Graduates of the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor are now eligible for a UK work visa. The United Kingdom’s government has a policy allowing college graduates to apply for a short-term visa to work in the UK. Known as the High Potential Individual Visa (HPI), the policy states that any person who graduated from a list of top eligible universities within the past five years is able to receive this visa to reside in the UK for two years. Those with doctoral qualifications are eligible to reside for three years.
The cost is £715 or $904 to apply for the visa, along with a qualification status verification fee and an immigration health surcharge fee. The list of 50 universities that received qualification between November 1, 2021 and October 31, 2022 includes the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. 20 out of 50 of the universities listed are in the United States.
The UK government website states that the HPI visa can only be granted once, and other qualifications include proof of English proficiency and personal savings of at least £1270. A job offer in the UK is not required to apply for the visa and people are allowed to bring dependents along with them.
This visa aims to recruit skilled young workers from top universities across the world to elevate Britain’s workforce. Under the HPI visa, international students will have multiple routes to apply for settlement or find employment in the UK.
Summer News Editor Nirali Patel can be reached at nirpat@umich.edu.