An unsponsored UK work visa for recent graduates of eligible top global universities — no job offer, no sponsor. A narrow door, but an open one. We tell you honestly whether your degree fits before you commit.
Last updated: June 2026 — reviewed against gov.uk High Potential Individual guidance.
Free UK HPI Eligibility Check — we confirm whether your university is on the current list, whether your degree falls inside the 5-year window, and which UK route fits next.
Get Assessment| UK High Potential Individual (HPI) Visa | |
|---|---|
| Governing authority | UK Home Office (gov.uk) |
| Sponsor / job offer | None required |
| Who qualifies | Graduates of the 99 eligible global universities, degree awarded within the last 5 years |
| Visa length | 2 years (bachelor's/master's) · 3 years (PhD) · not extendable |
| English | CEFR Level B2 (read, write, speak, understand) |
| Maintenance funds | At least £1,270, held 28 consecutive days (waived if you held a UK visa 12+ months) |
| Annual cap | 8,000 applications per year (1 Nov–31 Oct) |
| Settlement | No direct route to ILR — time on HPI does not count toward settlement |
| As of | June 2026 |
We assist applicants based in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Doha, Kuwait City, Muscat, Manama, as well as across India and Sri Lanka. The HPI route is most relevant to graduates of overseas universities — so it often fits UAE-based professionals who studied abroad more naturally than it fits a domestic-degree holder.
Our role is to convert a narrow, fast-moving rule set into a clear, executable plan — and to be straight with you when the route simply doesn't fit your degree.
You qualify for the UK HPI visa if you graduated from one of the eligible global universities and your degree was awarded within the last 5 years, according to gov.uk. The list holds 99 institutions for the current cycle (qualifications awarded 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026), and UK universities are not on it. A bachelor's, master's or PhD-equivalent all count.
The catch most people miss: the list is rebuilt every year from global rankings, so a university that qualifies this cycle may not qualify next. It is dominated by US, Chinese, UK-resident-excluded and Australian institutions — your eligibility depends on which list was live when your award was conferred. We check your exact university against the current list before you spend anything. Find out where you stand — free eligibility check.
The honest note. This is not a settlement route. Time on the HPI visa does not count toward indefinite leave to remain, and the visa cannot be extended — to build toward permanent residence you switch into another route, commonly Skilled Worker. The 8,000-a-year cap can be exhausted, so the route can effectively close mid-cycle. Eligibility is narrow: only graduates of the ~99 listed non-UK universities, awarded within the last 5 years, applying once only. We'd rather walk you through that in your first session than after you've made plans around it.
The UK HPI visa is granted for 2 years if you hold a bachelor's or master's, and 3 years if you hold a PhD or doctoral qualification, according to gov.uk. It cannot be extended, and you can only apply for the HPI route once in your lifetime.
That makes the route a window, not a destination. The practical move is to use those two or three years to find sponsored work and switch into the Skilled Worker route — that switch is where time toward settlement actually starts to count. It is also a single-use visa: it is not available to anyone who previously held a Graduate visa or was a Doctorate Extension Scheme student. We map the next step before you use the one chance you get. Message us on WhatsApp.
Cosmos Immigration provides structured planning, documentation preparation and case management. For UK matters, applications are prepared and submitted through government-authorised agents and regulated legal practitioners in our network; Cosmos coordinates your eligibility review, documentation and case management. Where regulated UK immigration advice or representation is required, you are supported into an independent engagement with the appropriate regulated practitioner.
The UK HPI visa requires English at CEFR Level B2 — reading, writing, speaking and understanding — and personal savings of at least £1,270, according to gov.uk. The funds must be held for 28 consecutive days, with day 28 falling within 31 days of applying.
The maintenance requirement is waived if you have held a UK visa for 12 months or more, so prior UK time can simplify things. On English, secondary sources indicate the threshold moved to B2 for first-time applicants from early 2026, up from the prior B1; the current gov.uk page states B2 without dating the change, so we verify the live requirement against your application date rather than relying on a fixed date. We'll confirm what applies to your case.
The UK HPI visa application fee is £880, and the Immigration Health Surcharge is usually £1,035 per person for each year of your stay, according to gov.uk as of June 2026. These are UK government fees paid to the Home Office — they are not Cosmos fees.
Because the HPI visa runs for two or three years, the health surcharge is charged for the full period at once, which is worth budgeting for early. Cosmos fees for documentation and case-management support are separate and are confirmed after your assessment. Start with a free assessment.
All criteria are set by the UK Home Office and are subject to change.
The HPI visa can be a strong fit for India-origin clients who hold a degree from a globally ranked overseas university — but the eligible list is dominated by US, Chinese, UK-resident-excluded and Australian institutions, and Indian universities rarely appear on it. In practice the qualifying degree usually has to be foreign-earned.
That makes the route most relevant to UAE-based Indian nationals, or to Indian graduates of overseas universities — not to holders of a domestic Indian degree. We verify the live list for any qualifying Indian institutions before we name them. Government fees (£880 plus the health surcharge) are payable to the UK Home Office, not to Cosmos.
← View all skilled & talent visa pathways on the hub page.
No. The High Potential Individual visa needs no job offer and no sponsor, according to gov.uk. Eligibility turns on your university and degree, not an employer. You qualify if you graduated from one of the 99 eligible global universities, with the degree awarded within the last 5 years.
The list holds 99 institutions for the current cycle (qualifications awarded 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026) and is rebuilt each year, so it changes annually. UK universities are not eligible. We check your exact institution against the live gov.uk list before you commit to anything.
Two years if you hold a bachelor's or master's, and three years if you hold a PhD or doctoral qualification, according to gov.uk. The visa cannot be extended, and you can apply for it only once.
Not directly. Time on the HPI visa does not count toward indefinite leave to remain. Holders typically switch into the Skilled Worker route, or another qualifying route, to build toward permanent residence.
You need at least £1,270 in personal savings, held for 28 consecutive days (waived if you held a UK visa for 12+ months). The application fee is £880 and the Immigration Health Surcharge is usually £1,035 per person per year of stay, per gov.uk as of June 2026. These are UK government fees, not Cosmos fees.
Cosmos Immigration is a regulated immigration consultancy founded in Dubai in 2014, working through CICC-, MARA- and IAA-registered professionals, with offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Hyderabad and Oakville. For UK matters, applications are prepared and submitted through government-authorised agents and regulated legal practitioners in our network, with Cosmos coordinating eligibility, documentation and case management. Don't take our word for any of it — you can look up the consultancy's credentials yourself, free, on the relevant public registers. Verify Our Credentials
Cosmos Immigration is a private consultancy, not a government body. Program criteria and figures are set by the relevant governments and are subject to change; verified against official sources as of the date shown.
Start with a free assessment, not a sales pitch — or message us on WhatsApp. We'll tell you honestly whether the HPI route fits your degree — even if the answer is no.
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