Work in the UK without a job offer
High Potential Individual Visa allows you to live and work in the UK without first needing a job offer
Read on to learn more about the High Potential Visa and how to make an application.
Most importantly, consider getting specialist legal advice and representation for your visa application. This is because the underlying rules and process are complex and you, as a layperson, may not be able to interpret the rules and apply them to your circumstances correctly.
A refusal with prejudice may also make a future application much more complex or even impossible in certain circumstances. Getting specialist legal advice and representation at an early stage is therefore advisable to maximize the prospects of success.
1. What is a High Potential Individual Visa?
The UK government has introduced a new High Potential Individual (HPI) visa to make it easier for internationally mobile professionals, with high potential to make contributions to the UK economy, to come and work in the UK.
What sets the High Potential Individual visa apart from other visa routes is that there will be no job offer requirement, giving professionals the flexibility to work, change jobs or employers without any restrictions.
2. Who is eligible for the HPI visa?
To be eligible for the HPI visa, it is required that you have obtained a qualification from an eligible university outside of the UK within the past 5 years. Click the relevant sections below to see if your university is eligible for the HPI visa:
High Potential Individual visa: Eligible Universities List 2022
This list of universities relates to qualifications awarded between 1 November 2022 and 31 October 2023.
| Alphabetical Rankings Lists 2022 (establishments from Top 50 rankings which appeared on 2 or more lists) | Country |
|---|---|
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | USA |
Chinese University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong |
Columbia University | USA |
Cornell University | USA |
Duke University | USA |
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL Switzerland) | Switzerland |
ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) | Switzerland |
Harvard University | USA |
Johns Hopkins University | USA |
Karolinska Institute | Sweden |
Kyoto University | Japan |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | USA |
McGill University | Canada |
Nanyang Technological University (NTU) | Singapore |
National University of Singapore | Singapore |
New York University | USA |
Northwestern University | USA |
Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University | France |
Peking University | China |
Princeton University | USA |
Stanford University | USA |
Technical University of Munich | Germany |
Tsinghua University | China |
University of British Columbia | Canada |
University of California, Berkeley | USA |
University of California, Los Angeles | USA |
University of California, San Diego | USA |
University of Chicago | USA |
University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong |
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | USA |
University of Melbourne | Australia |
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | USA |
University of Pennsylvania | USA |
University of Queensland (UQ) | Australia |
University of Texas at Austin | USA |
University of Tokyo | Japan |
University of Toronto | Canada |
University of Washington | USA |
Yale University | USA |
Zhejiang University | China |
High Potential Individual visa: Global Universities List 2021
This list of universities relates to qualifications awarded between 1 November 2021 and 31 October 2022.
| Alphabetical Rankings Lists 2021 (establishments from Top 50 rankings which appeared on 2 or more lists) | Country |
|---|---|
| California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | USA |
| Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) | Hong Kong |
| Columbia University | USA |
| Cornell University | USA |
| Duke University | USA |
| Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL Switzerland) | Switzerland |
| ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) | Switzerland |
| Harvard University | USA |
| Johns Hopkins University | USA |
| Karolinska Institute | Sweden |
| Kyoto University | Japan |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | USA |
| McGill University | Canada |
| Nanyang Technological University (NTU) | Singapore |
| National University of Singapore | Singapore |
| New York University (NYU) | USA |
| Northwestern University | USA |
| Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University | France |
| Peking University | China |
| Princeton University | USA |
| Stanford University | USA |
| Tsinghua University | China |
| University of British Columbia | Canada |
| University of California, Berkeley | USA |
| University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | USA |
| University of California, San Diego | USA |
| University of Chicago US | USA |
| University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong |
| University of Melbourne | Australia |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | USA |
| University of Munich (LMU Munich) | Germany |
| University of Pennsylvania | USA |
| University of Texas at Austin | USA |
| University of Tokyo | Japan |
| University of Toronto | Canada |
| University of Washington | USA |
| Yale University | USA |
High Potential Individual visa: Global Universities List 2020
The list published in 2020 will be used to assess qualifications awarded between 1 November 2020 and 31 October 2021.
| Alphabetical Rankings Lists 2020 (establishments from Top 50 rankings which appeared on 2 or more lists) | Country |
|---|---|
| California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | USA |
| Columbia University | USA |
| Cornell University | USA |
| Duke University | USA |
| Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne | Switzerland |
| ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) | Switzerland |
| Harvard University | USA |
| Johns Hopkins University | USA |
| Karolinska Institute | Sweden |
| Kyoto University | Japan |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | USA |
| McGill University | Canada |
| Nanyang Technological University (NTU) | Singapore |
| National University of Singapore | Singapore |
| New York University (NYU) | USA |
| Northwestern University | USA |
| Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University | France |
| Peking University | China |
| Princeton University | USA |
| Stanford University | USA |
| Technical University of Munich (Technische Universität München) | Germany |
| Tsinghua University | China |
| University of British Columbia | Canada |
| University of California, Berkeley | USA |
| University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | USA |
| University of California, San Diego | USA |
| University of Chicago | USA |
| University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong |
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | USA |
| University of Melbourne | Australia |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | USA |
| University of Pennsylvania | USA |
| University of Texas at Austin | USA |
| University of Tokyo | Japan |
| University of Toronto | Canada |
| University of Washington | USA |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | USA |
| Washington University in St Louis | USA |
| Yale University | USA |
High Potential Individual visa: Global Universities List 2019
The list published in 2019 will be used to assess qualifications awarded between 1 November 2019 and 31 October 2020.
| Alphabetical Rankings Lists 2019 (establishments from Top 50 rankings which appeared on 2 or more lists) | Country |
|---|---|
| Australian National University | Australia |
| California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | USA |
| Carnegie Mellon University | USA |
| Columbia University | USA |
| Cornell University | USA |
| Duke University | USA |
| Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL Switzerland) | Switzerland |
| ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) | Switzerland |
| Harvard University | USA |
| Heidelberg University | Germany |
| Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | Hong Kong |
| Johns Hopkins University | USA |
| Karolinska Institute | Sweden |
| Kyoto University | Japan |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | USA |
| McGill University | Canada |
| Nanyang Technological University (NTU) | Singapore |
| National University of Singapore | Singapore |
| New York University | USA |
| Northwestern University | USA |
| Peking University | China |
| Princeton University | USA |
| Stanford University | USA |
| Tsinghua University | China |
| University of British Columbia | Canada |
| University of California, Berkeley | USA |
| University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | USA |
| University of California, San Diego (UCSD) | USA |
| University of Chicago US | USA |
| University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong |
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | USA |
| University of Melbourne | Australia |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | USA |
| University of Pennsylvania | USA |
| University of Texas at Austin | USA |
| University of Tokyo | Japan |
| University of Toronto | Canada |
| University of Washington | USA |
| Yale University | USA |
High Potential Individual visa: Global Universities List 2018
The list published in 2018 will be used to assess qualifications awarded between 1 November 2018 and 31 October 2019.
| Alphabetical Rankings Lists 2018 (establishments from Top 50 rankings which appeared on 2 or more lists) | Country |
|---|---|
| Australian National University (ANU) | Australia |
| California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | USA |
| Carnegie Mellon University | USA |
| Columbia University | USA |
| Cornell University | USA |
| Duke University | USA |
| Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL Switzerland) | Switzerland |
| ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) | Switzerland |
| Harvard University | USA |
| Heidelberg University | Germany |
| Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | Hong Kong |
| Johns Hopkins University | USA |
| Karolinska Institute | Sweden |
| Kyoto University | Japan |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | USA |
| McGill University | Canada |
| National University of Singapore | Singapore |
| New York University | USA |
| Northwestern University | USA |
| Peking University | China |
| Princeton University | USA |
| PSL Université Paris (Paris Sciences & Lettres) | France |
| Stanford University | USA |
| Technical University of Munich | Germany |
| Tsinghua University | China |
| University of British Columbia | Canada |
| University of California, Berkeley | USA |
| University of California, Los Angeles | USA |
| University of California, San Diego | USA |
| University of Chicago US | USA |
| University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong |
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | USA |
| University of Melbourne | Australia |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | USA |
| University of Pennsylvania | USA |
| University of Texas at Austin | USA |
| University of Tokyo | Japan |
| University of Toronto | Canada |
| University of Washington | USA |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | USA |
| Yale University | USA |
High Potential Individual visa: Global Universities List 2017
The list published in 2017 will be used to assess qualifications awarded between 1 November 2017 and 31 October 2018.
| Alphabetical Rankings Lists 2017 (establishments from Top 50 rankings which appeared on 2 or more lists) | Country |
|---|---|
| Australian National University (ANU) | Australia |
| California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | USA |
| Carnegie Mellon University | USA |
| Columbia University | USA |
| Cornell University | USA |
| Duke University | USA |
| Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL Switzerland) | Switzerland |
| ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) | Switzerland |
| Harvard University | USA |
| Heidelberg University | Germany |
| Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | Hong Kong |
| Johns Hopkins University | USA |
| Karolinska Institute | Sweden |
| Kyoto University | Japan |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | USA |
| McGill University | Canada |
| National University of Singapore (NUS) | Singapore |
| New York University | USA |
| Northwestern University | USA |
| Peking university | China |
| Princeton University | USA |
| Stanford University | USA |
| Technical University of Munich | Germany |
| Tsinghua University | China |
| University of British Columbia | Canada |
| University of California, Berkeley | USA |
| University of California, Los Angeles | USA |
| University of California, San Diego | USA |
| University of Chicago | USA |
| University of Hong Kong (HKU) | Hong Kong |
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | USA |
| University of Melbourne | Australia |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | USA |
| University of Pennsylvania | USA |
| University of Tokyo | Japan |
| University of Toronto | Canada |
| University of Washington | USA |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | USA |
| Washington University in St. Louis | USA |
| Yale University | USA |
High Potential Individual visa: Global Universities List 2016
The list published in 2016 will be used to assess qualifications awarded between 1 November 2016 and 31 October 2017.
| Alphabetical Rankings Lists 2016 (establishments from Top 50 rankings which appeared on 2 or more lists) | Country |
|---|---|
| Australian National University (ANU) | Australia |
| California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | USA |
| Columbia University | USA |
| Cornell University | USA |
| Duke University | USA |
| Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL Switzerland) | Switzerland |
| ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) | Switzerland |
| Harvard University | USA |
| Heidelberg University | Germany |
| Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | Hong Kong |
| Johns Hopkins University | USA |
| Karolinska Institute | Sweden |
| Kyoto University | Japan |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | USA |
| McGill University | Canada |
| National University of Singapore (NUS) | Singapore |
| New York University | USA |
| Northwestern University | USA |
| Peking University | China |
| Princeton University | USA |
| Stanford University | USA |
| Technical University of Munich | Germany |
| Tsinghua University | China |
| University of British Columbia | Canada |
| University of California, Berkeley | USA |
| University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | USA |
| University of California, San Diego | USA |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | USA |
| University of Chicago | USA |
| University of Hong Kong (HKU) | Hong Kong |
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | USA |
| University of Melbourne | Australia |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | USA |
| University of Pennsylvania | USA |
| University of Texas at Austin | USA |
| University of Tokyo | Japan |
| University of Toronto | Canada |
| University of Washington | USA |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | USA |
| Yale University | USA |
3. Am I eligible for the HPI Visa if my degree is from a UK university?
No, only qualifications from an relevant university outside the UK make you eligible for the HPI visa. If your qualification is from a UK university, you may be eligible for another type of work visa such as the Graduate Visa, Skilled Worker Visa, Innovator Visa etc.
To see if you are eligible for a UK visa please feel free to book an online or office consultation with our immigration lawyers for specialist advice.
4. How long is the HPI visa granted for?
The High Potential Individual (HPI) visa offers you the opportunity to reside and work in the UK for 2 or 3 years depending on your qualification.
Those with an eligible bachelors or masters degree will be granted 2 years visa while an eligible PhD or a doctoral qualification will get you a 3 years visa.
5. Are there any other requirements that I must fulfill to be eligible for the HPI visa?
Your qualification must be at the same level as:
- a UK bachelor’s degree
- a UK postgraduate degree
- a UK PhD or doctorate
You must apply to Ecctis (formerly UK NARIC) to verify that your qualification is valid and at the right level.
You must also be able to show that you have enough personal savings to support yourself in the UK, unless you’ve been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months.
6. Can I extend my HPI Visa?
You cannot extend your HPI visa. However, you may switch to a different visa, for example a Skilled Worker visa, Innovator visa or any other suitable visa depending on your circumstances.
7. What can I do with an HPI Visa?
The HPI visa allows you to:
- work in most jobs
- look for work
- work as self-employed
- live in the UK with your partner and children, if they’re eligible
- do voluntary work
- travel abroad and return to the UK
However, you will not be able to:
- apply for most benefits (public funds), or the State Pension
- work as a professional sportsperson
- extend this visa unless you can switch to another visa
- apply to settle permanently in the UK unless you switch into a visa that allows you to settle
If your application is successful, you’ll get a full list of what you can and cannot do with an HPI visa.
8. Can I bring my spouse and children to the UK with the HPI Visa?
Yes your partner and children may also apply to join you or stay in the UK as your ‘dependents’ so long as they meet the relevant eligibility requirements outlined in the Immigration Rules.
If your partner or child’s application is successful, their visa will normally end on the same date as yours. If a child’s parents have visas with different expiry dates, the child’s visa will end on the earlier date.
9. How much money do I need to support my family for the HPI Visa application?
You or your partner must have the following amount of money available to support your stay in the UK:
- £285 for your partner
- £315 for one child
- £200 for each additional child
10. Will I have to pay Healthcare Surcharge for my family?
Each family member will have to pay the healthcare surcharge as follows:
- 2 years visa – it will cost £1,248 for each family member
- 3 years visa – it will cost £1,872 for each family member
If one of your family members gets a job in public sector healthcare afterward, they may be able to get a refund.
11. Can you help me make an application for the HPI Visa?
Whether it’s an application for the HPI visa, dependent visa, or indefinite leave to remain / settlement or citizenship, our specialist immigration lawyers are always on hand to provide expert advice and representation to increase your prospects of success.
21. What can I do if my application for the HPI Visa has been refused?
If your High Potential Individual Visa application has been refused you may be able to make an Administrative Review application to challenge the decision.
Our specialist immigration lawyers can advise on the merits of making a fresh application or challenging the decision by way of an Administrative Review application.
Looking to make an application for the High Potential Individual (HPI) Visa?
Maximize your chances of success by getting specialist legal advice for your application. Use the button below to book your online, phone or office consultation.