Graduates from the world’s top universities who desire to work in the United Kingdom will be able to apply now. The British government says the new visa scheme will be available to graduates who have graduated no more than 5 years before the date of application. Called the “high-potential individual” visa, it’s the route to attract the “brightest and best” who are early in their careers.

 

Rishi Sunak, British finance minister, said the programme would enable the U.K. to grow as an international hub for innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship. He said – “We want the businesses of tomorrow to be built here today – which is why I call on students to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to forge their careers here”.

 

Graduates with a bachelor’s or master’s degree from the top 50 non-UK universities abroad can apply for a two-year work visa, while those with PhDs or doctorates can apply for a three-year visa. Graduates granted an HPI (High Potential Individual) visa will also be able to switch to other long-term employment visas – if they meet the eligibility requirements.

Interestingly, the new programme appears to be an extension to allow international students – numbering 450,000 (in 2018) – currently studying in the UK to stay and work for up to two years, which was mooted in Sept 2019. The move reversed a decision made in 2012 by then-Home Secretary Theresa May that forced overseas students to leave four months after finishing a degree.

 

Checks with the British Office of National Statistics showed that 97% of the international students were leaving upon the expiry of their visa – a huge loss to potential talents and top brains who could contribute to the U.K.’s economy, universities and research. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the country should open to the brightest and the best from across the globe to study and work.

 

Since leaving the European Union in January 2021 – Brexit – Britain has ended the priority given to EU citizens and introduced a points-based immigration system that ranks applicants on everything from their qualifications and language skills to the type of job offered to them. Hence, the visa is part of the British government’s reordering of its immigration policy towards a “points-based system”.

Successful applicants will be allowed to bring partners, children and family members. To apply, graduates will need a valid passport or other travel document that shows their identity and nationality. Graduates can apply regardless of where they were born, and will not need a job offer in order to apply. And there will be no limit on the number of eligible graduates.

 

To qualify, however, a person must have attended a university which appeared in the top 50 of at least two of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings or The Academic Ranking of World Universities, in the year in which they graduated. The list of eligible universities of 2021 is published online by the government here.

 

The list featured 20 U.S. universities, including Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Caltech and MIT. There are also top universities from Canada, Japan, Germany, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, France, Switzerland, Australia and Sweden. As expected, Singapore is the only Southeast Asia country in the list – National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

Likewise, Peking University and Tsinghua University from China made it to the list, along with another two universities from Hong Kong – Chinese University of Hong Kong and University of Hong Kong.  University of Melbourne is the only Australian university that qualified. There are 3 universities from Canada and 2 universities from Japan.

 

Applicants will also have to prove they have at least a “B1” level of English, defined as the ability to speak, read, listen and write English at an intermediate level. Additionally, candidates must pass a security and criminality check. The application fee for the visa is £715 (US$900), along with £210 (US$264) to verify that their qualification is valid, or £252 (US$317) if they’re applying from the U.K.

 

In addition, applicants will have to pay a health care surcharge in order to use the U.K.’s National Health Service, which is about £624 (US$786) yearly. Graduates who wish to bring their families must have maintenance funds of at least £1,270 (US$1,600). The results of the application are known within 3 weeks if applied from outside the U.K. and 8 weeks if you’re already in the U.K.

This list of universities relates to qualifications awarded between 1 November 2021 and 31 October 2022.

1. California Institute of Technology (Caltech) — U.S.
2. Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) — Hong Kong
3. Columbia University — U.S.
4. Cornell University — U.S.
5. Duke University — U.S.
6. Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL Switzerland) — Switzerland
7. ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) — Switzerland
8. Harvard University — U.S.
9. Johns Hopkins University — U.S.
10. Karolinska Institute — Sweden
11. Kyoto University — Japan
12. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) — U.S.
13. McGill University — Canada
14. Nanyang Technological University (NTU) — Singapore
15. National University of Singapore — Singapore
16. New York University (NYU) — U.S.
17. Northwestern University — USA
18. Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University — France
19. Peking University — China
20. Princeton University —  U.S.
21. Stanford University — U.S.
22. Tsinghua University — China
23. University of British Columbia — Canada
24. University of California, Berkeley — U.S.
25. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) — U.S.
26. University of California, San Diego — U.S.
27. University of Chicago US — U.S.
28. University of Hong Kong — Hong Kong
29. University of Melbourne — Australia
30. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor — U.S.
31. University of Munich (LMU Munich) — Germany
32. University of Pennsylvania — U.S.
33. University of Texas at Austin —  U.S.
34. University of Tokyo — Japan
35. University of Toronto — Canada
36. University of Washington — U.S.
37. Yale University — U.S.

 

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May 31st, 2022 by financetwitter

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