High Potential Individual (HPI) visa

What the HPI visa is

The High Potential Individual (HPI) visa gives you permission to stay in the UK for 2 years, or 3 years if you hold a PhD or other doctoral qualification, if you were awarded a qualification by an eligible university in the last 5 years. Launched in May 2022, it does not require a job offer or sponsor.

You can work in most jobs, look for work, be self-employed, do voluntary work, travel abroad and return, and bring eligible dependants. You cannot extend the visa, apply to settle on it, claim most benefits or work as a professional sportsperson. There is a yearly limit on applications; the application year runs from 1 November to 31 October and you are told when you apply if the limit has been reached.

Eligibility requirements

You must meet all of these requirements to qualify.

• Eligible university

  Your qualification was awarded by a university on the GOV.UK list for the month and year of award. UK universities are not eligible.

• Qualification level

  At the level of a UK bachelor's degree, postgraduate degree, or PhD or doctorate, confirmed by Ecctis.

• Awarded in the last 5 years

  You must apply within 5 years of being awarded the qualification.

• Ecctis check

  Apply to Ecctis (£252) to confirm your qualification is valid and at the right level. A previous Ecctis certificate can be reused. Ecctis does not check whether your university is eligible.

• Knowledge of English

  Read, write, speak and understand English to at least level B2 (CEFR), unless you are exempt.

• Money to support yourself

  At least £1,270 held for 28 consecutive days, with day 28 within 31 days of applying, unless you have been in the UK on a valid visa for at least 12 months.

• Not previously held

  You can only apply once. You cannot apply if you have already had a Graduate visa or came to the UK as a Doctorate Extension Scheme student.

• Age

  You must be 18 or over.

You do not need a job offer, and you can apply from inside or outside the UK.

Eligible universities

The list is based on world university rankings and is published for each application year, 1 November to 31 October.

Check the GOV.UK list for the month and year your qualification was awarded. Lists are published for 1 November 2020 to 31 October 2021 through to 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026. Institutions qualify by appearing in the top 50 of at least two of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the QS World University Rankings and the Academic Ranking of World Universities in the relevant year. UK universities are not eligible.

Institutions that have appeared on recent lists include:

Knowledge of English

• A UK school qualification you began under 18: a GCSE, an A level, a Scottish National Qualification at level 4 or 5, or a Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher in English.
• A degree-level qualification taught in English and awarded by a UK institution.
• A degree taught in English from a non-UK institution, with an Ecctis code confirming it is equivalent to a UK bachelor's degree or higher and was taught in English.
• A Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider at level B2 or above in all four components.

If you proved your English in a previous successful visa application you may not need to prove it again. Nationals of Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the British overseas territories, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and the USA do not need to prove their knowledge of English.

Fees and costs

Complete cost breakdown for HPI visa applications.

Ecctis qualification check (including VAT)

£252

Visa application fee, per person

£880

Immigration Health Surcharge, 2-year visa

£2,070 per adult

Immigration Health Surcharge, 3-year visa

£3,105 per adult

Immigration Health Surcharge, child under 18, 2-year visa

£1,552

Immigration Health Surcharge, child under 18, 3-year visa

£2,328

Money to support yourself

£1,270 held for 28 consecutive days

Funds for a dependant partner

£285

Funds for your first child

£315

Funds for each additional child

£200

Biometrics (fingerprints and photo)

No fee

Total for a 2-year visa (Ecctis, fee and IHS)

£3,202

Total for a 3-year visa (Ecctis, fee and IHS)

£4,237

You do not need to show the £1,270 if you have been in the UK on a valid visa for at least 12 months. If you get a job in public sector healthcare after paying the surcharge you may be able to get a refund. Figures as published on GOV.UK, last updated 23 July 2026.

Processing times

Standard service standards published by UK Visas and Immigration.

Applying from outside the UK

3 weeks

Switching inside the UK

8 weeks

Dependants applying from outside the UK

3 weeks

Dependants switching inside the UK

8 weeks

Priority or super priority service

May be offered for an extra fee; you are told when you apply

The clock starts once you have applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents. The earliest you can apply from outside the UK is 3 months before you travel. You will be contacted if your application will take longer, for example because documents need verifying, you need an interview or you have a criminal conviction. Times published on GOV.UK: applications outside the UK, 26 June 2026; applications inside the UK, 21 July 2025.

Documents you'll need

Pay for the Ecctis check before you apply, unless you already hold an Ecctis assessment.

• A valid passport or other travel document that shows your identity and nationality.
• Proof of your knowledge of English.
• Your unique person identifier number or certificate from Ecctis confirming your qualification.

Depending on your circumstances you might also be asked for:

• Proof of personal savings, for example bank statements showing £1,270 held for 28 days, unless you have been in the UK on a valid visa for at least 12 months.
• Proof of your relationship with your partner or children if they are applying with you.
• Your tuberculosis test results if you are from a listed country.
• If switching from another visa: a share code proving your eVisa status, or your biometric residence permit (usable for 24 months after its printed expiry or until 31 December 2026, whichever is first).
• A certified translation of any document not in English or Welsh.

Application process

Step-by-step guide to applying for your HPI visa.

Your partner and children

Dependants apply separately and their visas usually end on the same date as yours.

A dependant is your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner; your child under 18, including one born in the UK during your stay; or your child over 18 who already has permission to be in the UK as your dependant. If a child's parents have visas with different expiry dates, the child's visa ends on the earlier date.

• Partners must prove a marriage or civil partnership recognised in the UK, or that you have lived together in a relationship for at least 2 years, or an ongoing commitment where you cannot live together.
• Children must live with you (unless away in full-time education) and not be married or in a civil partnership. Evidence of address includes a bank statement, credit card bills, a driving licence, an NHS registration document or a letter from their school or college.
• Each dependant pays the application fee and the surcharge, and needs £285 (partner), £315 (first child) and £200 (each further child) held for 28 days, unless you have all been in the UK for 12 months. GOV.UK example: £600 to bring a partner and one child, plus your own £1,270.
• Dependants outside the UK apply before travelling and quote your application number (GWF or UAN). Dependants in the UK can switch at the same time as you or before their current visa expires, including children who have turned 18.
• Dependants inside the UK cannot switch if they are here as a visitor, short-term student, Parent of a Child Student, seasonal worker, domestic worker in a private household, on immigration bail or with permission granted outside the rules. A Student-visa dependant must have completed their course or studied a PhD for at least 24 months.
• Dependants can work (except as a sportsperson or coach), study, and travel abroad and return. They cannot claim most benefits or the State Pension.
• A child born in the UK does not automatically become British. Apply for their dependant visa before they turn 18, with a full UK birth certificate naming both parents.

Switching, and what happens after the HPI visa

The HPI visa cannot be extended, so plan your next route before it expires.

To switch to an HPI visa from inside the UK:

• Apply within 5 years of your qualification being awarded and before your current visa expires.
• If you are on a Student visa, you must have completed your course or have studied a full-time PhD for at least 24 months.
• You cannot switch from a Graduate visa, or if you are here as a visitor, short-term student, Parent of a Child Student, seasonal worker, domestic worker in a private household, on immigration bail or with permission granted outside the rules; you must leave and apply from abroad.
• If you have been in the UK for less than a year you must still prove you have £1,270 to support yourself.
• Do not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you have a decision, or your application will be withdrawn.

HPI compared with the Graduate visa

Understanding the differences between these two graduate routes.

Common refusal reasons

Each mandatory requirement of the route is a ground for refusal if it is not met or not evidenced. Applications are refused when:

• The awarding university is not on the GOV.UK list for the month and year the qualification was awarded, or is a UK university.
• The qualification was awarded more than 5 years before the application.
• There is no Ecctis confirmation that the qualification is valid and at UK bachelor's, postgraduate or doctoral level.
• English is not evidenced at level B2: the test is not from an approved SELT provider, or a non-UK degree is relied on without an Ecctis code confirming it was taught in English.
• Funds of £1,270 (plus dependant amounts) are not held for 28 consecutive days with day 28 within 31 days of applying, and the applicant has not been in the UK on a valid visa for 12 months.
• The applicant has previously held an HPI visa, a Graduate visa or Doctorate Extension Scheme leave, or is trying to switch from a Graduate visa.
• The applicant is switching from an ineligible category, or is on a Student visa and has not completed the course or 24 months of a full-time PhD.
• A tuberculosis test certificate is missing where the applicant is from a listed country.
• The yearly limit on applications has been reached for the application year.
• Documents are false, incomplete or not accompanied by a certified translation, or there are previous immigration breaches.

Tools and resources

Ready to apply for your HPI visa?

Our immigration specialists can help you verify your eligibility, prepare your documents and submit a strong application.

Information sourced from GOV.UK (High Potential Individual (HPI) visa), last updated 23 July 2026, and the GOV.UK visa processing times guidance (applications outside the UK, 26 June 2026; applications inside the UK, 21 July 2025), reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Rules change; we verify requirements at the point of instruction.