NUS, NTU graduates can now apply for jobs in the UK under the High Potential Individual visa scheme

Graduates from NUS and NTU can apply for jobs in the United Kingdom (UK) under the High Potential Individual (HPI) visa scheme from May 30 onwards.

The HPI visa was introduced as part of the UK government’s post-Brexit strategy to make the country more competitive globally.

It provides an opportunity for graduates who have completed a degree in top non-UK universities to find a job in the UK.

According to The Guardian, the visa scheme is open to graduates who graduated from their universities no more than five years before applying.

The visa will cost £715 (S$1,200) and applicants will need to pay an additional fee for the immigration health surcharge which will grant them access to the UK’s National Health Service.

Applicants will also need to have at least £1270 (S$2,200) in cash.

Through the visa, applicants will be entitled to either a two-year work visa for bachelors and masters holders or a three-year work visa for PhD holders. After which applicants can switch to other long-term visa employment schemes, if they wish.

To be eligible for the HPI visa, universities must be placed in the top 50 positions of at least two world rankings from either Times Higher Education world university rankings, Quacquarelli Symonds world university rankings, or The Academic Ranking of World’s Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Besides NUS and NTU, some other universities that qualified include Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Melbourne, and the University of Tokyo.

To apply for the visa, applicants will need to pass a security and criminal check. They will also need to meet the English Language requirements to at least a B1 intermediate level which is defined by the British Council as “those who have the necessary fluency to communicate without effort with native speakers”.

Graduates do not need to have an existing job offer in the UK to qualify for the visa and may bring along their families.