Routes 3
The High Potential Individual visa
If an eligible university outside the UK awarded your degree in the last 5 years, you can work here without a job offer, once.
| Figure | In force | Since | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Potential Individual visa length | 2 years | Start date not verified | High Potential Individual (HPI) visa: Overview (gov.uk) |
| Yearly cap on HPI applications | Applies today: 8,000Note F1 | HPI 1.6A, HC 1333 (gov.uk) | |
| Length | 2 years, or 3 years with a PhD or other doctorate Authority GOV.UK guidance, High Potential Individual (HPI) visa: Overview (gov.uk). The passage relied onAn HPI visa lasts for 2 years. If you have a PhD or other doctoral qualification, it will last for 3 years. |
|---|---|
| Open after a Graduate visa | No Authority Appendix High Potential Individual, HPI 1.6 (gov.uk). The passage relied onHPI 1.6. The applicant must not have been previously granted permission under the Student Doctorate Extension Scheme, as a Graduate or as a High Potential Individual. |
| Needs a job offer | No Authority GOV.UK guidance, High Potential Individual (HPI) visa: Eligibility (gov.uk). The passage relied onYou do not need to have a job offer to apply. |
| Can switch to Skilled Worker inside the UK | You may be able to, before the HPI visa expires Authority GOV.UK guidance, High Potential Individual (HPI) visa: Overview (gov.uk). The passage relied onHowever, you may be able to switch to a different visa, for example a Skilled Worker visa. You can switch to a different visa before your HPI visa expires. |
The High Potential Individual (HPI) visa is for people with a recent degree from a listed university outside the UK. Three rules decide whether it is open to you at all, so they come first.
Three rules that decide it before anything else
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| Once only | You can apply for an HPI visa only once. You do not need a job offer to apply. Authority GOV.UK guidance, High Potential Individual (HPI) visa: Eligibility (gov.uk). The passage relied onYou can only apply for an HPI visa once. Authority GOV.UK guidance, High Potential Individual (HPI) visa: Eligibility (gov.uk). The passage relied onYou do not need to have a job offer to apply. |
| Not after a Graduate visa | You cannot be granted an HPI visa if you have previously been granted a Graduate visa. You also cannot switch to HPI from a Graduate visa. Authority Appendix High Potential Individual, HPI 1.6 (gov.uk). The passage relied onHPI 1.6. The applicant must not have been previously granted permission under the Student Doctorate Extension Scheme, as a Graduate or as a High Potential Individual. |
| UK universities are not eligible | A degree from a UK university does not qualify. If you are in the UK on a Student visa, the Graduate visa may be open to you instead. Authority GOV.UK guidance, High Potential Individual (HPI) visa: Eligibility (gov.uk). The passage relied onUK universities are not eligible. If you’re already in the UK on a student visa you may be able to apply for a Graduate visa. |
UK universities are not eligible. If you’re already in the UK on a student visa you may be able to apply for a Graduate visa.
Who the route is for
Your qualification must have been awarded in the last 5 years, by a university on the list for the year of the award. Check your university and year in the list finder.
You must have been awarded your qualification in the last 5 years.
That can include UK alumni who also hold a degree from a listed university abroad; that degree is the one that counts. It also includes graduates of listed universities abroad, for example in the United States, Hong Kong or Singapore, who are planning UK work.
The yearly cap on applications
The route has a cap of 8,000 applications in each annual period, counting applications from outside and inside the UK. The cap has applied since .
HPI 1.6A The number of applications (for both entry clearance and permission to stay) must not have exceeded 8,000, the annual total allocation of places for the route (where the annual period begins on 1 November and ends on 31 October of each year).
What it costs
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee | £880 Authority GOV.UK guidance, High Potential Individual (HPI) visa: How much it costs (gov.uk). The passage relied onpay the £880 application fee |
| Immigration health surcharge, for each year of the visa | £1,035, the rate for applications other than Student and Youth Mobility visas Authority GOV.UK guidance, Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application: How much you have to pay (gov.uk). The passage relied on£1,035 per year for all other visa and immigration applications, for example £3,105 for a 3-year visa |
The English level
You must prove your English to at least level B2. That level has applied since ; the English requirement covers who must prove it.
After the HPI visa: switching, not extending
You cannot extend an HPI visa. Before it expires, a holder may be able to switch to another visa, such as Skilled Worker; salary rules are on the Rules hub.
Time on an HPI visa does not count as time spent in the UK if you later apply to settleSettlement Permission to live in the UK permanently, also called indefinite leave to remain. Each route sets its own qualifying period and conditions..
HPI or Graduate compares the order of the two routes. The white paper page tracks its measure on HPI.
History
- . Entry updated.
- . Entry first published.
- 4 November 2025. In force. HPI list widened and a yearly cap set, HC 1333.
Common questions
Can I apply for an HPI visa with a UK degree?
No. UK universities are not eligible. A student in the UK may be able to apply for a Graduate visa instead.
Do I need a job offer for an HPI visa?
No. You do not need a job offer to apply. You can apply for an HPI visa only once.
How many HPI visas are there each year?
The route is capped at 8,000 applications a year, counting applications from outside and inside the UK. The cap has applied since 4 November 2025.
What English level does the HPI visa need?
Level B2 on the CEFR scale, in reading, writing, speaking and understanding. This level has applied since 8 January 2026.
Can I extend an HPI visa?
No. Before it expires, an HPI holder may be able to switch to another visa, such as Skilled Worker.
Sources
- High Potential Individual visa: Eligibility (gov.uk). Checked .
The passage relied on
You do not need to have a job offer to apply.
You can only apply for an HPI visa once.
UK universities are not eligible. If you’re already in the UK on a student visa you may be able to apply for a Graduate visa.
You must have been awarded your qualification in the last 5 years.
- Immigration Rules: Appendix High Potential Individual (gov.uk). Checked .
The passage relied on
HPI 1.6. The applicant must not have been previously granted permission under the Student Doctorate Extension Scheme, as a Graduate or as a High Potential Individual.
The High Potential Individual route is not a route to settlement.
HPI 1.6A The number of applications (for both entry clearance and permission to stay) must not have exceeded 8,000, the annual total allocation of places for the route (where the annual period begins on 1 November and ends on 31 October of each year).
- High Potential Individual visa: Switch to this visa (gov.uk). Checked .
The passage relied on
You cannot switch to this visa if you’re on a Graduate visa.
- High Potential Individual visa: Overview (gov.uk). Checked .
The passage relied on
Your time on an HPI visa will not count as time spent in the UK if you apply to settle in the UK.
An HPI visa lasts for 2 years. If you have a PhD or other doctoral qualification, it will last for 3 years.
However, you may be able to switch to a different visa, for example a Skilled Worker visa. You can switch to a different visa before your HPI visa expires.
- Statement of Changes HC 1333: explanatory memorandum (gov.uk). Checked .
The passage relied on
There will also be a cap placed on the route of 8,000 applications per year.
6.4 For the changes that introduce a visa requirement on Botswana, those changes will come into effect at 1500 BST on 14 October 2025. The changes regarding appendix HPI, will come into effect on 4 November 2025, the changes relating to Students transitioning to the Innovator Founder route come into effect on 25 November 2025 and the changes to English language requirements for economic migration routes will come into effect on 8 January 2026. All other changes will come into effect on 11 November 2025 and are detailed in the implementation section of the Statement of Changes.
- High Potential Individual visa: Knowledge of English (gov.uk). Checked .
The passage relied on
You must prove you can read, write, speak and understand English to at least level B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale.
- Statement of Changes HC 1333 (gov.uk). Checked .
The passage relied on
APP HPI5. In the table in HPI 4.1, for “level B1”, substitute “level B2.”.
- Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application: How much you have to pay (gov.uk). Checked .
The passage relied on
£1,035 per year for all other visa and immigration applications, for example £3,105 for a 3-year visa
- High Potential Individual visa: How much it costs (gov.uk). Checked .
The passage relied on
pay the £880 application fee
- Government: Publications (gov.uk). Checked .
The passage relied on
Fee from 9 April 2025
How each figure is checked: Sources and method.
This is general information about the rules, not legal advice. For advice on your own situation, use a solicitor or an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (gov.uk).