The United Kingdom has said it will start granting a new visa by May 30 for first degree, masters, and doctorates holders to travel to the country and work in the fields of science, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
The High Potential Individual (HPI) visa authorizes applicants to relocate to the UK without an initial job offer or sponsorship.
The grant, however, excludes graduates of Nigerian universities.
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Meanwhile, the UK government ordered that HPI visa applicants must have a degree from a university that is ranked top 50 as published in the global universities list by the Home Office
The government noted that the list would be compiled annually and would comprise institutions included in the list of the top 50 universities in at least two of the following ranking systems: Times Higher Education World University rankings, Quacquarelli Symonds World University rankings, and the Academic Ranking of the World Universities.
Also, applicants must have been awarded a degree, equivalent to or not less than a UK bachelor’s degree.
According to the UK Minister of Safe and Legal Migration, Kevin Foster, the High Potential Individual visa route is targeted at attracting high-skilled foreign university graduates, who will be allowed to work and stay in the UK for two or three years.
He said:
“The new High Potential Individual route will make it as simple as possible for internationally mobile individuals who demonstrate high potential to come to the UK. It will enable those who have already demonstrated their potential through academic achievement to come to the UK without a prior job offer.
If you’ve been resident in the UK for more than 12 months, you might not need to meet this requirement. Graduates with a bachelor’s or a master’s degree will be given a two-year visa. Ph.D. or other doctoral-level graduates will get visas valid for three years. This visa can only be granted once and will not be available to those who have already had a Graduate Visa.”
On the expiration of the visa, the holders could switch to permits under the skilled worker, start-up and innovator, exceptional talent, or scale-up route for continued stay in the UK.
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