Degree requirement and period of grant

In order to qualify for a High Potential Individual Visa, applicants need to have been awarded an overseas (i.e. non-UK) degree-level academic qualification. If applicants are international students who have completed a UK degree, they will not qualify for the High Potential Individual Route. 

The degree can be in any discipline but must be equivalent to not less than a UK bachelor's degree. The overseas degree must have been awarded in the 5 years before the date of your High Potential Individual Visa application. Additionally, the awarding institution must have been listed on the Global Universities List on the date when the degree was awarded. 

If the application is approved, the period of permission will depend on the degree qualification. Graduates with a bachelor's or a master's degree will be granted for 2 years. Graduates with a PhD or another doctoral level qualification will be granted for a period of 3 years.

English Language Requirement

To be eligible for a High Potential Individual visa, the applicant must have the ability to understand and communicate in English to a certain level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale. This means being able to read, write, speak and listen to at least Level B1 (intermediate). However, there are several ways in which a High Potential visa applicant can satisfy the English language requirement.

If an applicant is a national of a majority English-speaking country, they will not be required to do more than prove their identity and nationality to satisfy the language requirement. Equally, if an applicant has been awarded a degree taught in English — or obtained an English GCSE, A Level or Scottish National Qualification level 4 or 5 while at school in the UK — subject to proof of the relevant qualification obtained, they will satisfy this requirement.

Financial Requirement

To be eligible for a High Potential Individual visa, an applicant must be able to show that they can support themselves on their arrival in the UK without relying on public funds. In order to qualify for a High Potential Individual Visa, they will generally need to have cash funds of at least £1,270 available.

The High Potential Individual visa applicant must be able to show that they have held those funds in their account for 28 days or more, ending no more than 31 days before the date of their application. If the applicant is already in the UK and is applying to switch to this route, they will not need to show funds if they have been in the UK for at least 12 months.

Dependent family members of a High Potential Individual

A High Potential Individual can bring their partner and children under the age of 18 to the UK.

Partner means the spouse or civil partner, or unmarried partner in a durable relationship. Unmarried partners have do demonstrate that they have lived together for at least two years and that their relationship is genuine and subsisting.

Children include children of the main applicant's partner if they have sole responsibility for the child or if the other parent of the child is settled in the UK, or where there are serious and compelling reasons to grant the child leave to enter or remain.

The child has to be under the age of 18 on the date of application. Their leave to remain will have the same expiry date as that of the main applicant.

Financial requirements for dependents of a High Potential Individual

If the dependents are switching to this category inside the UK and have lived in the UK for at least 12 months prior to the application, the financial requirement is considered as met. If applying for leave to enter from outside the UK, or with less than 12 months of residence in the UK, the following funds are required:

• At least £285 for the partner
• £315 for the first child
• £200 for each additional child

The funds have to have been held in a bank account for at least 28 days before the date of the application.

Extension of a High Potential Individual

It is not possible to apply for an extension of a High Potential Individual Visa and the High Potential Individual Route does not lead directly to indefinite leave to remain in the UK. However, this route allows switching into any work permitted category leading to settlement, such as skilled worker, start-up and innovator, exceptional talent, or scale-up route. Both the main applicant and dependents are allowed to switch, i.e. apply for a variation of the visa, at any time before its expiry date.