the requirement for a particular employment offer.
“With this new visa option, the UK will be able to continue to recruit the finest and brightest from all around the world,” Chancellor Rishi Sunak said.
“Through this approach, the United Kingdom will establish itself as a prominent international centre for innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship.” We want tomorrow’s enterprises to be established now, which is why I encourage students to take advantage of this fantastic chance to start their careers here,” he stated.
“Come and join us,” Sunak, who was born in the United Kingdom and holds an MBA from Stanford University in the United States, said. “The UK is already home to some of the most ground-breaking start-ups, on the forefront of R&D, and an incredibly diverse and exciting place to live – come and join us.”
After graduating from famous colleges like Harvard, Stanford, and MIT, the world’s best graduates in fields such as science, engineering, and medical research will be encouraged to transfer their abilities to the UK under the new pathway.
Priti Patel, the UK Home Secretary, stated, “I am happy to be unveiling this new and innovative option as part of our points-based immigration system, which prioritizes skill and talent above where someone originates from.”
“By bringing in the high skills and talent our country and companies require, this administration is delivering for the British people,” she added.
The top 50 universities were chosen from the yearly rankings lists of ‘QS,’ ‘Times Higher Education,’ and the ‘Academic Ranking of World Universities,’ and include institutions from the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, Australia, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, France, Sweden and Switzerland.
The new HPI visa route will cost roughly GBP 715 and will allow independents or close family members to accompany them. According to the UK Home Office, an applicant coming through this route must have funds of at least GBP 1,270, and the institution must be located outside of the United Kingdom and have appeared in the top 50 of at least two of the three rankings for the year in which the applicant received the qualification.
“Regardless of country, graduates from the designated universities are eligible for the High Potential Individual Pathway program,” a representative for the Home Office stated.
“Students from all around the world come to study at each of the qualified universities. Different pathways, such as Graduate, Skilled Worker, and Global Talent, are open to graduates from other colleges,” according to the spokeswoman.
The top 50 Global Institutes were chosen from three of the world’s most reputable university rankings lists, which are extensively referenced by the education system and utilized in immigration systems throughout the world, according to the Home Office.
“Using a mix of both lists gives independent certification for schools and allows new foreign universities to rise through the ranks and join this list in the future,” the spokesman noted.
The HPI visa is designed to attract an infinite number of brilliant young graduates who “show extraordinary promise, offering a highly attractive and able pool of mobile talent from which UK firms may recruit,” the spokesman added further.
