High Potential

A. General overview

This route is for recent graduates of top global universities, who want to work, or look for work in the UK, following the successful completion of an eligible course of study equivalent to UK bachelor’s degree level or above.

The study must have been with an institution listed on the Global Universities List. The High Potential Individual route is an unsponsored route.

An applicant who is applying for permission to stay must be in the UK on the date of application and must not have, or have last been granted, permission:

(a) as a Visitor; or

(b) as a Short-term Student; or

(c) as a Parent of a Child Student; or

(d) as a Seasonal Worker; or

(e) as a Domestic Worker in a Private Household; or

(f) outside the Immigration Rules.

B. Immigration requirements

A person seeking to come to the UK as a High Potential Individual must apply for and obtain entry clearance as a High Potential Individual before they arrive in the UK.

A person applying for entry clearance as a High Potential Individual must provide a valid medical certificate confirming that they have undergone screening for active pulmonary tuberculosis and that this tuberculosis is not present in them.

C. Points requirement for a High Potential Individual

The applicant must be awarded a total of 70 points based on the table below:

Requirement	Points available
Global Universities List degree requirement	50
English Language requirement at level B1	10
Financial requirement	10

Global Universities List degree requirement

The applicant must, in the 5 years immediately before the date of the application, have been awarded an overseas degree level academic qualification which Ecctis confirms meets, or exceeds, the recognised standard of a UK bachelor’s or UK postgraduate degree.

The institution at which the applicant was awarded the degree must appear on the Global Universities List in respect of the date the applicant was awarded the degree.

The date the applicant was awarded the degree will be the date as confirmed by Ecctis.

English language requirement for High Potential Individual

Unless an exemption applies, the applicant must show English language ability on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in all 4 components (reading, writing, speaking and listening) of at least level B1.

D. Financial requirement for High Potential Individual – for the main applicant

If the applicant is applying for permission to stay and has been in the UK with permission for 12 months or longer on the date of application, they will meet the financial requirement and do not need to show funds.

An applicant who is applying for entry clearance, or who is applying for permission to stay and has been in the UK for less than 12 months at the date of application, must have funds of at least £1,270.

The applicant must show that they have held the required level of funds for a 28-day period and must show funds.

E. Period and conditions of visa for a High Potential Individual

The applicant will be granted entry clearance or permission to stay for the period as set out in the table below based on the qualification relied on to meet the Global Universities List degree requirement.

Type of Degree Qualification	Period granted from date of decision
PhD or other doctoral level qualification	3 years
All other degree qualifications	2 years

The visa will be subject to all the following conditions:

(a) no access to public funds; and

(b) work (including self-employment and voluntary work) is permitted, apart from work as a professional sportsperson (including as a sports coach); and

(c) study is permitted, except study with an education provider which is a Student sponsor, and which would meet the approved qualification and level of study requirements of the Student route which are set out in Appendix Student; and

(d) study is subject to the ATAS condition in Appendix ATAS; and

(e) the person will be required to register with the police.

F. Dependent partner (“partner”) and dependent child (“child”) of a High Potential Individual

A person seeking to come to the UK as a partner or child of a High Potential Individual must apply for and obtain entry clearance as a partner or child of a High Potential Individual before they arrive in the UK.

A person applying for entry clearance as a partner or child of a High Potential Individual must provide a valid medical certificate confirming that they have undergone screening for active pulmonary tuberculosis and that this tuberculosis is not present in them.

Relationship requirements for a partner of a High Potential Individual

The applicant must be the partner of a person (P) and one of the following must apply:

(a) P has permission as a High Potential Individual; or

(b) P is, at the same time, applying for (and is granted) permission as a High Potential Individual.

If the applicant and their High Potential Individual partner are not married or in a civil partnership, all of the following requirements must be met:

(a) they must have been living together in a relationship similar to marriage or civil partnership for at least the two years before the date of application; and

(b) any previous relationship of the applicant or their High Potential Individual partner with another person must have permanently broken down; and

(c) the applicant and their High Potential Individual partner must not be so closely related that they would not be allowed to marry or form a civil partnership in the UK.

The relationship between the applicant and their High Potential Individual partner must be genuine and subsisting.

The applicant must be the child of a person (P) and one of the following must apply:

(a) P has permission on the High Potential Individual route; or

(b) P is, at the same time, applying for (and is granted) entry clearance or permission on the High Potential Individual route.

The applicant’s parents must each be either applying at the same time as the applicant, or have permission to be in the UK (other than as a visitor) unless:

(a) the parent applying for or with entry clearance or permission to stay on the High Potential Individual route is the sole surviving parent; or

(b) the parent applying for or with entry clearance or permission to stay on the High Potential Individual route has sole responsibility for the child’s upbringing; or

(c) the parent who does not have permission on the High Potential Individual route:

(i) is a British citizen or a person who has a right to enter or stay in the UK without restriction; and

(ii) is or will be ordinarily resident in the UK; or

(d) the decision maker is satisfied that there are serious and compelling reasons to grant the child permission to come to, or stay in, the UK with the parent who has permission on the High Potential Individual route.

The child must be under the age of 18 at the date of application unless they were last granted permission as the child of their parent or parents.

If the applicant is aged 16 or over at the date of application, they must not be leading an independent life.

G. Financial requirement for a partner or child on the High Potential Individual route

If the applicant is applying for permission to stay and has been living in the UK with permission for 12 months or longer on the date of application, they will meet the financial requirement and do not need to show funds.

The funds required are:

(a) at least £285 for a partner in the UK or applying to come to the UK; and

(b) at least £315 for the first child in the UK or applying to come to the UK; and

(c) at least £200 for each additional child in the UK or applying to come to the UK.

H. Settlement Prospects

The High Potential Individual route is not a route to settlement.

I. Administrative Review (Entry clearance and extension applications)

If the entry clearance or extension application is refused by the ECO in the British Diplomatic post or by the Home Office, the applicant will be given a right to make a request for a review of the decision that must be exercised within 28 days of the date of service of the decision if application was submitted outside the UK or 14 days if application is made inside the UK. The applicant will only be able to rely on the information/documents already submitted with the application and will not be allowed to provide or submit any fresh evidence with the review request.

It is therefore strongly advised to take professional help while making grounds for making review request.

 

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